After my time away from home, tending my daughter with her broken ankle and her two sons, I have come back home to find the first real signs of spring. The herb bed next to the piazza in front of the house faces south and is very protected. It doesn’t look like much from a distance, but if you get up close . . . Here is autumn crocus sending up leaves as early as spring crocus, but the foliage will die during the summer and the blossoms will appear in the fall. Some call them Naked Ladies because the flower grows directly out of the ground.




and bee balm of the bright red variety. This is a strong spreader and I always have plenty to share.
