On the Edge of Spring
It’s been a long cold snowy winter, and at the moment we are just on the edge of Spring. I had the oppportunity to go out to Hidden Lake Gardens in Tipton, Michigan for a hike in the woods, and to check out the displays in the conservatories on a chilly Saturday in March. Tired of being indoors, and having the company of a good friend, off we went!
It was a grey day, chilly, but not windy. We hoped for a little bit of Spring to be found out in the woods, but if it was there it was still hidden by snow and ice. We took pictures of the beauty of the late winter landscape, bare branches agains the snow, bleached beech leaves still clinging to some of the trees, and green mosses on piles of boulders and fallen tree trunks. The hike was a challenge- the paths were still snowcovered and slippery, but the woods were so beautiful with the promise of Spring in the next few weeks. The woods were very quiet- just us two, the singing birds, and the one rabbit we scared up- not another soul around. There were plenty of tracks in the snow- deer, dogs, rabbits, squirrels, boot prints of other hikers, and some tracks from what must have been a huge wild turkey!
The conservatories held all of the glory of Spring bulbs, orchids, and a variety of blooming Amaryllis on display, some terrific cacti and succulents in the desert house, and of course the tropical house filled with huge trees and flowers.
We even took the time to look at the Dwarf Conifer collection- beautiful specimens showing their winter color still. What a great place to see some unusual varieties of trees and shrubs, along with some of the ones we all are so familiar with.
After a little outdoor picnic in the cold, we drove around the grounds looking at some of the other collections, but by that time my camera batteries had given up for the day, so I didn’t get Pictures of the rest of the grounds for the slide show I made.
All in all a perfectly wonderful day, looking forward to the beauty of Spring, saying good-bye to a long cold winter.
See you in the garden!
::bleached beech leaves:: Say that five times! 🙂
We’re on the edge of spring here in Nova Scotia as well. It’s staying very cold, but there’s beauty to be found in all seasons, I’m learning.
Nice blog. Glad to meet a fellow gardener on here.
I *love* your video of Hidden Lake Gardens. I love their trails and plants. I’m volunteering at their spring plant sale this year–hope to see you there!
~ Monica