The month of March roared in like a lion and then took a rest.

What’s the best reason to lose an hour of sleep on the weekend after a busy week? Moving the clocks ahead for Daylight Savings Time for longer stretches of sunshine in the days ahead.

There’s the first green bud on one of the hydrangea bushes. This weekend brought some warmer air and we took a walk around the garden to see signs of life starting to push through the earth.

The mountains of snow are starting to disappear finally. After a winter of shovel-breaking snow clearing, everyone will greet the spring with some weary happiness and relief.

The weather person stood in front of a chart for the week that showed 60-degree weather and a 20-degree day all in one week. We’ll take what we can get for now.

There’s the Christmas tree we shoved out the window in January for our annual post-holiday close of the season. It still looks pretty good.

We cut up the tree every year for mulch. This winter so much snow arrived, so quickly, it stayed outside buried under snow. This is the first time we’re seeing it again after the tree-shoving ceremony.

As we walked, we were greeted by new growth, pushing through the soil as ice and snow began to disappear.

The sedum, is one of the last flowers to fade in the fall, and the first perennial to signal a new growing season is on the way. Snowdrops, with their white buds on arched stems, were swaying as we passed.

One of the best parts of growing perennials is the resilience to return, year after year, no matter what winter delivered. There is an added element of awe when the plants return after a harsh winter season like we had this year.

We got a spring-flowering lilac bush last year, and through a series of events, never got it in the ground last season. In the fall, it looked like it was dead.

Many plants can look that way and come back to life in the spring. So, we left it, in a pot by the garage door for the winter.  It still looked dead this weekend.

Some plants have leaves, but look withered  at this time of year, like the sage. Some flowering bushes can look like they will never bloom again. Scrape the surface of one of the branches. If the inside is green, it simply means the bush is still in a dormant phase.

We tested our lilac and there was green inside. This neglected lilac bush is going to be producing perfume-scented lilac flowers in a few weeks.

Maybe this warm weather won’t consistently be around to stay yet–but it’s a sign–that spring is on the way. In the meantime, just knowing the hydrangea, in the first picture of plants, will look like this again is a reassuring thought.

Be sure and check out my latest post at Parade and start to think what herbs and vegetables to grow this season.

http://parade.condenast.com/268293/aliceknisleymatthias-2/giving-a-food-another-chance-at-any-age/