Time to Plant the Pansies

Is that a lawnmower I hear?

Yes! March 16th and two landscape companies are out there with their mowers.

After 'three days of rain' (a great play by Richard Greenberg), and winds of 50 mph and occasional sleet, it is finally calm outside. Those winds were brutal. But now it has reached 42 degrees with a high of 52 expected, and I got out for a pre-Spring morning walk. Crocuses are up and daffodils are near bloom, and I spotted a few recently planted pansies. The local nursery has announced that it's fine to plant pansies and violas in the soil. "Plant them now, they don't mind the chill" is the line in the current email from Atlantic Nursery. All right - we're almost there.

Disregarding the weather over the last few days, overall it has been a relatively mild winter in New York.  Having been born here, I remember the ice-cold winters of yore. It always snowed and snowed a lot. Memorable storms included two feet snowfalls, and two to three days off from school, and walking down Skillman Avenue in Sunnyside, Queens because cars couldn't pass.

Our snowfall total so far this winter has been under three inches. Clearly our climate is undergoing some very strange changes all over the country and around the world. Should you rejoice in a warm New York winter or feel worried that something is very off? Among our many global and local problems, climate change tops the long list. 

What should one do? At the very least I think I will put out some pansies and make the local landscape a little greener.


Comments

  1. Oh I can't wait for these sounds and feelings. I was in New York (Woodstock) on a crazy roadtrip 2 weekends ago from Chicago and it felt icy and gritty there just like it does here, but it also hasn't been too bad here either. If those sounds are echoing around by you, they must not be too far off here - thanks for the head's up, and the great slice!

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  2. It's way too early for lawn mowers! But pansies I can go for!

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  3. Macbeth's dagger and your lawnmower, both true and portentous. Best wishes for spring eventually.

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