While many would often believe, especially this time of year, that winter seems to be the longest season in the Pacific Northwest, I truly believe that honor belongs to spring. Snow Drops, an early harbinger of the season, often start to appear as early as mid-February. And while we are just over two weeks into the season according to the calendar, it appears that the hellebore blooms in our yard have passed their peak, and are now giving up a bit of the limelight to daffodils and early varieties of tulips. Tulips are a very large crop in Puget Sound’s Skagit Valley, and in the next few weeks, the fields will be painted with lots of bright colors, as seen in the images below.
I can hardly wait, as the tulips are followed by irises, and then a whole host of other beautiful bloomers. This spring weather will continue until some time in June, when the roses take over and warmer summer weather begins to take hold. But in the meantime, let the spring festival of colors continue!
–Ken
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