Calendar-wise, March is supposed to be the first month of spring. And in March we set the clocks for summer time. But frost during the night is still pretty normal. With the greenhouse full of plants that could survive (but wouldn’t like) the frosty temperatures, we’ve had candles burning all night in the greenhouse to keep the spring plants from freezing.
How it works is that the flames keep the air moving, so frost doesn’t settle on the plants. It’s a trick I use in October, too, to keep the last chilis from freezing. It looks stunning seen from the outside.
When we get to March I can hardly wait to start gardening for real. Right at the beginning of the month, I visited a nursery nearby where they grow primroses of all imaginable kinds. I brought some of them home with me. Fluffy, filled flowers,
the botanical kind that look like those you can find in the countryside,
and those with the differently shaded colors on the same plant – I simply adore those.
Primroses are my favorite spring flowers – I think… because I do love the pretty spring bulbs as well.
The bulbs have started flowering in the garden. Eranthis, snowdrops and crocus in all colours. The daffodils are growing by the hour and will flower in a week or so.
Otherwise, the countryside is pretty bleak at this time of year. The grass is brownish from the frost, and the sky is more often gray than blue. But when the sun does come out, the clarity of the March light is nothing short of miraculous. Cool, bright and clear.
We are still working from home, and most days I go for a walk in the surrounding countryside. The government is lightening some of the restrictions now – thank God. People are beginning to look like cave men because the hairdressers are still shut down…
As to the dogs, we’ve had no accidents this month. A vet-free month. Rosie, our old dog, is getting more and more deaf. But she is still a happy dog and otherwise in good health. Those two really do love each other. I don’t want even to think about the time, when Rosie is not with us anymore.
And now to the final points of this March update: What’s cooking?
Food that makes you feel like spring inside, of course.
Today is the first of April, and we welcome the real first month of spring while enjoying the Easter break. In Denmark today, Thursday, is a holiday, too. That day was the day of the last supper – the ‘invention’ of the holy communion. Pretty important stuff for Christians all over the world.
We’ll be going to church on Sunday – the happiest service of the year apart from Christmas. Otherwise, gardening will be at the top of my agenda for this Easter break. Getting the garden ready, clearing, cutting, and exercising a bit of border control while admiring all the little green shoots that are so full of promise.
Have a wonderful April!
Dalsgaard i Skivholme 
🙏🌱🐣✨
LikeLike