As winter recedes, each sign of spring seems more symbolic than the last. And the season’s teasing tone always makes us a little crazy. We’re longing for thunderstorms instead of snow showers.

A beautiful vase of flowers is a perfect remedy for chasing away the late winter blues. Traditional forcing bulbs, like amaryllis, paperwhites, and hyacinth may still be going strong, but they won’t last much longer.

Talk to any gardener about growing fruits and vegetables and you just might trigger a discussion on the merits of heirlooms versus hybrids. Many of us agree that heirloom varieties have been around for a while.

We know that you’re itching to get into the garden, but the incoming sub-zero temperatures are signaling that it may be a while before you begin planting anything in the garden. Never fear though. Spring always arrives. Eventually.

Late winter is the best time of year to prune your deciduous trees and shrubs. We hope that one of these upcoming weekends will bring weather that is better for some outdoor gardening activities.