The end of winter?

I haven't posted here since winter began, and it has been a long one! We got only a couple of feet of snow total, but the cold was intermittently severe (for Maryland) and the biggest snowfall was the latest. After a week of above-freezing temperatures and some rain, it's finally melted, aside from plow piles and shady spots.

Actually this is a very good way to identify the shadiest, coolest spots in the yard - where the snow takes longest to melt. Though this remaining snow is partly due to shade and partly to snow blower additions.

I'd hoped to have more flowers to report for GBBD, but no such luck. I do have lots of snowdrops:

but as of my walk-around yesterday, that's it. I saw a crocus a few days ago, but failed to take a photo, so it doesn't officially exist. Next week there will likely be an explosion of color, but it's a long way to daffodils yet - they are only three inches high. This is always the point when I realize how far out of DC I live, because all the photos from there are full of flowers.

I can show you my lovely cabbages though:

I started them at the beginning of February this year, to make sure I had big plants to go outside whenever that was possible. Today I am starting the hardening-off process, and preparing the cold frames (which were buried in snow a week ago) to shelter the plants through this week's below-freezing dips. There is still a small chance of snow at the end of the week, but resolving into rain. Crossing fingers that I can safely plant out by the end of the month.

Here's to spring!!