What’s the first sign of spring for you?
For me, it’s when the birds start singing all day, every day.
Back in Southern California, my yard was alive with starlings nesting in the feijoa tree, feeding on feijoa flowers, and singing their sweet tune all season long.
In Central Oregon, I’m just getting to know our backyard birds and so far I’ve seen scrub jays, stellar jays, flickers, and downy woodpeckers at our feeders. (There are a few more, but I haven’t been able to name them yet.)
Each week they get louder, more active, and more abundant, and it’s like stepping outside into my own aviary.
When I start hearing the symphony in our aspen and willow trees, I know the ground is thawing, the grass is turning green again, the irrigation canal is about to open and fill our cistern—more signs of spring that indicate planting is not too far off.
(And maybe spring is already in full swing for you, but in our finicky climate, we still have frost and hail to contend with for the next few months. There’s a joke in Central Oregon that we’re only in false spring and have another cycle or two of winter coming.)
But the sun is shining and I’m ready to start planting, especially after visiting my mother-in-law’s garden in Northern California last week. It was such a happy sight to see all her nasturtiums and poppies in bloom and her lemon trees dripping with fruit.
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So, let’s celebrate the season with a giveaway that Botanical Interests and I are teaming up to bring to you this week!
If you’ve never heard of Botanical Interests, they’re a Colorado-based seed supplier with one of the best-designed seed packets on the planet. The illustrations are beautifully detailed but it’s what’s inside the packet that’s special (and I’m not talking about the seeds).
Peel back the flaps and you’ll find loads of information on treating common plant pests and diseases, cooking tips, and other helpful and inspiring resources printed inside each packet.
You also get the usual info on the back, like seed starting instructions, maturity dates, and a tiny drawing of what a seedling looks like (so handy if you forget to label them in the garden). I really haven’t found another seed packet like theirs.
So, I’ve hand-picked a collection of 12 varieties of seeds that will suit every climate, including those with short growing seasons, to give away to THREE winners!
You could win this bundle of seeds:
- Artisan Tiger Stripes Blend tomato
- Armenian cucumber
- Mouse Melon cucamelon
- California Wonder sweet pepper
- Cube of Butter summer squash
- Minnesota Midget cantaloupe
- Oregon Sugar Pod II snow pea
- Rainbow carrot
- Mantanghong watermelon radish
- Edible Red Leaf amaranth
- Five Color Silverbeet chard
- Chef’s Choice mesclun lettuce
Plus, we’re throwing in a large harvest basket (large enough to fit a couple dozen lemons) and a set of 12 oversized wooden plant markers to kickstart your growing season.
To enter this giveaway:
- Follow @gardenbetty and @botanical_interests on Instagram.
- Enter your email in the Rafflecopter form below (if you’re viewing this post on mobile, click here to see the form).
- And leave a comment below this post to tell me: What’s the first sign of spring for you? I’d love to know!
While I appreciate all of my readers, this giveaway is open only to people with US addresses (since it ships directly from Botanical Interests).
The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm PT on Saturday, April 10, 2021. Three winners will be chosen at random and notified by email. If a winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. Winners will need to provide an address and email for shipping purposes. This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Instagram. By entering, you release Instagram completely of any responsibility, liability and agree to adhere to the terms of use.
Good luck to all! And I can’t wait to see what your garden looks like this year.
When I see the flower bulbs starting to pop out of of the ground and starting to bud!
little wildflowers in the yard, and of course…. daffodils! 😀
The first sign of Spring is our gorgeous azaleas blooming!
Bluebonnets. Bluebonnets are the first sign of spring for me.
The first sign of spring for me is when our nasturtiums start budding. I look forward to seeing the bring orange and yellow flowers of nasturtiums. They’re so vibrant and make you feel happy and hopeful just looking at them!
I love all of the bird sounds and different species that come to visit me in Georgia. Everything greened up so quickly it’s lovely!
The sound of lawn mowers in use, the smell in the air and the warmth of the sun.
I have tried for several days, both on my phone and from my computer, but the giveaway through Rafflecopter never loads. The mobile version link just takes me right back to to the blog post. From a computer, the giveaway says it’s loading, but never does. 🙁
Sorry, I’m not sure what could be the problem as the form loads for me. Perhaps try it in the latest version of Chrome browser? (As that’s what I’m using.)
The first sight of Spring for me is hearing a few more birds and seeing crocuses sprout
The first sign of spring is the budding trees! I love seeing this since I know it means in a week or two there will be flower blossoms everywhere.
Birds singing, crocus emerging and forsythia popping up like fireworks!
New leaves on a tree!
Forsythia blooms! And daffodils. All the flowers
The first sign of spring for me is seeing the nodes turn green on my apple blossom tree and also the stray cats that come out of hiding
Definitely rhubarb emerging from the ground!
The first sign of spring here in Tn is the daffodils popping up all along the old farmsteads on my road. Not long after they poke out we start looking for the redbuds abs forsythia to put on their show!
I’m in Southern California so as you know, we don’t get a real Winter. However, the first signs of Spring for me are always the nibbles on my lettuces after birds start coming around again.
When we get our first California poppy blooms
Bird singing, lighter later in the evening, and warmer days.
For me it’s when I hear birds chirping at the crack of dawn (I’m an early riser)
Sagebrush and rabbitbrush turning green.
The daffodils always start poking through in January here and it makes me THIRSTY for spring, then I have to wait a few months
The first sign of spring in my garden is the daffodils pushing up out of the ground. Seems to happen earlier and earlier each year. Usually around the end of December. And then they bloom in January.
Daffodils!
My yellow crocus is the first to bloom
Daffodils are the first sign of spring around here!
First sign of spring is when cucumber is sprouting from seed.
Here in Central FL my favorite first sign of spring is the Monarch butterflies returning! I truly love the fluttering of little moth skippers, and the buzzing of the bees on the clover! I love the peace of planting seeds into a new fresh spring canvas and watching and waiting for them to pop up. A lovely blue sky and my garden is all I need!
When I see the ladybugs.
On our farm in Iowa the first hint of spring are the tips of the pussy willow branches bursting with silvery fuzzy decor all their very own!
Thank you for this opportunity! I love Botanical Interests, I’ve always had great success with their seeds, and I love love love the drawings! Besides crocuses emerging, a sure sign of spring is the family of blue jays returning to our maple tree.
First signs of spring for me are green on my perennial herbs, the lovage is sprouting, tiny buds of rhubarb and the garlic is shooting up! So many more, crocus and snow drops are popping up now too!
Snowdrops here in Central Europe
The first sign of spring are the beautiful buds on the trees.
It was seeing all the flowering trees.
Daffodils appear!
The days getting longer makes me so happy. This year, the first sign was butterflies. The form wouldn’t work for me either.
Spring is here when my loquat tree nearly ready to start harvesting, and mountains laurels strong fragrance is strong and fire flies come out to play!
Honestly, it’s when I start to notice that the sun is staying out longer than when I get home from work! When I can go on a walk after dinner and still see my way without streetlights, it’s a good day.
Here in Utah, my fist sign of spring is the crocuses blooming.