Please Helius

I can feel spring edging it's way closer and closer. There is the first hint of pollen in local bee boxes, this is a sign that Maples are blooming. As my daughter and I walk along the canal by our house looking for ducks, we see the beautiful emerging foliage of the cattails and yesterday, we even saw a dandelion in bloom. The crocus and daffodils are beginning to wake up from their winter slumber and there are robins looking for worms in the yard. I know that spring is just around the corner and I am itching for it to get here. I am begging Helios, the Greek god of sun, to please shine his light in our direction. Please. I think that Boise is ready for it.
Another sign that the weather is changing is the phones at Flutterby Gardens Landscaping, they seem to be ringing all the time. This year we have expanded and added on a crew that will mow lawns. We will be offering personal gardening services, edible landscape planning, planting and maintaining and arborist services. We had many requests for the all in one package in the past and decided that this was the year to do it. 
The North End Organic Nursery is starting to see more and more friendly faces. There are a lot of people who really want to learn how to produce food for themselves. It is great to hear all of their stories and to help educate the ones who are trying to learn. Thank goodness, before the weather got down to 15 degrees, Tanya and I moved all of the flowers back inside and put the veggies in the little greenhouses. We were able to save almost everything, although we still did loose a tray of marigolds and a few nasturtiums, but we can recover from that. Our next project will be moving out the trays of mesclun mix and onions that have come up, so we will have room to start more annuals, spinach, early tomatoes and a few spicy mesclun mix. We will then be constructing hanging baskets, this year they will have an added twist. I can not wait to see how they turn out! We have started the paperwork to get our organic certification for the vegetable starts that I am growing this year. We are hoping to be organically certified before the season starts. So excited!!
Another sign that spring is here is is that the team at Sustainable Growth has started their applications. They were in Hidden Springs today doing their first round of organic pre-emergent weed control and fertilization.  What a great community, making sure that all of their commond grounds and play areas are managed organically. Sustainable Growth is a great way to get your yard ready for the spring and still know that your family and pets will be safe when they go out to play.