All the fall pansies I planted in September have survived the winter's unusually high amount of snowfall, as I have recently discovered, now that the snow has melted away in my front yard. I will have a head start to enjoy the blooms, some of which were relatively well preserved beneath the snow.

The last two warm and sunny days were an invitation for me to start cleaning up some flower beds. I removed the thick, impacted, dry leaves and stems of helleborus which had expanded over the years. Underneath the leaf debris lie countless purple buds; some with green and reddish young leaves.

Soon, we will get to witness its first blooms and spring is still almost 5 weeks away.