February can be such a beautiful time of year at Reverie Retreat. The very early spring blooms begin to pop out now – already we are seeing hellebore blooming and there is the sweetest little field of daffodils and birds of paradise on the bank below the cottage. Every day I walk around to see what else is popping up – I noticed the tulips are starting to poke their leaves above the soil, and pretty soon the hillside will be dotted with narcissus and daffodils – some of them wild, and others planted by the people who lived here before us.
I did not realize until we moved here that manzanitas have dainty pink blooms that emerge in February. I have started experimenting with making some tea blends with the dried blossoms. Last year we saw for the first time in the ten years we have lived here a few Mariposa lilies blooming so I’m hoping they will bloom again. They are pretty rare so we felt lucky to finally see them. Also sometime in February the stone fruit trees start blooming – we have plum, peach and nectarine trees that burst forth with spectacular pink and white blossoms. The bees are in heaven!
February is the month we begin planting seeds in pots under grow-lights in our basement so that we have a variety of unusual seedlings to plant out in our garden beds in the later spring. It’s fun to plan now for the lavish harvest in the summer and fall. We also plant seeds outside in our garden beds for turnips, radishes, peas, and a wide variety of greens to supply our spring kitchen.
It is certainly a different experience visiting in February than say, in July, but we feel like it’s one of the most interesting times of the year to be here. With spring just starting to peek its head out, the occasional downpour (and thunderstorm!) and the best sunsets of the year, it’s one of the best times to visit for those who want to experience nature as it’s waking up around you.
