Attentiveness leads to love leads to anticipation leads to sallying forth. I blame my own preseason zeal on pale purple pasqueflowers, which recently emerged from fuzzy cocoons to enchant me as I ran along a mountain trail. I pass the buck to the fluffy popcorn blossoms on the Nanking cherry in my backyard, and to the growing canopy of greening leaves on the lilacs. Such things intoxicate gardeners, make them reckless. Anything can happen.
All bets are off.
Or maybe it's a little late. And nothing can go far wrong. Cate Terwilliger's gardening columns appear here Wednesdays.