I’m feeling very fortunate, even lucky, to have found these first crocus blooms in my garden on the last day of February.
If I would have found these two purple bloom-buds on the first day of March it would have set a tone of “lateness” for my garden for this year, and we don’t want that.
It was admittedly a close call. One day sometimes makes a big difference.
If you are feeling lucky these days, or think your luck is about to turn for the better, how about entering or watching for some of these contests I found on the web?
– Kathy at Cold Climate Gardening is giving away six packets of seeds. Enter by March 7, 2009.
– Better Homes and Gardens is launching a new gardening related site and is giving away a car as part of their Spring Awakening online sweepstakes (you can enter once a day until June 1, 2009) and some gardening tools (enter once by March 10, 2009). I’m more interested in the gardening tools.
– Ree, The Pioneer Woman, is probably giving something away. I check her site regularly and always comment if she is giving something away, which she is a lot of the time. You have to be quick about it though, most of her contests only last a day or less.
– Garden Rant, or I should say the gardeners of Garden Rant, have given away gardening books, seeds, a snow thrower and a big garden cart, that I can remember. I love gardening books, and have won two from them in the past. I don’t think they have anything they are giving away right now, but it is worth checking to see if they are in the future. (Update: Garden Rant just announced a short story contest, with prizes!)
In the past, here on my blog, I’ve given away gardening gloves, gardening shoes, and seeds. I don’t have anything quite like those things to give away today, but what I do have includes…
– Free memberships to the Society for the Preservation and Propagation of Old-Time Gardening Wisdom, Lore, and Superstition, (SPPOTGWLS or “the Society”). You can indicate you’ve accepted the free membership by leaving a comment the next time I post minutes from a club meeting.
– Free memberships to the Society for Gardeners Age Fifty and Over, (SGAFO), only for those who qualify. Join the group on Facebook! (And if you are on Facebook, consider also joining the group “Embrace Gardening for a Happier Life”.) I got my official SGAFO pin the other day, and I’ll be wearing it proudly at the Chicago Garden Bloggers Spring Fling May 29 – 31. That’s how those of you who don’t know me personally can recognize me. I’ll be the one with the SGAFO pin, because I think I’m the only one who has one, so far. Oh, and I’ll be wearing green.
– Free advice and ideas for gardeners. Lately, I’ve been offering advice on seeds and sowing seeds. Remember, it’s free! I get free ideas all over the web and blogosphere, too. Just yesterday, I read a column online by the Hoosier Gardener about a hybrid bellflower, Campanula ‘Sarastro’, that appears to be the best for this area, and now I want it. Before that, I read a post from Dee at Red Dirt Ramblings about the DVD, Great Gardens of England, and decided I should have that, too. I’ve already ordered it. Yes, the ideas are free, but sometimes implementing them is not.
Finally, I’m giving away something every gardener should give away. No, not plants and good gardening advice based on one’s own experience, but those are good guesses because every gardener should give those away as often as they can. Actually, I’m giving away…
– Good wishes for all that this year your garden won’t be late and it will be your best garden ever.
What a lot of great free stuff, Carol, but I like the last giveaway the best. I wish the same for you.
great giveaway – thank you 🙂
my garden is late this year. snow is slowly melting. for the first time I didn’t have any blooms in January and February.
Greetings,
Ewa
Hi Carol, wow that was really a close one or your spring would be considered late and that is never good. Or is it? Well, let’s go with good news for those little crocus, they look protected from under that evergreen against whatever this March brings.
Frances
Carol your crocus look like mine, cold. I keep hoping it will warm enough so I can see them open. It hasn’t happened yet.
I receive those good wishes and the same to you!
Carol, if I had a dancing banana a la Plurk, I would display it here, along with a wide grin. Cheers for your new crocuses! Spring is truly on its way. (Although, it could get here a little faster.) Thanks for the link love and right back ‘atcha.~~Dee
I qualify for SGAFO but didn’t realize there was a Facebook group. I’ll have to sign up. I didn’t get a pin, but I did get a cake last April. I hope that is considered proof of my acceptance.
Thanks for alerting your readers to the seed giveaway.
Those poor crocus slid in just under the wire … I see by your AccuWeather widget that it’s 14 degrees there right now! BRRRRR.
So glad you’ve shown us the crocus! They are delightful harbingers of spring! Now where did winter hide spring! gail
Thanks for telling us about these. I like entering contests although I never win anything.
The blogosphere is a great place to win things & get freebies. I concur with Hoosier Gardener about Campanula 'Sarastro.' It is always the last Bellflower blooming in my garden, sometimes even into November.
Carol, Thank you for consolidating so many items into your post. 🙂 My GBBD post is up, a little late!
Yay for those crocus! Nice giveaways but the best things in life, such as all blog information and sharing, are free. I know some things will be late and some early and many thanks for the good wishes.
… and with thanks for all that you share, good wishes to you, Carol:)
Carol, I don’t belong to Facebook–can I still join SGAFO?? I’ve been lucky enough to win a couple of things through giveaways, but I like your free advice and wishes for a great gardening season best of all:) I still have not seen a crocus in my garden! I am wondering if the garden gnomes ate them.
Just read your last post, and I’m so glad I didn’t miss it! The video was terrific. I wish I had seen this before I had my husband drill hooks into the ceiling joists down in the basement:) Of course, there’s always next year–I’m always on the lookout for a more frugal way of getting more plants!
Hi Carol – Usually I’m too lazy or late to enter these contests but I’ll take your good wishes and send more of the same right back atcha! Congrats on the just-in-time crocus. Phew.
Hi Carol – Usually I’m too lazy or late to enter these contests but I’ll take your good wishes and send more of the same right back atcha! Congrats on the just-in-time crocus. Phew.
Wow, so many of your posts have to do with vegetable gardening these days, Carol. I feel left out a bit, but I am inspired by it all. Especially the hundreds of seedlings you’ll soon have.
I do have some tiny pathetic snowdrops, which is normal for this time, but I would never think of embarrassing them by showing a picture!