My husband proclaimed last Sunday was an early Mother’s Day because he had a great pair of gifts and couldn’t wait to give them to me.

He knows me well. The changing weather this time of year and daffodils and camellia blooms put me in the mood for spring. I’ve ordered some seeds and bulbs for my plantings and have even started some seeds I already have in small flats. We’re still several weeks away from the last frost date here in North Carolina, but it’s not too early to start getting ready.

So I now have a brand new Hori Hori knife, a great all-purpose gardening tool, and new clippers. Both will see plenty of use.

There’s plenty to do. Shrubs need trimming. Garden beds need to be cleaned out and prepared. Weeds have overrun parts of them and they all need fertilizer added. I have a bunch more seeds to get started.

I’m excited to get my hands back in the dirt and watch those plants grow again.

Left: The top flat holds coleus seedlings while the bottom are alyssum. They’re inside a red basket to prevent the chipmunks and squirrels from digging in them!