In case you’ve been hibernating, we’ve just had the second coldest February and third coldest winter on record — in over 150 years!

By Chris Cohan

In case you’ve been hibernating, we’ve just had the second coldest February and third coldest winter on record — in over 150 years!

Brrrrrrr. Snow came and would not leave. Crusty mounds of dirty snow lined every road. Slippery ice greeted us everywhere. The skies were gray. The wind made the temperature feel even colder. No one wanted to venture out.

There were just so many shows to watch “On Demand” and even Turner Classic Movies’ Robert Osborne is started to get tiresome.

The good news is March. Birds are chirping in the early morning and, thanks to daylight savings, taking advantage of the longer days.

Before we know it, snowdrops will be poking their dainty white buds above the snow. Hellebore’s toothed leathery leaves will unfurl to greet the end of winter. (It’s also known as Lenten Rose because its rose-shaped flowers bloom close to Easter.)

Hellebore flowers are long lasting and come in a variety of colors. The rhizomatous plants thrive in shade or sun, handle drought, and are rarely bothered by pests, including deer. Plant in clumps and allow to naturalize, or in a mixed border with Marsh Marigold and Witch-hazel as a backdrop.

Marsh Marigold, Caltha palustris known as Cowslip, bloom before most over-story trees have leafed out. The flowers of this showy spring plant resemble large buttercups more than marigolds. Once it finishes blooming, the entire plant recedes and disappears until the following spring. It’s easy to establish and will spread quickly. Consider planting a forgotten slope and watch it become a joyous drift of early spring color.

Vernal Witch-hazel, Hama-melis vernalis, is the first shrub to flower in spring, and its small, yellow-red blooms are prolonged in cold weather. They are effective as backdrops, hedges, and screens or as specimen plants in more open areas. Witch-hazel thrives in moist, claylike soil, provides fabulous fall color, and handles either sunny or shady conditions. Its upright-spreading shape encourages the under-planting of ground covers or early spring bulbs.

Sandra’ is a particularly showy variety. It is a large branching shrub with delicate, fragrant flowers in late winter and early spring. The new foliage is a splendid plum purple when it appears in spring, turning later in the year as it ages and then showing striking red, orange, and yellow autumn color.

It is time to start seeds indoors. There are some basic important requirements. You need an area with good bottom heat, lots of light, and weed-free potting soil. Keep seed constantly moist once sown. Some seeds require light to germinate. You will need clear plastic as a covering. Other seeds will require darkness to germinate, cover those seeds with soil. The seed packet will give you the necessary information and other requirements to get seeds to germinate.

Once seeds germinate, remove the plastic and place them in as much sunlight as possible. After the second leaf stage and true leaves appear, transplant into three-inch peat pots filled with clean potting mix. Timing is important. You will need to know how long to wait before transplanting into the garden. Figure out the math and work your way backwards to come up with your seeding date.      

While waiting for your seeds to sprout and the snow to fully disappear, there is still time for another movie with a Robert Osborne introduction. If only he would get rid of that Drew Barrymore.