Different people have different ideas about the first signs of spring. For some, it's the crocuses. While they are beautiful and heartwarming, in my yard they will pop out while we're still pretty deep in winter.
For others, it is robins. They are still a bit early for me. To me, it isn't really spring until the food starts growing. So at my house, the true herald of spring is chives!
My chives are the first edibles to really push through the mulch each year. You can see the tender green tops pushing through in little bunches. If you look closely, you can see that there are also some mingled in with the clump of grass at the left. That bunch will get dug up and separated this spring.
Close on the heels of the chives comes lemon balm. This lemony mint relative is a natural insect repellent, can calm mild anxiety, and makes an excellent addition to tea. Like most mints, it will self seed and spread very aggressively. This lemon balm kicked out the neighboring chamomile, and has beaten a nearby patch of yarrow into sad submission.
The other hardy mints come up about the same time as the lemon balm. Although this appears to be more delicate, do not be fooled! This peppermint started as small pie shaped wedge. It quickly overcame and assimilated it's neighboring spearmint and oregano, mutating into this wonderfully bright and fragrant Frankenmint. It has spread through runners to expand its empire into the neighboring chives (which will be moved for their safety), echinacea (tall enough to survive, but no longer spreading), and about two feet of lawn. It actually mixes well into the lawn, and smells great when mowed. It also makes great tea.
I fear what may happen when this Frankenmint finally joins forces with the lemon balm.
To soothe that fear, we have a variety of flowers. Our first real spring flower is daffodils, which are also now beginning to peek out at us.