Thunder, lightning, and rain … spring was announced Tuesday morning! Yesterday I was out pruning my grape vines and the pruning cuts were "bleeding" a bit. I know this looks serious when people see it happening, but it does not harm the plant. Maple trees that are pruned this time of year do the same thing. As the frost leaves the ground, the sap moves from the roots back up into the cambium tissue, creating a given amount of internal pressure. The open cut allows the sap to drip out of the wound. This pressure remains until the leaf buds open, at which time the sap flow stops on its own. Think about it … where does maple syrup come from, and when do they harvest it? I’ll let you research that on your own. We can’t be out in the garden doing much yet, but we can be planning for what we want to happen in the garden when we get there. Every year there are a lot of new introductions for both flowering and vegetable plants. I have a hard time determining what is different or an improvement over varieties I have had success with in previous seasons, but you don’t know unless you try. So every year I’ll hit on a few new ones. Sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised — sometimes I’m not. That’s the adventure in gardening. It is interesting to me that the varieties labeled as "Proven Winners" are tested in the western United States, as if the rest of the country experiences the same summer weather. We have heat and humidity, and some nights, those conditions carry through to the next day without a reprieve for the plants. Under those conditions, they often prove not to be "winners"! So I attempt to learn as much as I possibly can about the "new" varieties before I elect to grow them for you. However, I really appreciate feedback from you on plants that you have great success with. Your satisfaction and success with gardening is our goal. More on this next week!