Remember when we took that oak tree down a while back? Well, his special-order replacements finally arrived…

Cryptomeria japonica ‘Yoshino’ (Yoshino Japanese Cedar). Not native, from Asia obviously. They look like junipers in that shot, right? But they’re not. These are three fledglings and they’re typically bushy and cone-shaped when they start out. But as they add 3′ to 4′ feet a year, they loosen up so that you can see between the branches and become more irregular, like this…

Hard to believe that’s the same variety of tree but it is! That’s a grouping of three that I pass on one of my running routes.

I love that they naturally look like large bonsai. They’ll add introduce a small bit of Zen to our front yard, which will hopefully tie it to what’s going on out back. See how they’re only like 12′ to 15′ across? Perfect when you have power lines to content with. Plus I don’t really want to block my view of the city.

Here are two older Yoshinos that I pass on a different running route…

They get stately as they age — and wicked tall. That doesn’t bother me. It will be a nice accompaniment to our scraggly oaks.

Now to finish getting them planted. Two in the ground now. One to go.

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Many, many thanks to my gal Shiva for getting her grubby hands on the trees I wanted and then lugging them up here for me. You rawk, girlfriend.

As a transplanted Westerner, I still have difficulty dealing with dismal, never-ending New England winters. This year, the snow has been relentless. Until this week, our yard has been whited out since December. Now I don’t want to appear overly optimistic but temps are finally rising and, here and there, I spy green.

The first ferns to brave the cold are Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’ (Autumn Fern)…

It doesn’t look like the snow slowed down my two Conradina ‘Snow’ Verticulata (Cumberland Rosemary) at all…

The Euphorbia myrsinites (Donkey-tail Spurge) is going strong…

In fact, all the succulents look fabulous. The Sedum spurium ‘Voodoo’…

The Sedum reflexum ‘Blue Spruce’ (Blue Spruce Stonecrop)…

And the Sedum rupestra ‘Angelina’ (Angelina Stonecrop) just looks great year-round, that’s all there is to it…

Many more sedums around the yard are looking happy right now, just take my word for it. This Sempervivum ‘El Greco’ (hens and chicks), one of many varieties around the yard, is already sprouting…

Even the Agave parryi (Parry’s Century Plant), whose survival was never a sure thing, looks like it weathered 8 weeks  beneath two feet of snow…

While the standard oregano over in the herb bed is still crunchy, brown and lifeless, my Origanum libanoticum (Cascading Ornamental Oregano) plants are leafing out all over the yard…

The Thymus pseudolanuginosus (Wooly Thyme) has a purplish cast to the edges of its stems but is fairly unaffected by winter…

Over in the veggie beds, I see lettuce starting to poke its head out of the straw. What kind? The delicious kind…

And my Rubus calycinoides (Creeping or Ornamental Raspberry… why do they call these ornamental? they fruit!) plants are already greening up the hillside…

Two surprises, to me anyway. My Akebia Quinata ‘Shirobana’ (White-Flowered Chocolate Vine) is further ahead of the game than I thought it would be…

And that Rubus henryi bambusoides (Bamboo-like Vine) I wasn’t sure would make it through the winter looks awesome — especially for March!

So take heart, New Englanders! Spring is imminent! Probably.