By LAURA BROOKHART / Community Columnist

Even now, as the cherry trees in Washington, D.C., are blooming the earliest ever and the snowpack at Slide Mountain at Mount Rose Ski Tahoe near Reno is 212 inches deep, March is “busting out all over” in central Alabama.

Around Helena, the daffodils at The Caboose are jumping for joy this second year. If you drive down a backroad, you will quickly observe that daffodils are not proud, snooty or in great need of TLC.

They have sprung up in the yards of trashed trailers and abandoned houses—their windows broken, timbers askew.

Tulip bulbs are not so affable; they can be reluctant to come back even a second year if they are not treated to removal from the ground after they wither and stored in sand in a (perhaps garage) refrigerator.

Spring spruce up was in action this past weekend in Helena, as the beautification committee set about removing winter’s detritus and preparing and anticipating their new planting design in the Old Town area.

This involves removing the crape myrtles from alongside curbs and placing the six pole planters (now in the circle beds) between five Earthkind roses that will align with the current parking spaces.

Perennials will be planted along the strip in addition to the roses and pole planters.

Here I will note that the beautification committee will, of course, hand-select the perennials to be used, but I have seen some varieties at nurseries that were previously unknown to me.

Examples include: Sweetheart Storksbill, Georgia Blue Speedwell, Northern Lights Viola, Scent First® Tickled Pink Dianthus, Morning Star White Sea Thrift and (who can resist?) Super Bowl Sunset Wallflower!

All this brings to my mind a favorite and well-known song:

For the beauty of the earth,

For the beauty of the skies,

For the Love which from our birth

Over and around us lies:

For the beauty of each hour

Of the day and of the night,

Hill and vale, and tree and flower,

Sun and moon and stars of light:

Lord of All, to Thee we raise

This our hymn of Grateful Praise.