Just outside your window

By Staff
Suzanne Langcuster
Columnist
When looking outside your kitchen window, what do you see?
You may see green grass, trees, pets or colorful shrubs or flowers.
This picture may affect the mood we have while meal planning.
When snow is on the ground outside, for some reason, I begin to think of stew, chili, soups and pound cakes.
Pound cake is so good with hot coffee. It must be related to a comfortable setting in a past snow experience. Isn’t it interesting how we associate foods with happenings, holidays, and special occasions?
We are approaching a special season. Spring can almost be too beautiful to describe.
Living in Alabama is a treat when spring arrives. The robins return, the buttercups bloom, and we enjoy the Japanese Magnolias.
It is the first thing to appear in our yard. A mocking bird always lands right in the top of our shrubs and sings its happy song.
One of my favorite shrubs is the Forsythia.
Winter officially ends when this shrub flaunts its yellow bloom.
Hundreds of blooms that look like yellow starfish line leafless branches in early spring.
Around the same time, we see the red blossoms of the red maple.
It isn’t to grow Forsythia. Be sure you have well-drained soil and a lot of sunshine.
Spring is a good time to plant. Some set Forsythia in pots in summer or fall.
This shrub makes a great hedge.
If you keep it pruned, it will fit different spats, as you need them.
Prune only in early spring when it stops blooming and leave alone for the rest of the year.
These are great tips from Southern Living magazine. You can even cut it down to the ground and it will come back and bloom beautiful.
The Forsythia is a great shrub to plant outside your kitchen window with other colorful shrubs and bulbs. It will brighten up any spring day.
Enjoy spring while you enjoy cooking.