Is it Winter or Spring?

It is amazing me how inconsistent the temperatures have been here over the winter. I say winter meaning the calendar months of December, January, and now February. Is it Winter or is it Spring? It is hard to know.

The temperatures here have been ranging from below freezing to the sixty degree range. We have had more days over 60 degrees than we have had cold days. Our norm for January is most days being in the 40-50 degree range. It is making determining when it is safe to plant what or how long I have until Spring to get certain things done difficult to judge. Can I go ahead and plant some bulbs I did not get in the ground in the fall and need to plant in the spring? Is it too late to plant some garlic for a winter crop or too early to sow some cool weather lettuce and peas?

Most things in the garden are holding to their winter pattern, but I still have a lot of green grass. My lavender plants have continued to grow and to bloom throughout the winter.

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day. Maybe this means that Puxnatawny Phil will hang around a while. An early spring would not be such a bad thing.