By Sarina Dellinger
For the Salisbury Post

By the end of January, the days seem to drag by waiting on the first true flush of spring. Even the evergreen shrubs start to look a little tired from the drag of winter. Instead of viewing winter from the window, I try to take at least one inspirational walk a week and observe the landscape. Looking closer into the garden as we move into February allows the first signs of spring to be seen and enjoyed.

Walking through Hurley Park this time of year, I enjoy looking to the trees at their swelling buds. The most noticeable ones include the dogwood, big leaf magnolia and the red buckeyes. Other trees are well on their way to budding flowers — in the Parrot Fruit Collection, the Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) shines brightly with its early pink flowers. The scent is delightful and early pollinators can often be found buzzing around on a warm day. Over in the Annex, the Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas) is starting to show off its brilliant yellow blooms which shine brightly against blue skies and the brown landscape.

Looking closer toward the ground, the first push of daffodil foliage is my cue to start looking for other signs of spring. Blooming now in the Fuller Perennial Garden and Ollie’s Garden are the small but mighty crocus flowers. Lenten roses, with their extremely hardy and long-lasting petals, can be found in swaths spreading late winter cheer across the park. I’m still looking for the first peek of our Little Sweet Betsy Trillium in the woodland gardens. The new foliage emerging is a great way to spend an inspirational walk at Hurley Park.

Outside of the physical landscape, we’re looking forward to an inspirational lecture from Brie Arthur, a nationally known gardening personality. Brie will be visiting Salisbury on April 25, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Salisbury Civic Center. We hope that the Rowan County community will be inspired by the lecture titled “The Art of Small Space Foodscaping.” Her bestselling first book, “The Foodscape Revolution” (2017, St. Lynn’s Press), laid the groundwork for realizing the full potential that every landscape offers, by growing fruits and veggies alongside traditional plantings and doing it with pizzazz and purpose. Hurley Park is hosting this lecture in collaboration with the Rowan County Extension Office. For more information about the lecture visit Hurley Park Facebook page (@HurleyParkNC) or the website at www.salisburync.gov/HurleyPark under “Upcoming Events.” If you have any additional questions, please give me a call at 704-638-5298.

Sarina Dellinger is public garden supervisor for Salisbury Parks and Rec.