内容摘要：Some foliage plants surprise in spring rather than fall. Siberian bugloss (Brunnera), for instance, is beloved for its beautiful variegated, heart-shaped, green and silver or white foliage that brightens shady gardens throughout the growing season. But it also produces small, light blue flowers in spring.

Some foliage plants surprise in spring rather than fall. Siberian bugloss (Brunnera), for instance, is beloved for its beautiful variegated, heart-shaped, green and silver or white foliage that brightens shady gardens throughout the growing season. But it also produces small, light blue flowers in spring.

The unpredictable fall weather took my poor plants and me by surprise this year, seemingly holding onto summer’s heat until a millisecond before overnight temperatures dropped below freezing. There simply wasn’t time to properly clean hand tools, which were needed far longer than usual, before stashing them in a quick and chaotic rush.Now, I can clean off dirt and rust, then, at my leisure, lightly coat my beloved trowel in oil to prevent corrosion.

And because of winter’s late and sudden arrival, I didn’t get to turn off my outdoor water supply. I realized this last week when I turned on the hose to rinse away a “gift” left on my walkway by my Havanese, Miguel, and instead was soaked by an erratic spray launched directly from the bib, or outdoor faucet. Yes, it was cold.If, like me, you were caught off-guard and then distracted with holiday preparations, inspectfor damage now so that your spring plants don’t go thirsty while you scramble to troubleshoot.

Sure, you could procrastinate until spring, but ticking off garden-related chores over winter bestows a favor on your future self. And who knows? He or she may pay you back next fall.Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up

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For more AP gardening stories, go tothrough the Budget Committee, as a handful of conservatives joined all Democrats in a stunning vote against it.

The hard-right lawmakers are insisting on steeper spending cuts to Medicaid and the Biden-era green energy tax breaks, among other changes, before they will give their support to“beautiful” bill. They warn the tax cuts alone would pile onto the nation’s $36 trillion debt.

The failed vote, 16-21, stalls, for now, Housepush to have the package approved next week. But the Budget Committee plans to reconvene Sunday to try again. Lawmakers vowed to negotiate into the weekend as Trump is returning to Washington from