photos by Todd Newcomer

Mud season is slow releasing the surrounding hillsides and foliage is turning from light grey to a budding green. The onset of color and the arrival of spring also mean the growing season is nearly here. Local nurseries are quickly filling their grounds with new arrivals as eager green thumbs wander rows of shrubs and potted plants. With bulbs already in full bloom and the soil prepared, consistent warm temperature is all that is needed for the garden to take hold. So if youre ready to get planting or need a little friendly growing advice, head out to a nursery and get ready to get dirty.

Alison James pulls a large tarp over the inside of the green house at Native Roots to provide plants with a little more protection from the intense rays of the sun. Beth Flory keeps the plants hydrated at Durango Nursery and Supply. A tray full of seeds waits to germinate at Native Roots on Saturday. The late afternoon sun falls across a collection of pots at San Juan Mountain Nurseries Friday. A collection of marigolds await a new home at San Juan Mountain Nurseries last week. Vana Sutton hauls a tree out to a car for a customer on Friday afternoon.