We’ve had such a warm winter that my perennial herbs are already growing even though it is still February.

I always have to laugh at the chives. They start out growing all crooked. It’s as if they want to make sure that it is safe to come up before they straighten out and grow upwards. What are they going to do? Grow back into the soil if they don’t like the weather conditions?

The catnip is always so pretty when they leaves are new. I love the purple color and wish that they would stay that color instead of turning to green as they grow and age.

I can’t believe how fast the feverfew is growing. Yesterday there was nothing there. Today, there’s a whole plant! It seems impatient for warm summer weather to get here. I’ll have to keep an eye on this one. It might get over-enthusiastic and crowd out the neighboring plants.

The nearby catmint is just peeking up out of the old foliage. This is one plant that you want to leave the old leaves on until the new ones appear in the spring. The previous year’s leaves and stems provide protection to the new growth. Ironically, although it grows more slowly than the feverfew, the catmint will bloom first.

Yarrow gets off to a slow start in the spring also. It will make up for it later in the spring, growing so large that it often crowds out its neighbors.

Nothing can compare with the bronze fennel. It’s always the first herb to stir in the spring. The deep bronze of the young foliage is a real showstopper. As it grows, it will lose its bronze and turn green, but in those few brief weeks in the spring, the colorful fronds provide a welcome spot of color in an otherwise bleak gray and brown landscape.