Anyone Else Get Depressed Here By Lack of Flowers/Plant Life in Spring? (Denver: real estate, 2015)

[RotseCherut]

Well, this is my first Spring in Colorado and I have to say I am suffering a very strange phenomenon I have never suffered before at this time of year, Seasonal Affective Disorder. Yes, I am suffering what appears to be a variant of SAD, but not because of overcast weather. Although, I have to say I am surprised how cloudy Colorado seems to be in March, as we have not had a lot of sunny days. However, what is really getting to me is the lack of what appears to be "Spring".

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and I would get a bit depressed during those long, cold and dreary winters. However, when February came around I would see the first flowers of Spring and it would give my heart some joy. As soon as I saw the daffodils coming out of the ground in late February and March I knew it was Spring time and despite the cloudy weather, all the beautiful flowers would bring so much joy to my heart. Indeed, I was going to be a botanist at one point of my life and I am always fascinated by flora of all the environments of where I have lived. When March came around in Oregon and Washington you would see beautiful flowers everywhere and all the trees would start blossoming flowers and it was so beautiful and uplifting. Indeed, Spring was my favorite time of year, because everywhere you go it was like a botanical garden with beautiful flowering trees and new plant growth everywhere. The grass in the Pacific NOrthwest in Spring looked especially fluorescent and green.

However, this is my first year living in a place where SPring just doesn't seem to even exist. In fact, I almost forgot it is almost April as it looks like the dead of Winter to me or maybe the dead of Summer? All the grass is brown, the trees have not formed any buds at all and are still as barren as in the heart of Winter. I've driven all over Denver and there are no flowers or plant growth at all. All I see is dead grass , barren trees and heaps of black snow. I didn't realize how this would affect me at first, but it is really depressing me to the point where I almost feel like getting on a plane and going somewhere I can at least experience Spring for a week. But, I have not the money, time or resources to do that now.

I guess many people either grew up in Colorado and are not even familiar with what a real Spring is like, so this may not be as much of an issue for them. It is kind of like how some in the Pacific Northwest don't really know what a Sunny winter is like and you get use to that. Also, I know a majority of people who move to Colorado are from places like Southern California, so they also may not have such lush Springs like the rest of the country would have. HOwever, I remember when I lived in California, a long time ago when I was young, that even there was a Spring time. You would see flowers growing and there were gardens and such. But, I see none of that in Denver at all.

I guess I am wondering if any other people from places where there were beautiful Springs are suffering from similar Seasonal Affective Disorder like myself? Does anyone else here get depressed at the lack of greenery and the lack of what appears to be Spring time? For other flora and flower lovers how do you cope during the Spring time with the dry, brown and barren environment? I assume way up in the mountains during the Summer their may be some wildflowers; but that is a long way to go to see some flowers, when I was use to the most immaculate array of flower gardens just walking down the street in Portland or Seattle. It is truly depressing for me and I had no clue it would affect me this way as I was always so use to Spring coming and then spending my days on long walks or going to park just to enjoy the beauty. Here it is desolate and depressing

I am thinking I may try to get some flowers and plants for my house , but it just won't be the same. Is there any botanical gardens, greenhouses or any places where I could go and see some plant life? I am just utterly depressed. I never figured Denver's Springs were so barren like this.

Does Colorado Springs have more flowers, plant life or a more Spring-like atmosphere than Denver? I have yet to go to Colorado Springs but it is about an hour from my house. I would like to go somewhere where I can enjoy Spring and it's just making me sad.

Anyway.. I know most SAD kind of posts are in regards to sunshine. But, I would think Seasonal Affective Disorder can also be affected by lack of other seasons. But, I almost yearn more to see plant life than sunshine at this point. Growing up in thick, green rain forest like environment I suddenly realize my system is shocked by the lack of the Spring season in Colorado.

[HelenD1958]

I absolutely understand how you feel. I moved here from the Bay area many years ago and still get depressed by the long, ugly winters that turn everything so brown. I long for April when the first Spring flowers will appear in the stores for planting. I was never a big fan of tulips or pansies but learned to love the sight of them after moving here. I've gotten so that I can spot a budding tree before anyone else and my heart leaps when I see the first signs of green grass reappearing. I have no great words of wisdom except to tell you that before I retired, I tried to go out to the Bay area in late March or early April to order to get my fix of color from nature. Since retirement and inability to afford those trips, I've had to satisfy myself with planting seeds in styrofoam cups, then moving the new plants to flower pots that I can move in and out of doors depending on the weather. I also have learned to pay attention to which flowers I'm planting so that I can have flowers all the way through the late Fall - like Morning Glory and Four o'clock flowers which bloom in late summer and all through the Fall.

But yeah, I've never gotten over the loss of the beauty of the West Coast and if the real estate wasn't so outrageous out there, I would have moved back just to be able to have fruit that tastes like fruit, buy the flats of strawberries that taste like candy, get peppers and onions and oranges and berries and all those things from the wonderful roadside stands that are still everywhere. I miss the flowers that grow down the center of the freeways. I miss the tall amazing palm trees. Not to mention the ocean, the sound of the waves, the smell of the salt & ocean in the air, the lack of dry skin, etc. I miss, I miss, I miss. . .

Why did you move here from the West coast?

In the meantime, here's a pretty great nursery you can check out: https://www.tagawagardens.com/spring...a-gardens.html

[2bindenver]

April snow showers bring May flowers.

We have spring, it just starts in May.

[Mike from back east]

At higher altitudes, like much of Colorado, harsh environmental conditions generally prevail, and a treeless alpine vegetation exists in many places. Lack of water also leads to less greenery and lushness. The term Alpine Desert applies to parts of the state.

Take some time off work and visit the Denver Botanical Garden. They also have some yoga classes there where you could meet potential dates....

[NW Crow]

Portland daffodil show: April 6 & 7. Portland Rose Festival: June. A few weeks away before most even start to open. Guide to Columbia George wildflowers columbiarivergorge.info/flowers.html
A few in March. Most April or later. Skagit Valley tulips? Check back in April. Last year late April was best. As of 2 days ago they looked like this: tulipfestival.org/bloom Further south in Woodburn Oregon, field report from yesterday: "we have very little color in the field due to cold weather last month". Pictures show very few open. Washington Park Arboretum: the rhododendron and azaleas "start blooming in late April and continue into June". Cherry blossoms on UWash campus? Usually best in April. Olympia Garden Club's first outdoor event of season: April 11.


Portland Oregon: nice today. Rain forecast for 14 of next 16 days. Rain forecast for 22 days in May. Not necessarily that bad if you focus on the good.


StealthRabbit, what flowers do you have right now at your Oregon home?


Any parks in Denver area with flowers yet? How about 3 weeks from now? More flowers lots of places in 3-5 weeks. I still have moved snow piles 8 feet tall in places. But I'll probably see some flowers in 5-6 weeks.

[pikabike]

Spring in coastal PNW can be smelled, seen, and heard starting in February. We noticed how early it seemed after living in CO for so long. It is green most of the year in the PNW, even all of it if summer doesn’t throw an unusually long dry spell (May through late 2015, for example).

The climate is just different, and that means the vegetation is different, too. No surprise there.

You might not have SAD so much as The Big D—depression. You started complaining about Denver and CO very soon after moving there.

Mike’s suggestion to get a few doses of cultivated, colorful flora at indoor botanical gardens is good. You obviously aren’t going to settle in with a long-term natural adjustment (for reasons that have nothing to do with climate), so enjoy what bits you can while researching where to move next.

The Butterfly Pavilion in or near Westminster is another cheery place.

P.S.
I think I posted this somewhere else: Front Range springs and falls feel like they are getting shorter and shorter as years go by. Feels like CO in general often jumps from winter to summer and back. In contrast, the PNW felt like mostly spring, fall, and winter. One transplant to there told me he considered the whole year one long autumn. (I disagree.)

[Hschlick84]

Typically, around late March is when grass starts to change over to green from the dead brown during the winter. If you have to, check out the Denver Botanical Gardens like what the other posters mentioned. Here in central AZ, the vegetation already turned green a couple weeks ago. It will come your way, just be patient.

[NW Crow]

KGW in Portland does show some color but says things are a couple weeks behind normal.


The planted city flowers come first. In an article on "10 beautiful wildflower hikes" at oregonlive.com, 3 start in March into April & May. 7 don't start til April or May.




If you like an early or long spring, Colorado is not the place. But it will have great flowers in many places May to July or later.

[TigerLily24]

Coming here from southern New Mexico, I do miss having flowers already blooming this time of year.
As others have noted, the Denver Botanical Gardens and garden centers do help in that regard.

[sublet]

In Vermont, they have 9 months of winter and 3 months of bad sledding.