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speakup

It's the first day of spring, but don't put away the snow shovel just yet.

SWEET SMELL OF THE CHANGE OF SEASONS: elizabeth leBlanc smells spring flowers at scott’s nursery ltd. in lincoln on Wednesday afternoon. Today is the official start of spring.

"We can expect a slush package that's about 10 centimetres thick from now until Sunday," said Environment Canada meteorologist Claude Cote.

Earlier today, Environment Canada issued a freezing rain warning for Woodstock and Fredericton.

The arrival of five-to-10 centimetres of snow overnight Wednesday was the prelude to a mess of precipitation area residents can expect over the next couple of days.

A mixed bag of weather today, Friday and Saturday, and cold temperatures all next week make the first week of spring look more like a week in the middle of winter, he said.

Ice pellets this morning followed by freezing rain this afternoon and rain all night is expected to be followed by more snow Friday.

"We'll remain in the grip of this weather system Saturday and Sunday as temperatures stay around -3 C. The normal high for this time of year is 3," he said.

Spring has arrived at Scott's Nursery Ltd. in Lincoln, despite unseasonal temperatures.

The parking lot has been full at the nursery and people are flooding in to see the spring wares, said owner George Scott.

"Our big struggle this spring is keeping the snow out of the greenhouses and providing heat for the new plants," he said.

"People are getting the urge to go to their gardens and work in the soil.

"They come in here and they enjoy the nice temperatures, the aroma of fresh potting materials and the colourful displays ... the snow outside is still knee deep."

Scott said spring shopping for garden supplies doesn't usually reach its peak until mid-April.

"That's when the early shrubs arrive,'' he said. "With such a late spring and so much snow on the ground, it will be difficult to off-load our arrivals.

"We'll just have to deal with it and clear the snow as we need the space."

In the meantime, consumers can continue to shop for seeds and bulbs and check into their needs for any landscaping plans they have, Scott said.

"We enjoy and share the enthusiasm people have for the coming spring, the longer daylight hours and warmer sunshine, but I guess we all have to wait a bit longer."