We have the dirt

Surely, last week’s snowstorm in the Big Apple — smack-dab in the middle of March — was the last winter blast of the year? That’s what we’re hoping, anyway. With temperatures this week forecast near the 60s, let’s break out those spades and shovels to turn some serious soil. Better Home and Gardens squares off against Condé Nast’s

Dream Gardens, and on the face of it, the latter lives up to its title, with lavish photo spreads of gardens of the rich and famous.

Former Citigroup CEO Sandy Weill, for example, has put together a leafy retreat in Sonoma, Calif., that features a poplar-treelined staircase. It leads uphill to a passage that links the main resi- dence to the guesthouse.

BH&G Editor-in-Chief Stephen Orr, meanwhile, says the homemaking mag’s special garden issue is bent on inspiring those who are afraid of gardening. It tells how to plant easy-to-grow annuals that enable folks to cut flowers often and have fresh bouquets all year.

(Dream Garden, it should be noted, takes a slightly less homegrown approach as it asks a fancy Manhattan florist how its readers can make their cut flowers last.)

Dream Gardens has some practical ideas, such as planting roses near boundary fences. A picture of Bette Midler’s Fifth Avenue terrace garden looks simple enough to drive home the “you can do this, too” message, with a tiled floor that’s bordered by potted pink alchemist roses and foxgloves.

BH&G, meanwhile, has an article on planting tulips and how one should do that in the autumn. Granted, we’re still in a bit of a winter daze, but isn’t it a little late for that? Or is it just a little early for that?