THe Power of Spring by Susan Heydon

Spring must be on the way. It has to be.I just know it is. I have just sent my Garden Import order in so that’s how I know . I just do!!! Can you tell I’m getting excited!!

All those new plants out there , the colours , the fragrance. It’s too much. I think spring is the essence of all that life offers. Full of promise, hope and new beginnings it fills us with a renewed sense of well being. Feel the rays of sunshine warm on your face, the soft rains, the green of new grass and the clear blue skies. Now you know how the plants feel. After all they have been buried under snow for the last 5 to 6 months. Won’t you want to jump up and shout.!! It’s all about living and all of these things are what makes the excitement of life real.  For gardeners it’s two fold. We also know these ingredients will make all of our fall garden work, aching backs and dirty hands worth the wait for that burst into glorious colour and growth.

As the sun warms the earth the little green shoots of all those bulbs planted last fall start to peek through. We can’t wait to see if the colour palette we choose will be just right or whether the new perennials we planted love their new home. One of my favorite tours of the garden is to see what has self sown, usually some spot quite unexpected. Sometimes new plants show up in just the right place, other times I transplant the seedlings where I would like them to grow. If you have lots of “babies” you can give them to your gardening friends. By the time your bulbs are in bloom you will also realize that lots of other foliage is emerging. As the days warm and become longer the perennials in your garden take over. The growth is amazing. If you do have plants you want to move or split now is a good time to get that job done. The earth is moist, the evenings still a little cool and you can see where you may have a bare spot that needs a plant. However don’t forget about the late comers .If you’re not sure, wait a few more weeks just to see if something pokes through.

You can divide perennials as soon as the earth has warmed up and the ground is workable.( Don’t forget to add compost to the new site) This job can be done into early June, but after that you run the risk of drier ground and hotter temperatures that make dividing a little more of a challenge. Your plants at this point are also setting buds so you run the risk of losing this years bloom if you move them now. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, so move the plants in the early evening when it is cooler, water well and even provide a light shade cover for the first few days. Most plants are very forgiving but they perform best with a little TLC.

 In our zone 4 climate most annuals can’t be planted until Victoria Day weekend. We can and do get frost up until that date. I once lost a whole bed of impatients because I was just that , impatient. Now I don’t care how nice the weather is, it has to be May 24 before I even start planting. You also need to be careful with your container plantings unless you have them on a protected porch. That’s why there is such a rush that weekend in May to the nurseries .Now we can buy, now we can plant and now we enjoy!! Ah the power of spring.  We know in our hearts it’s always going to show up!! Happy planting.

 
 
Susan Heydon