How Doth the Early Spring Garden Grow?

Most pleasingly. Although the temperature has reverted, post wild-winds of yesterday to normal day-time highs of 14 degrees, the sun still shines and last night's rainstorms have helped to encourage all the garden residents to continue their reach for the sun. The roses are showing their delicately budding red leaf growth, even some of the clematis vines are showing us green leaves coming along, as are the honeysuckle vines - and the hummingbird vine is shooting out green like nobody's business.

The crocuses, scilla, and miniature irises are almost finished blooming, but still colourful. The grape hyacinth are shoving up their flower buds, the irises and the lilies, along with the allium are thrusting deep out of the ground, as are the daffodils and tulips. The snake-head fratillaries are getting set to unveil their shy little heads, and the creeping phlox preparing its multitudes of bloom; the garden phlox and the lupins already thrusting through the soil. The complex, red-green shoots of the bleeding hearts are bursting forth, and the coral bells are robustly proclaiming their presence.

Today I planted a Karl Rosenfield peony, a red phlox, a yellow and a pink primula, two double-flowered hollyhocks, carefully analysing (trying to remember) where other perennials would be coming up not yet showing themselves, and positioning the new entries where sun exposure would be most complementary for their futures. I'll have to wait before I can plant the two dinner-plate-size dahlias I couldn't resist, but they've already sprouted in the package and will get a good head-start once I'm assured there'll be no more incidents of night-time frost.

This year I'm determined to grow passion flower vines because their huge blossoms are exquisitely beautiful and I'd like to have them around to glorify our gardens. I should have started sooner, but today I planted them in a little peat seed-starter kit, placed them close to the patio doors where they'll get plenty of indirect sunlight, and hope to get a decent head start with them too, come time to plant out of doors.

When I checked the begonia bulbs downstairs in the basement, but not too far from a window emitting plenty of light and even sunlight at certain exposures, it was evident that some of them are restless with the state of their long over-wintering sleep. A few of the dozens have already sprouted and although it'll be at least another month before they can be placed in the garden they'll be more than ready by then.

It's all so satisfying, so exciting, so anticipatory, so wonderful to be out there in the gardens, puttering about, scrutinizing everything, shoving aside the soil to peek about here and there, and planting new perennials which will give us pleasure for many years to come. Already, we're anticipating the lush green comfort our eyes will be greeted with, anywhere we turn outside our home, front gardens or back.

With winters like ours and such a relatively short growing season, we appreciate all the more the opportunities we have to work in our gardens, to enjoy our contemplative and serene landscapes of quiet beauty.