Spring Has Sprung! It’s Showtime!

I Love Spring!

It’s so exciting! After a long winter, the snow is melting, the birds are returning and singing their beautiful songs, and my inner gardener is eager to get out there and play.

As an avid gardener, I feel the draw. I see the winter debris and want to clean it up, but I know I must be patient.

Did you know soil has air pockets?

Yep! Here’s the lowdown:

Soil truly has its own life! When we step into our gardens too early in the season, the delicate air pockets within the soil can become damaged. These essential spaces enable plant roots to breathe, grow, and drain excess water away after heavy rains or melting snow. Walking in gardens too early in spring can compress delicate air pockets, leading to overly wet and compacted soil, detrimental to healthy root growth. The lingering chill of winter can leave the ground saturated and cold, so patience is essential to ensure a thriving garden.

My Grandmother’s Advice. She Knew Best!

The first full moon in June is a noteworthy event! My grandmother always said, “We can get frost until the first full moon in June,” and she was right. In our area, the weather can be highly unpredictable—snow one day, sunshine the next, followed by several days of rain, and then back to snow and ice again. If you want to plant in April for colour, your best options are spring pansies and violas, hardy spring primrose, and flowering bulbs like tulips, daffodils, crocus, hyacinths, and alliums. Planting new plants too early in spring can be costly.

Let’s Shop!

Like many gardeners, I eagerly begin my spring visits to garden centers, searching for the latest and greatest finds. Every spring, I notice people arriving at the garden center on the first sunny day, eager to buy. However, late April and early May are not ideal for planting. While daytime temperatures may be warm, nighttime temperatures can still drop low enough to freeze tender new plants.

My Costly Mistake

In early May 2019, I decided to work on my home gardens, so I went to the garden center in search of flowering shrubs. I picked out a few that would work nicely in my front flowerbeds. Here was my mistake. I planted my new shrubs too early that season, and they struggled to grow. If I had been more patient and waited until after the long weekend in May when the soil was warmer and the chance of frost had passed, my new shrubs would have thrived. Instead, they froze! Unfortunately, I had to replace several of them—my costly mistake.

Spring Cleaning and Native Pollinators

Heading into the garden too early for spring cleanup can harm vital pollinators. Many native insects and bees remain dormant in the garden debris, waiting for the warmth of spring to emerge. Cleaning too soon removes the protective layer of dried leaves and dead plant stems, exposing pollinators to harsh weather. Patience is essential to give this year’s pollinators a fighting chance.

Gardening is the loving act of Patience with a sprinkling of Belief.

A ‘Journey, Not A Destination.’

Lexi Dearborn

The Gabby Gardener