Since last weekend we’ve been enjoying a sudden burst of spring here in Toronto. On Saturday Davin and I did a big walk about the city wearing winter jackets and sometimes even gloves, and on Sunday we were out cleaning up the garden in t-shirts! The warmth has held, which means that growth in the garden is making my head spin.
Barry’s double bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex) is emerging. I have it planted in the worst spot and have got to move it. t’s slowly migrated into the pathway and I had to put up markers to prevent us from stomping on the little buds.
Violet (Viola) leaves are some of the first homegrown greens that I eat in the spring. They mark the start of salad season for me, and so seeing their leaves emerging around the garden is a real highlight.
I took these photos on Monday with the intention to post them right away, but the week got away from me. That’s how it is at this time of year. The garden’s awakening lit a fire under my feet, and so I have been pushing myself extra hard this week to do all of the physical tasks that MUST HAPPEN NOW while keeping up with the desk parts of my job. I am in SO MUCH PAIN right now. Gardener’s back is back. And how.
Some of the plants shown have already grown quite a bit in the few days that have passed. I encourage you to get out there as soon as you can find the time and soak it all in. This is the season we most yearn for and the one that passes in the blink of an eye! [Note: What I’ve posted here is only a sampling of the plants that are emerging in my garden. There are simply too many to post!]
I love the look of columbine (Aquilegia) foliage unfurling. This variety has chartreuse coloured new growth, but there are others in the garden with reddish and blue/green foliage. If you’re going to give over space in the garden to something that is entirely ornamental, I suggest you make it a columbine or one of its friends.
Japanese Maple buds. Some of my trees do not have buds yet, so don’t be concerned if you’re in a similar zone and yours are still dormant. Their timelines vary.
Garlic chives. Tough as nails, this one.
I am pleased to see some progress with this Red-leaved Rose (Rosa glauca). I brought a rather tiny seedling over from the infamous Guerilla/Street Garden four years ago and didn’t think it would take. It was rather small and unassuming for the first three years, but has grown a few feet in the last and I think this is going to be its year.
Forced crocus bulbs that I planted underneath my black currant bush.
Chives and two types of sorrel (Rumex acetosa) are the main perennial herbs in this shady raised bed, the coldest in my garden. I keep them there because the cooler spring soil and summer shade allows them to stay viable much longer. Even this bed has warmed up. I will be harvesting both herbs next week.
Perennial onions (primarily ‘Egyptian Walking’ onion) are all over my garden. I use them as a winter planting to help prevent soil erosion.
In a months time this photo of the Rhubarb that is just emerging will be interesting for size comparison. This thing is going to be an absolute monster this year,
What was once a polite cluster of stinging nettle in the corner of a small raised bed has, in the course of one year, completely taken over. This story really begins 2 years back with a rogue seedling that came up as a volunteer with a plant that I bought. I absolutely LOVE stinging nettle for its nutrient content. I forage for it every spring, making soup from the fresh leaves and drying the rest for my winter tea. I know it is a rampant opportunist, but decided to keep it corralled inside of a small raised bed. Long story short… This year I may not need to go beyond my garden for the season’s harvest.
Last year’s Radicchio over-wintered in the same bed as the stinging nettle. I suspect it will soon be crowded out.
Sedum emerging inside one of two vintage metal toy trucks that sit in the dry bed/cactus garden. These trucks perplex the neighbour kids who can’t understand why we are not playing with these toys!
Good ole dependable Iris reticulata brings an early shot of colour.
Nippon Daisy (Nipponanthemum nipponicum).
(And yes, I did title this after the Frampton Comes Alive album. If you’ve read my books you’ll notice that I have a habit of basing titles on musical references.)
Thank you for this post! We moved into a house with a large back yard last fall and are now trying to figure out what all of the “mystery plants” are that have been springing up in the back yard. Earlier this week, I found a rouge scilla blooming in a raised bed that I cleared out last fall of what I thought consisted of only (very) unruly irises in order to make room for tomato plants this spring. I’ve been wondering what this little blue cutie was! I’ll have to relocate it to another part of the garden once the tomatoes go in. Seems like a shame to just rip him out when he survived when all others didn’t!
Scilla is a really nice harbinger of spring and it will naturally spread so don’t be too worried if you lose a few bulbs when you dig them up and move. They’re also pretty darn tough.
Have fun discovering what’s growing out there!
What a delightfully awakening post! I’m in Northeast Alabama and we’ve been having some growth here and there, buds here and there, but just over this last weekend, the “spring green” exploded all over town! It’s so gorgeous and so rich! And it’s been cloudy, sometimes rainy, for a while. So the cloudiness mixed with the “spilling of spring green paint” everywhere is just so rich and gorgeous! I am not, however, getting to garden this year, as we are about to move. So posts like this just fill me up. ;-)
I just love when everything explodes at once! I hope moving means a new garden for you to enjoy in the future!
I love this time of year for this — definitely soaking it in. Thanks for sharing!
So fun to see other’s gardens where mine was 6 weeks ago. Love the irises!
Ditto on the aquilegia! I love it, it’s one of the first things I look for each spring. Sadly, many of the columbines in the UK are getting wiped out due to some type of mildew….. fingers crossed it doesn’t come across the ocean!
Oh no, I had not heard that!
My rhubarb patch looks the same as yours right now but my Iris reticulata have faded. The candelabra primroses (Primula japonica) just erupted about 2 days ago. The other primroses which bloom earlier woke up earlier, too. They are red cowslips, P. veris. Each day the broad garden view from the second floor kitchen window gets greener and greener. The birds make more noise and soil is bursting forth with surprises. Instant mood lifter.
So much has changed since I took these photos. The rhubarb has grown quite a bit and the first wave of irises are now done. The birds seem particularly loud this year. They must be as happy as we are.
Gardening really gets me into the springtime spirit– tempted to try a project like this of my own.
Lovely post! This time of the year is my favourite by far!
Love waking up each day to a different plant blossoming, and watching it grow through the upcoming months!