Monday marked the first day of spring. At lunch time, I skipped over to the local garden center. Sadly, there were no pansies in sight. Instead the shelves were barren, although I could still purchase firewood, windshield wiper fluid, or an ice scraper.
While my garden gnomes are still buried in snow right up to the tips of their hats, my crocus bulbs are starting to push through the earth. The weather is getting warmer and thanks to Daylight Savings Time, the sun is shining brightly. I’m looking forward to working in my garden again.
When I bought my house 18 years ago, it was a new home, and my yard was a blank slate. I started off small with three rhododendrons, two azaleas, a hydrangea and a small assortment of evergreens. I made friends with a few of my neighbors who also liked to garden and my plant collection grew. My neighbor Johanna gave me a clump of iris. It took two years for them to adjust to their new location but now they bloom beautifully every June. My neighbor Sue gave me two different types of hosta. Hostas are great because they are almost impossible to kill and they multiply. I now have hostas in my backyard around my porch as well around some of my flowering trees. My friend Linda gave me some day lilies and they have taken over a small corner of my yard.
A few years ago I invested in some professional landscaping services and had a small patio built in my back yard. My husband, the pug boys, and I enjoy dining outside once the weather gets warm. Our backyard is filled with beautiful flowers and plants, along with quirky pug-themed yard art, some sculpture and a fountain.
If you’re just starting your garden, I recommend mixing perennial plants with annuals. The perennials don’t require much care and they come back every year. The annuals provide an instant dose of color and tend to flower for longer periods of time. I usually buy small plants at the local nursery, but have started to try growing some plants from seeds.
How about you? How does your garden grow? What other spring time activities do you enjoy?
