After a seemingly endless winter (and a six month heating season…sheesh!), Spring has finally arrived in all her glory for the gardener.

We are 3-4 weeks behind normal as far as growth goes; it’s been so cold that things really got off to a slow start. Just last week we had temps in the 40’s and now it’s pushing 80 degrees.

It seems that everything is trying very hard to catch up!

The beautiful weeping cherry tree is blooming at the same time as the flowering quince and the flowering almonds. The Korean spice vibernum, usually blooming a little later, has jumped right in and is covered with bloom. Our roses, trying to get started, were a bit stunted at the beginning as all their energy was coming out of last year’s sugar storage in the canes…the ground was too cool for the roots to extract any nutrients from the soil.

Warmth at Last

And then, over the last few days, the temperatures have rallied. Overnight temps are suddenly in the 50’s so my roses have been stretching out at night as well as during the day. I can’t wait to go out in the morning with my coffee for my first garden tour of the day! Miraculously, tiny rose buds have appeared seemingly overnight, as my roses jump into high gear to try to catch up to their normal size for mid-May. They are trying very hard to harden off to the higher temperatures after being stuck in the cold for so long. When this happens, there is always some wilting that happens. Sometimes the tender, the heat burns new leaves. Unfortunately, this is normal for the way this spring has progressed.

We have had plenty of rain over the last few weeks, so this eases up on the water I must provide from the hose. My rain gauges are all installed in the gardens so I can have an idea of how much water to supplement if needed. Now is a period of wonderful, rapid growth that I wait for every year! By the time the season is over, I am always ready to put the roses to bed after caring for them all summer, but this is the time of year that is soooooooooo full of…

Spring for the Gardener

Anticipation! The sun peeks in my bedroom window at 4:45 in the morning and I almost have to force myself to stay in bed awhile longer. Going out to get the paper in the morning turns into a short trek to this garden or that…just to say ‘good morning.’ Often times, I’ll leave Bob with the newspaper and grab my coffee and garden clogs to head out to inspect the ‘troops.’ This turns out to be an experience of pure delight.

I love watching my roses grow. I love the smell of the soil in the garden, still damp from morning dew. My heart quickens and the butterflies in my stomach awake as I see a new basal break erupting from the ground. I have been gardening in this way since I was 25 years old, and each spring is an awakening for me, just as it is for my roses…an eternal return for us all.

Vitality

A friend of mine recently auditioned for a part in a faire, and the director muttered something about middle-aged women. This outraged me when I heard about it! Then, when I gave it some thought, I realized that I went right through middle age while I wasn’t looking! I missed the whole thing!! At 61 I know I am past that as I am sure I won’t live to be 122, but I am also sure that all the pleasures and tasks in the garden keep me happy and unconcerned (so far) about growing older…after all, it is growing, is it not? And, could the garden be a youth-preserver? I’ll just bet that it is!