Although it's most definitely still winter here, and I awoke to see huge fluffy snowflakes slowly drifting downwards, I have a sort of "the end is in sight" feeling, and a sense that spring is not too, too far away. Last year, spring arrived in early March, but it was highly atypical and I shouldn't really expect a repeat performance this year.
Yesterday, whilst chomping down my toast and marmalade at breakfast time, I had my first cardinal sighting of the year. A lovely bright red, cheery looking little fellow was rummaging around in the garden, flitting here and there, and generally having a good scout of the area. For the last few years, there has been a nesting pair in the neighbour's shrubbery, adjacent to my garden, and I always enjoy watching them busily working to feed and raise their chicks.
With thoughts of spring in mind, I did some winter sowing yesterday. Have been meaning to try this for a few years, but never seem to be organized. This year, I had saved up suitable containers, and had seeds at the ready (some self-collected, some purchased). I've sown spinach, beets, swiss chard, thyme, tomatoes, platycodon & echinacea. The last two will likely produce plants for my friend's new country house.
Here are a few spring photos from last year, as a reminder of what we have to look forward to soon.
Daffodils in my garden. They have been in the wrong location for 3 years, so this year I really must move them after flowering.
These muscari have formed nice big clumps after a couple of years.
This combination of rich burgundy tall tulips with shorter bicolour ones between comes from the display at the Toronto Botanical Garden.
Anemone blanda - I loved these when I saw them at the Botanical garden, and had meant to get some in the fall for my own garden, but it was forgotten. Next year!
In a white scheme, some lovely, clean looking anemones formed a carpet under later blooming white irises. I love the upturned habit of these particular anemones....the ones in my garden are lovely, but tend to have their heads cast downwards.
Stunning peony at Toronto Botanical Garden
Like the anemone blanda, I was really excited about these camasias when I saw them last spring. Must remember to look for the bulbs this year.
It was very odd to be gardening today....whilst it is still winter! Well, maybe not so much gardening as clearing out the decay of last year, but none the less, in a normal winter I would still have been spending the afternoon by the fire, drinking hot tea and eating toasted crumpets. After a misty, murky start to the day, I spent almost all of it outside, clearing out, cleaning up, and generally starting to get things ready for the new season. Things are budding out all over, which I still can't quite wrap my head around - last year nothing moved in my garden until May. The clematis is shooting out, the roses are pruned and sprayed and the boxwoods are starting to show new buds. I was delighted to find that after years of bronze fennel envy (mine never made it through the winter and were always quite spindly), my experiment of mulching heavily with spent compost in the fall has taken them through what little winter we've had, and there are some very robust new shoots popping out. All of my red kale and tomato seeds have germinated, and I'm planning to start some chard and white cosmos tonight. We look set for a slight cooling trend towards next weekend, but then the long range forecast suggests it will go back to being well above normal, so I'm optimistic that we're out of the woods for this winter. Hurrah!
lovely red shoots are bursting on my tree peony, and the New Dawn roses were pruned, sprayed with dormant oil and sulphur and fed with vermicompost today.
tasty chive shoots - perfect in mashed potatoes!
I re-layed the brick patio a couple of years ago in a herringbone pattern. I gave it a good hard sweep today, and it looks better, but I need to weed thoroughly and add some more polymeric sand to keep it looking pristine.
Lots of brush to send to the curb! Luckily yard waste collection starts this week.
This clematis jackmanii is bursting out far earlier than normal. I gave all of the plants with a love of alkaline soil a handful of ashes from my wood burning fireplace today, including clematis, peonies and lavender.
On another note, my friend, The Diva is singing with the Saskatoon Symphony tonight, in the Brahms German requiem. Wish we could hear her somewhere a little closer to Toronto soon.....but in her honour, here is a clip of Elizabeth Schwartzkopf in a particularly beautiful section of the requiem, which I know the Diva will perform beautifully.
