SPRING FLINGING Spring Fli nging
Shelli SHELL Nelli gan NELLIGAN ANDERSON Anderson
Spring is just around the corner. The seed and plant catalogs are all arriving. The weather is tempting us with the occasional warm day. The days are becoming longer. Just the other day on my walk, bits of green grass were poking through the earth, a blue heron flew over head, the ice was melting on the creek, birds were singing with joy. Today, the buds on the columnar aspen were starting to open.
Gardens in the spring… isn’t that what we live for? The anticipation of the bulbs that were planted in the autumn, flowering. Waiting for last year’s perennials to become ever more established, and flowering even more? Turning over the soil, turning over a new leaf, a new year. I love the spring! I love donning my work clothes and my new leather gloves, heading out the door with the dogs to start the new season of gardening.
Before heading outside to start your garden clean up, there are a few practical matters to take care of. Make sure that you have new blades on your pruners. Take your loppers and your sheers to have them sharpened. Make sure that the blade on your spade has also been sharpened, that your rakes are springy and strong. Oil the handles of your wooden tools, be proud of the work that they help you do.
Once you are outside, settle in for the transformation that is about to happen. Gently prune away the dead foliage on the perennials. Give your roses a big pruning to open up the canes and to allow for new growth and new blooms. Cut back your ornamental grasses… No more brown. There are always the few plants that need a little extra love, clean them up and turn in some compost at the base, give them a big drink and a little prayer.