Evolving masterpieces

Gardens can be ever evolving masterpieces.  Your garden inspiration may not all come to you at once, but rather, it may take time to emerge or come in waves over time.  Renovation keeps your garden fresh and exciting.  Late winter/early spring is a great time to move plants because the cool weather allows the rootlets to redevelop before they are needed to soak up water on warm, sunny days.  Although some plants take time to reestablish, most plants don't.  For instance, this rhodo was moved only one month ago, and now it's blooming!

Planted! (Updated)

The new garden bed featured in the previous blog has been planted with a mixture of transplants and purchased plants.

This is a good time to be transplanting.  The temperature is mild and there are frequent showers.  With the exception of drying winds, the plants don't need much soil water.  This gives them a chance to regrow the tiny rootlets that were damaged by transplanting.  By the time the spring sun warms the garden, the plants will be ready to take advantage of it.

Even with the opportune planting time, plants will need extra water the first year after transplanting.   Hand watering individual plants can be a peaceful, reflective activity.  So, the year ahead promises plenty occasion to be out, enjoying the new garden.

(Update) Here is a spring photo, with the Spanish broom blooming better than ever!  Note that Spanish broom seeds are not viable so they don't spread to natural areas.

Here's the garden in it's second spring, with the much anticipated red rhodo finally out:

Winter Activity

With the temperature warming back up above zero, work can recommence!

Sleeping (napping) Gardens and their Gardeners

Right now is a time to plan and dream about gardening, and maybe take some softwood cuttings.  The ground may be frozen, which inhibits much more than sowing some overdue seeds for the spring.  Bulbs are likely stuck a few cm out of the ground, poking their green leaves  through the brown leaf mulch. 

You can see the 'bones' of the garden now that the perennials have died back and the leaves have fallen off some of the trees and shrubs.  The bones of a garden are the structural stones or wooden structures, the paths and the evergreen plants.

In warm spells, when the ground may thaw, or if you have some unfrozen pots, you can plant primula out for some riotous colour.  The primula are cheap in the grocery stores this year, under $2 each, which is amazing considering how plant prices seem to have gone up so rapidly in the last few years.   A few here or there in places you see every day give a subconscious lift, like a cheerful greeting.

Use your pent up gardening energy to get ambitious about your next year's garden plans.  Make a new year's resolution to develop that area you've been wondering about for so long…like Nike says, "Just do it!"  Dream your garden dreams and make them into reality.