Saturday, May 23, 2015

Spring Rush

I plant far too much stuff in my garden. I can’t help it. I drop in at a garden centre for a couple of plants and I come home with a couple of flats. It’s less expensive if you fill the whole flat, they tell me at the cash register. So back I go to fill the thing, even though I only have two plants in it. It’s not that I don’t possess a degree of logic and the ability to make calculations in my head that would show it’s costing me more.

That’s not the reason. The reason is the season. In spring I have to plant and plant and plant. I admire people that can enter a garden centre with a list and leave the place with no more items purchased than were on their list. At any other store I can do this, but not where plants are concerned. It must have something to do with survival — the instinct to ensure there’ll be a good crop by fall. Except it’s mostly flowering plants I’m buying. As far as vegetables, it’s a much simpler process. I plant most from seed — beans, peas, lettuce, zucchini. I don’t have to worry about how the veggie garden looks, whether the colours are coordinated, or where to plant — in the veggie garden.

I’ve come to the conclusion that planting my garden is like doing a jigsaw puzzle without a picture to go by and, if you’ve ever completed a jigsaw puzzle, you’ll know that the pieces with flowers or foliage are the hardest ones to place. On top of that, I’m always missing pieces or I having to force in extra ones.

I spent the long weekend on an extended walking tour of my property doing just that — during the rain showers — trying to find the perfect spot for whatever plant was in my hand. Prefers shade says the tag, but the best shady corner is full. There’s space in another shady spot, but the plant in my hand is too large for that location. There’s only one more option, but the colour is all wrong. It will clash terribly — too bad, I’ll relocate the one that’s beside it. If I can’t find a space for it, I’ll start another container. There’s still room on the deck for a couple more. Then I start trying to find homes for another trunk load.

Despite the turmoil and frenzy of planting that I go through each May long weekend, it’s the best of times and it only gets better as the garden grows lush and more colourful throughout the season. I did discover one plant in particular that I hope to see flourish, it’s my find of the week, a tender perennial with the memorable name of Melongolly Blue. It has fine foliage and is Melon-scented with powder blue flowers. It caught my attention in an article I was reading some time back. I wrote down the name at the time then forgot all about it, but spotted it again while cruising the aisles last weekend. I was so pleased, I let it choose its own place in the garden.


No comments: