Spring has well and truly sprung

If April showers bring May flowers what do April torrential rains bring? An explosion of spring bulbs, if my garden is anything to go by. And I am itching to get into it, itching being an unfortunate pun.

My first little venture this week resulted in numerous ant bites on my feet because the front pathway is one big ant village. But the fact that I was out there at all is a testament to the power of spring, a new hip, the care of my nurses, the skill of my doctor, Carl Moores and the genes of my father, Charlie Wells.

With one thing and another, it’s been years sine I’ve had the face (or the body ha ha) to call myself a gardener. — a gardener in my own mind, a gardener wanna-be and a gardener has-been but not a real gardener.

There came a time when I felt like a gardener imposter hence the demise of this column’s predecessor, the Gin and Tonic Gardener. But if the weather co-operates this Mother’s Day weekend I will be indulging in some nursery therapy and be well on the road to what I hope will be a summer in the dirt.

When I built the cottage in Heart’s Content I was full of plans for gardens on both sides of it. I made the big mistake of putting my dreams and plans in writing, of telling my column world, and none of it happened.

This time I will be more circumspect.

I may, almost certainly will, mention things, but not until they have actually happened. None of the things I dreamed about before are ever going to happen because I’ve made drastic changes to my blank palette. It’s still blank — even blanker (!) — than before and certainly more challenging and I will still be starting from scratch.

There are also drastic changes in what I want to grow. My beloved hollyhocks and delphiniums are still top of my wish list but I have joined the ranks of the Covid-inspired gardeners who want to grow vegetables. The easy way — in containers.

To this end I have been enjoying Youtube videos and Pinterest posts for the many ways of doing so. It’s like I am (used to be, ha ha) about going on a trip to a new place; I enjoy the planning and research almost as much as the trip itself.

Youtube and Pinterest are wonderful resources. It’s like having unlimited garden magazines. I never thought I would say such a thing but you can’t beat being able to look up whatever it is you’re interested in.

That’s how I learned about growing in reusable shopping bags and laundry baskets.

I had been thinking about using raised beds until I saw the shopping bags. The big ones at Walmart seem to be favourites and I was thinking about using shopping bags until I saw the laundry baskets.

I can see laundry baskets in my future. You buy the round ones at a dollar store, punch holes in the bottom, line with landscape fabric and for a couple of dollars you have containers that can be used for just about anything.

The bags and the baskets have a good feature in common; the nature of the sides result in roots being air pruned, which I had never heard of but apparently is a good thing resulting in higher yield. A tall laundry hamper can be used for strawberries. I already have a double laundry tub that

I use for Newman’s green tomatoes so there will be a consistent theme. Add a line of clothes flapping in the background and the picture is complete.

I can’t wait to get started but none of it really matters in the whole scheme of things. I could be happy in a gravel pit the way I feel right now, just looking forward to a spending lots of pain freetime with my children and grandchildren. The almost three year old has never seen Mimi run or play on the floor and Mimi really can’t wait for that.