Enjoy some garden therapy
Despite closures, Mother Nature remains right on schedule
People are getting very creative: happy hour link-ups with neighbours never leaving their own driveway, online yoga and dance classes to keep us fit, online concerts with musicians playing from home and every sort of ‘challenge’ imaginable, from sit-up reps to favourite books and photos — it seems we are all looking for new ways to stay busy and engaged.
Despite all the closures, Mother Nature has arrived on cue and the garden is coming to life.
This could be the year to make the most of your garden, be it postage sized, suburban lot, acreage or a condo terrace or balcony. Take the time to plan simple improvements to the front entrance (maybe a showy container), redesign the backyard (you don’t have to implement the changes all at once), add an herb, cutting or pollinator garden to your space, or find a spot for a native tree. The options are wide open.
Start some seeds
No matter if you would like to grow extra flowers, herbs or vegetables, this is the time to start a few seeds indoors, and it’s a pretty economical way to increase your stock of plants.
If you’ve never grown anything from seed before, this is a great time to give it a try — you’ve got plenty of time, right?
Start with something simple like peas, beans, lettuce, radish, basil, marigolds, zinnias or sunflowers — they are all easy to start at home on a windowsill. Watching seeds sprout is the most optimistic of spring projects. Seeds are available from local home-improvement stores, or online. I picked up a packet of basil from a local Italian grocer, just keep your eyes open when you are out for your weekly grocery run.
Do some background work
If you want to learn more about the plants in your home garden, or new plants you would like to try, allot some of your online time to plant research. Many growers and seed companies have excellent websites. Is there a particular plant or tree you would like to learn more about? Look for online classes and videos on YouTube. Visit the NGB.org website for ideas and links to growers’ websites.
Read a book, or two, or three
Sometimes we buy gardening books with the best of intentions, and then they just sit on the shelf waiting for the perfect time to be read. This is the time.
My own library of garden books is boxed up and in storage, so I’m making the most of a curated collection of books that belonged to the previous homeowner. This extensive library includes garden related books, a generous supply of art and history books, and autobiographies. The collection has made for good winter reading. The art books have been particularly interesting — they have helped me look at design and colour theories from a variety of new perspectives.
Dig out your old books and magazines (I know you have a stash) and re-read them. The colours, flowers and gardens will help to inspire ideas for this year’s garden. You can’t help but feel better just flipping through the beautiful pictures. Don’t have any books on hand? Look for blogs online that cover a certain flower, tree or type of garden you are interested in. Why not explore some exotic online gardens?
Turn the kitchen into a science lab
To make sure seeds are viable and ready to plant, try this fun experiment (let the kids help). Dampen a paper towel with tepid water and then fold it into quarters. Unfold the towel and sprinkle a few seeds on the inside of the towel, fold the top over to cover the seeds (like a sandwich). Slip the folded towel into a zip-lock bag, label the bag and set it aside.
Within a few days (or longer depending on the type of seed) the seed will begin to sprout. The sprouts can be transferred to small pots filled with moist potting soil at this point, or, just plant fresh seed from the same packet directly in prepared pots, knowing the seed is viable. This is a fun experiment for kids of all ages.
While you are in science mode, why not divide a few house plants? Divide pot bound African violets into three or four smaller plants and re-pot. Feed with water soluble fertilizer, just a few drops in the watering water, as required. Set the divisions on an east-facing window sill or under a grow light — they will often come into flower about six weeks after transplanting.
Cuttings of African violet, a single leaf with stem, set in a small glass of water will quickly root. Basil cuttings (I’ve rooted the extra Thai basil that came with a takeout order of pho) and woody cuttings from the garden like forsythia and pussy willow stems, will also root quickly in a jar of water. New plants to share for free.
Get the kids involved
Let the kids help plan a new vegetable or pollinator garden. Give them a stash of garden magazines and/or seed catalogues and let them cut out the pictures of the plants they would like to grow. They can collect the pictures in a notebook, along with the instructions for growing their favourite plants.
No magazines to cut? How about drawing the pictures instead? Let them research their favourite plants online. Can they be grown locally? What kind of growing conditions do they need? What pollinators can they hope to attract? What kind of flowers attract pollinators? Several online sites offer lesson plans that can be helpful and fun.
Get yourself out in the garden, even if it’s just for a walk around the property. Pull a few weeds, check out the buds on the magnolia and lilac, sweep the patio if you are so inclined — the main thing is to get outside, in the safety of your own backyard, for a few minutes every day.
Breathe in the spring air, feel the sun on your back, listen to the birds, enjoy the moment. Step out after a rainfall (you won’t melt) and look for raindrops clinging to the branches, do you see little prisms and reflections? Breathe in the scent of the damp earth — I promise, you will feel better.