Spring arrives twice and brings zone envy

Spring in the garden is a marvellous time and I managed to enjoy two this year by visiting family in the old country. Depending on location, spring in England arrives as much as a month or more before ours.

It’s no wonder as most of the country is a zone eight, even nine, compared to our zone five or six.

This year, however, spring there was late, but still about three weeks earlier than here in Canada. After leaving our ice-covered garden, seeing trees leafing out and front gardens bursting into colour, I was immediately overcome with a severe case of zone envy.

It was only mid-April and daffodils were already flowing along roadsides like yellow streams.

I don’t remember them ever being so prolific and it had me wondering if there’d been a concerted effort or movement to plant them, but no one I asked seemed to know. They were a delight — at first. After seeing them in the thousands, I’m afraid the novelty began to wilt away before the flowers did.

Not so with camellias, which are only a dream here, or at best, a gamble. They were spellbinding, drenched in blossoms. A week later rhododendrons and azaleas took over, even out-blooming the camellias. In public gardens, beds of smiley primroses disrupted lush green lawns.

One plant that I noted in every other front garden was pieris, a shrub I once tried growing. The leaves emerge a rich orange-bronze, maturing to a glossy dark green. Whereas some were an impressive three metres tall, mine struggled along for a few years while we decided who’d quit first — I did, but it was close.

Yes, spring in England was lovely, and there were plants I wish I could grow as well here, yet it’s not quite the same as seeing your very own garden come to life, or not, as is sometimes the case.

Sometimes we lose old friends to the ravages of our tougher winters, and this one appears to have been a tough one, particularly for shrubs. One of my ancient spireas has succumbed and there are dead branches on a weigela. I’ve also heard from friends who’ve lost weigelas and smoke bushes.

Overall, this winter wasn’t a particularly severe one, although April was especially cold and wet at a time when plants are thinking of emerging from dormancy. Another explanation for damage could be due to the warm spell that occurred in February when it reached a high of 15.6 degrees Celsius on Feb. 20 at the University of Waterloo weather station.

The vagaries of weather are a reality a gardener must expect and accept. It is unfortunate to lose a plant, but I find the disappointment is always tempered by the thought of adding something new to the garden.

Unlike last year, the weather on the Victoria Day weekend made retailers happy. Not only was it good for buying, it was also good for planting — not too warm, with a few clouds and perfectly appropriate showers. With no frost in the longerterm forecast, I took my chances and planted with abandon, after ensuring I had enough cloches available for my tomato plants.

Although my shrubs have some damage, most perennials are doing fine. I’m happy to see the agapanthus I planted directly in the garden instead of storing indoors has sprouted and is growing well. Only one of two foxtail lilies I planted last spring made it, but that’s good odds for a plant that can be a challenge.

Yes, those British gardeners, they’ve sure got it easy. See a few pics online at https://flic.kr/s/aHskykXv6X.

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David Hobson gardens in Waterloo and is happy to answer garden questions, preferably by email: garden@gto.net. Reach him by mail c/o Etcetera, The Record, 160 King St. E. Kitchener, Ont. N2G 4E5