Springtime In Nanaimo "The Birds And The Bees

The Flowers And The Trees"

There's no doubt that spring is busting out all over Nanaimo. The trees are sporting that lovely intense fresh green they always wear at this time of year and many of our early perennials have come and gone.

Our garden is currently in the blue phase as mostly bachelor buttons are filling the beds, with some iris already in bloom. The Rock Daphne have pretty much come and gone, which is a shame as they are so fragrant it would be nice if they bloomed a little later in the season when we are more inclined to be out enjoying them. 

So is the case of the Evergreen Clematis whose fragrant blooms have been long since spent.

This is the time of year it is hard to resist the urge to get into the garden big time and start planting your choice of annuals, but, alas the ground and night temperatures are still a little too cold for that. Anything planted in the ground at this time of year, at worst will die off and at best will just sit there in a state of shock wondering where the greenhouse went.

If you have a sheltered spot perhaps you could put out some hanging baskets, but you still want to keep a close eye on the overnight lows.

An old gardener once told me to wait to plant until May 24 or until all the snow was off of Mt. Benson. In other words even if there is no snow on Benson, wait for the 24th, and if there is still snow on the 24th, then wait for it to be gone.

If you wait until things have really warmed up the plants you put in then will outgrow anything you put in the ground now, as the cold soil will do nothing to encourage growth.

On the top right hand side of this page is a graphic titled Garden Time?, if you click on the graphic it will take you to the weather network site which indicates whether it is good gardening time or not. Right now you will notice it is shown as poor.

So resist the urge to fill up your flower beds with those early plants in the stores, and just sit back and enjoy watching the birds and the bees until the 24th. They do put on quite a show.