The growing season has begun

Jill Severn

Photo by Anna Schlecht

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Spring is coming too soon

The calendar says we’re still a month away from spring, but I think it’s lying. Crocuses and snowdrops are blooming, daffodils are well on their way, and buds are swelling everywhere you look. And the sap is rising, so to speak, in the veins of gardeners.

Roses are being pruned. Compost is being poked and turned. Weeds are being pulled. Pansies and primroses are appearing in pots on front porches.

And holy cow, my next-door neighbor mowed his lawn last Sunday before the Super Bowl started! He should get a trophy.

There’s also a lot going on in the woods. Birds are dating, and sizing up possible mates. Last week there was a well-attended singles party (or was it a bachelor party?) of red-wing blackbirds singing their hearts out in a willow thicket along the trail.

Osoberry, a native shrub commonly known as Indian Plum, always beats the rush and blooms early, and this year it’s even earlier than usual. Its clusters of white flowers are a welcome sight right now for people, bees and other hungry pollinators too.

Osoberry also provides the first bright, fresh green leaves you’ll see against the darker greens of ferns and firs, telegraphing all the glory of the spring to come. And as clusters of leaves first rise above the branches, they resemble a fleur de lis. Later in the season, the “plums,” which are actually small berries, are favorites of cedar waxwings and other birds.

Native plant sale coming

Sadly osoberry is not on the plant list for the Thurston Conservation District native plant sale scheduled for March 5 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Thurston County Fairgrounds, but lots of other wonderful plants are. People who’ve been to this sale advise going early.

And, speaking of early, this is the time to get our lawnmowers sharpened, before the rush.

Ditto maintenance of all our other garden tools, like squeaky wheelbarrows, rusty pitchforks and dull pruning shears.

Other early chores might include organizing our garden gear, but if you’re not in the mood for that, you could go cruise the aisles at the nurseries or big box stores, where bulbs for summer flower like lilies, dahlias and gladiolus are in. It’s good to do this now, before the selection is depleted, or later in the spring when whatever remains goes on sale.

Bare root trees

Bare root trees have also arrived in local nurseries and stores, and this is a good time to plant them – and also raspberries and blueberries. If you do, pay careful attention to how much sun and space they need when they are mature. The most common gardening mistake on earth is failing to envision just how big new trees and shrubs will grow, and how dominating they can become.

Finally, this pre-spring season is a good time to start moving plants around. Clumps of perennials can be dug up, divided and replanted or given away. Plants that failed to thrive in one location can be moved to another. I have a hydrangea, for instance, that was moved three times over about five years before I found the Goldilocks spot where it got the right mix of sun, shade and congenial neighbors.

This year I plan to tackle two beds of lilies of the valley that have become so densely packed that the flowers are mostly hidden by all the foliage. If you’d like some, send me an email. They are easy to grow in a mostly shady spot. And I like the idea of spreading lilies of the valley all over the county.

Jill Severn writes from her home in Olympia, where she grows vegetables, flowers and a small flock of chickens. She loves conversation among gardeners. Start one by emailing her at  jill@theJOLTnews.com