Spring Clean Ups

It’s that time again – the time when confusion reigns and it doesn’t look as if everything will possibly get sorted out in time for the real garden season.

I welcome spring with mixed feelings. I am pleased to see the end of the snow and the cold, but the first few weeks of the season are always related to a lot of work. So much work in fact that it doesn’t seem possible to even contemplate it all. As soon as the snow has melted and it is dry enough in the garden you just want to get out and get your hands dirty. There are a few jobs that need attending and I am trying to convince myself that I actually enjoy them. I imagine how nice the garden will look.

As I sit on the patio with grand visions of my yard, these thoughts of conquering and beautifying my yard quickly begin to fade as I think of the days I need to accomplish the task. Perhaps I could split the garden up into manageable sections and did a task each day, it wouldn’t be so bad. The lawn needs attending first as leaves and branches fallen during the winter storms need to be removed. Spring also reveals a horrific scene of unwanted weeds from last year that need sending to the trash Trimming back plants and shrubs to prepare them for the new season would follow. The garden however, who is easily ignored until seemingly over night the perennials are peeking through the soil and begin to push their green selves into the air for another year. Sights of tulips and daffodils pushing up like periscopes from the muddy depths are greeting me with fresh vibrant new growth peeking up through the ruins of last year.

Then of course there are the dogs who always want to lend a hand with digging in the soil and pulling out the plants They are quite vocal too and have a lot to say, so much in fact, that I better leave them in the house should I get enough energy to actually making my fantasy of a beautiful garden reality.

So the timing has not been quite right yet, my fantasy that I would putter in my garden has not materialized yet. How easy it could be to keep up with it all! Who am I kidding! It won’t happen. I’ll put it off until I am having people over for coffee, then I’ll fly into a frenzy and get busy attempting to give the impression that my garden is always easy to look after. Or maybe I should just call the gardener to do the task for me, but then again I could not brag that my garden is my labor of my love. I probably wouldn’t have calluses and an aching back and a deep feeling of satisfaction.

I carry on this procrastination as long as possible and finally cave mostly because I cannot stand the sight of it any longer.