(*Sung to the tune of “Let it Snow”*)

Oh the weather outside is frightful,

Spring is clearly in denial,

Since there’s no end in sight

My garden, I’ll plan out of spite.

…

…

So it’s -24 here. That’s only 2 degrees “warmer” than in Iqaluit. Just to give you an idea of why that’s crazy:

Yeah…

So what does a desperate Canadian do when confronted with arctic temperatures when the rest of the world is enjoying spring? She plans her garden, of course!

Now, please don’t laugh at my horrendous drawing skills. I really tried.

A lot of this plan is purely hypothetical. I planted the forsythia (down in the bottom-right corner), the lilac (right side), and the allium bulbs (right side) this fall, and with the winter we’ve had, I have no idea if they’ve survived. I’m also pretty sure that I’m missing A LOT out of this diagram, but it does at least give me something to go on.

I’ve bought some seeds and I’ve ordered some bulbs through my school, so I’m looking forward to adding some new flowers to this space. In particular, I’m excited to plant some oriental poppies, multi-coloured lupins (which always remind me of family vacations to Prince Edward Island), brightly-coloured zinnias, and “Harlequin mix” columbine.

Photos courtesy of Burpee.com

I’d also like to see if I can grow some sweet peas up the side of the deck. We had those in my childhood garden, and I loved their little frilly petals. Bachelor’s Buttons, Anemones, and Ranunculus (a personal favourite for bouquets) are also on the menu.

I’ve taken out quite a lot from the back yard, and I’ll be removing some more lilies before I’m done. Now, before everyone jumps down my throat over that, hear me out: the garden is just too weedy-looking. I need to edit it somehow, and lilies have never been my favourite. So, if you live in the area and want free, mature lilies, just let me know.

In the front yard, I have a nice starting point. The previous owner obviously put a lot of thought and effort into her gardens. The rose bush is mature, but didn’t bloom that much last year. I’ll be researching how to improve it, because I really have very little experience with roses. If you have an tips, I’d love to hear ’em!

I have to leave room for my dahlias again this year, because they need tonnes of sun. This garden also contains a bunch of spawn of the devil some kind of creeping flower similar to phlox (but not phlox). I’m gonna rip that sucker out because all it does is overcome everything around it. And I really don’t like bullies! 🙂

I also planted two peonies in here this fall. Again, we had such a hard winter that I’m not 100% sure they’ll come up. It’s always been my dream to have a garden full of peonies, so I’m really hoping they survived!

Now, if only Spring would get a move on… Fingers crossed for some good weather this week, otherwise my next garden update won’t happen until July!