Well it looks like the Easter Bunny is on his own this year as we continue to hunker down. On the flip side, I get to enjoy my garden and the spring delights that keep popping out of the ground. Mother Nature has certainly given us a slap upside our collective heads and a stern warning about messing with our world. All the posts and pictures showing the return of wildlife, cleaner air and a calmer lifestyle…will we learn or just go back to our frenetic ways, pumping evermore pollution into our environments and stripping the forests that struggle to keep our air clean when this is over. China’s air pollution is already rising…

As I wander through my garden here are some photos of the plants that spring back ever year and show that small is as beautiful as a large show perennial. Starting with snowdrops that come up as soon February and witch hazels that scent the late days of winter

Next come the crocuses and the gorgeous reticulated irises:

The first two weeks of April here have been wonderful weather wise so plants have been popping out on a daily basis much earlier than normal.

We all hunger after the gorgeous blue bells of the English woodlands and last year I got to seen them in all their beauty. My zone 5 garden is too cold for them but there are some lovely alternatives that spread a swath of blue under the trees.

My favourite is the blue scilla or squill. It spreads rapidly and forms low carpets of a lovely royal blue under trees and around pathways. It is also tidy and disappears quickly afterwards.

Virginia bluebells (Mertensia) is a North American native with pink buds that open to lavender blue bell flowers and can spread quickly to form large swaths under the forest canopy. The leaves get large and untidy for a while afterwards then disappear.

Viola odorata or wood violets have a wonderful sweet scent and can be eaten in salads along with dandelions (in case your supermarket starts to run out of fresh stuff!) They are native to Europe but have naturalized in North America. Their leaves stay all year forming a low ground cover in shady areas and often they will bloom again in the fall. Some areas consider them a weed but I welcome them in my garden.

For sunny areas and lawns, chionodoxa or glory of the snow can’t be beat. Just be sure not to mow the lawn before the leaves have yellowed and the seeds have set. It doesn’t take long 🙂

Winter is supposed to come back next week across Ontario so enjoy your flowers over the weekend before they get blasted!

A Happy and safe Easter to all 🙂

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