/*from pinterest*/

Sometimes Springtime in Alberta, as Ian Tyson says, chills me to the bone.

And for this reason, few gardeners in Calgary are brave enough to plant before the Victoria Day Weekend.

Victoria Day falls on Monday May 24, or the first Monday before May 24. As usual, it’s another early “May Long” since the first warm weekend is over and it’s not even May 24th yet.

It was a good long weekend, as far as weather goes. It snowed last Thursday. But Friday started with good weather and a mass exodus from the city to the campgrounds—west to the mountains and east to the prairie rivers. Rolf was among the canoeists paddling down the Red Deer River north of Drumheller.

I took advantage of the quiet, wrote all weekend, and have almost finished my novella. Now that I’m assured of good weather, I’ll slowly start to put some bedding plants in the ground. I do have some containers planted. They can be brought inside if there’s frost. And I have some dry cleaner film to put over the three new perennials I did plant.

Most of the garden is perennials: daisies, lily of the valley, snow on the mountain, hostas, phlox, honeysuckle, poppies, columbine, thyme. There are now buds on the lilacs and the shrubby cinquefoil. But, alas, I don’t think the Nanking cherries made it through the long winter.

For annuals, I always plant marigolds to keep away the bugs, and pansies, lobelia and petunias because I like the colours.

Are you a gardener? Do you have a garden to enjoy? What are your favourite flowers?

How does your garden grow?

photo from photos.com #121168246