Welcome Spring!

Spring is officially here. It's been a long time since I made a blog entry but life has a way of 'getting in the way' of things like blogging. It's been a busy time addressing deadlines for my articles in upcoming issues of Muskoka Life magazine and my summer column in The Muskokan as I always like to be ahead of the game. And now the sun is shining and the promise of warmer weather this week has me wishing that spring would suddenly burst forth. It's been a long and cold winter with lots of snow but I know that so many gardeners are just itching to get their hands back into the dirt.


Last week we attended Canada Blooms, our premier garden show and came home full of new ideas. Peter and I checked out new composite decking materials for the future replacement of our cedar deck. While our gazebo will last another summer, we looked at a wooden structure that would provide less maintenance (as we now assemble and then take down our gazebo each year to lengthen its longevity) as we get on in years. It's important to think about these things so that we can continue to enjoy our garden as we age.

We also got some new ideas for adding water features and planting combinations that will bring our garden to life again this summer. Now all we need to do is wait for the snow to melt. With April on the doorstep you still have time to order your veggie seeds. I'm anxious to try out some of the many varieties of new tomatoes this season. Remember to check out the new grafted vegetables now on the market. This year's new plant is Ketchup 'n' Fries - a tomato grafted onto potato rootstock, a great novelty plant to add to your kitchen garden collection.


For those of us in the snow belt, spring is still a couple of weeks away but the lengthening days keep us hopeful!