Evidently some plants didn’t quit growing over the winter. I can understand why most gardeners prefer to corral their herbs in pots. I’m not a huge fan of that trick because they seem to hate captivity. It never takes long for mint to plan its great escape, circling the edge of the pot and walking out – sometimes from underneath – when we’re not looking. I’d rather confine it to a corner and keep an eagle eye on it. Plus that saves me from ever having to water it.

But mint, beebalm, and oregano took advantage of my kindness this winter and did their level best to carpet the herb garden. I don’t blame them. It’s a nice garden with rich soil and if the lavender isn’t going to do well, then they might as well take over, right? If those plants were difficult to edit, we’d have been in deep trouble. But their rhizomes are shallow – only thickly matted where they’ve hit an edge and fairly easy to unzip and extricate right now from amongst other plants.  They certainly don’t mind being chopped to bits.

We staked our claim to the garden we wanted back and our newest Deadheads (Welcome, Pam, Helena, Michael! – and welcome back, April!)  removed all but the best pieces of each plant with cathartic and well-placed spade chops. I’m pretty sure they (and those herbs) will be back for more good garden fun. Do you plant your your mint in the ground or in pots – or in pots in the ground?

The weeds are a little bit ferocious this year too. Yesterday the Rockettes gave it their all to remove onion grass from the Rock Garden. It looks so sweet down there right now. The arabis is blooming away; the epimedium are just getting cute and Pasque flower is a ball of fuzz, nearly ready to pop open. We would like to think we got all of the weeds out of the way of plants that really deserve that space but a few might come back here and there to give us job security.

And in case you’re wondering, the daffodils are still at their best. If you haven’t come yet, what are you waiting for? — The cherry trees? They’re just starting to bloom now. Spring has definitely staked its claim too.

Spring always brings the fast-n-furious out in me. There’s so much that must get done and so much I want to do that I have a hard time organizing my thoughts, let alone my actions. But as much as I might panic and freak out (I do more of that at home) every once in a while I am reminded that spring won’t get ahead of me if I slow down and pay attention.

It’s only April and not only that, it’s early April. What’s my hurry? There’s time to divide and move plants. There’s time to weed. There’s time to enjoy spring as it unfurls. As a matter of fact, seasonally appropriate temperatures have slowed spring back down. The magnolias might have gotten ahead of themselves (our M. stellata is OK because it was planted in a cool shady spot and hasn’t opened all the way yet) but the daffodils will keep peaking probably through the week by the looks of forecast day and night temperatures. The cherry trees, winter hazel, and crabapples, which are all looking pretty close, should stay in a state of suspended animation. There’s plenty of time to take a deep breath and enjoy it.

As for dividing and moving plants, no doubt about it, now is a great time. But take your time. It’s easier – and easier on the plants – to do it as soon as possible before they’ve grown too much but if you promise to baby them, most perennials can be transplanted for a while yet and still bloom more or less on time.

We are trying to be very methodical as we move plants back into the North Garden. We’ll shoot for a couple-three carts-full a day, and are planning our plantings so we don’t do too much head scratching when we get there. We should have everything transplanted within a couple of weeks and we won’t kill ourselves doing it. That last bit is very important. The older we (I) get, the more prone to tweaked muscles we (I) get, particularly in spring and any injury slows us down a little too much.

Are you taking spring slow and steady or do you need the reminder like I do?

Everybody has a different cue for letting ourselves admit that it’s finally spring. For some of us (me), spring officially begins when we sow the sweet peas (back around President’s Day). Others might notice spring for the first time when the forsythia blooms its head off, or when we have that first t-shirt-weather day or when the calendar says it’s so.

For some, it’s all about daffodils and Daffodil Days here at Blithewold. Well, a lot of them (dare I say “most”?) are open and we’re opening for the season starting Sunday, so no one can deny that it’s really truly spring now. The daffodils should continue to be in peak into next week. They love these cooler temperatures.

We’ve been hustling to get ready and have had an extra spring in our step because of opening two weeks ahead of schedule to better match our timing with Nature’s. We’ve fluffed and we’ve puffed and from here on in it’s a work in progress. Like any real garden, ours are in perennial transition and change by the day. Every year we focus attention on a particular garden: this year the North Garden will look quite different from years past. We’re adjusting to a new design that should make the space more welcoming to visitors, and we’ll be in there planting and rearranging every chance we get.

Even if you come just to see the daffodils, don’t miss the Rock Garden. This is the start of its favorite season. And you can’t miss the Rose Garden unless you have your eyes closed coming out of the Visitor’s Center. Open ‘em up. That garden will just keep looking more and more glorious as days go by.

So stick around. Visit as often as you possibly can and celebrate a whole new season by enjoying every bloom of it.