Tomorrow is the first day of spring around the northern hemisphere and the very first one ever in our new home.  It’s that magical time of year when the garden starts to wake and speak in whispers of various colors and scents before the full ruckus summer party begins.  Of course this is only true if you’ve planned a good garden party.

Our new home appears to have thrown very spartan garden parties in the past.  In fact, I would say it was a real teetotaler with its vast amounts of beauty bark topped garden fabric  and crushed rock beds.  Plenty of green grass, moss, and arborvitaes for privacy, but no color save for the feathered inhabitants.

My winter has been spent sending out invitations to what I am hoping will be a very fun party for all in the near future.  A lot of prep work has been put into this effort so far.  I’ve been pulling up garden fabric, which has become my new nemesis replacing the blackberry bushes of our past residence.  That’s saying something (see scathing blog on blackberries).  Admittedly, this will be a work in progress as I pull it up and cut it out to make planting space for all the shrubs, plants, and flowers.  I’ve Aldo relocated crushed gravel and filled with soil for my new guests to enjoy.  I’ve even read some books and attended some garden seminars.

So far invitations have gone out to crocuses (always the first to arrive), tulips, rhododendrons, forsythia, gladiolus, gardenias, ferns, and lavender.  I made sure to add an arctic fire dogwood for some winter heat and Lucifer Crocosmia for when things really heat up.  Bleeding hearts and a weeping pussy willow are sure to show up and make a scene.  Hopefully the sun will shine enough for the roses to flourish and the wildflowers to bloom.

Of course a few favorites followed us here such as lilacs and potted Japanese maples, olives, blueberries, raspberries and even a fig tree.  Hopefully these friends old and new will like their new home once it warms up a bit more.  For now, they are just cracking their eyelids and trying to decide whether to wake up or go back to bed.

I’m just going to have to be patient for this party to get into full swing.