Gardeners, prepare for spring!

Deep in the heart of winter, many gardeners start to go through withdrawal. We miss the smell of the damp soil and fresh cut grass, the sun on our backs and dirt on our face, and the feel of the leaves between our fingers. There’s hope just around the corner, but in the meantime, plan a visit to a garden show.

Start with the 15th year of the Stratford Garden Festival, presented by the Lung Association and sponsored by Orr Insurance and Investment. The theme this year is “Blooming Beautiful.” The show runs from March 5 to 8 at the Stratford Rotary Complex.

Next up is Canada Blooms, the 10-day flower and garden extravaganza at the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place in Toronto. Canada Blooms creates inspiring and engaging fantasy feature gardens that bring people back to the festival year after year. Some of the world’s top designers, architects and garden builders compete to win coveted awards at the festival.

If you have the travel bug, there’s the 186th PHS Philadelphia Flower Show that runs from February 28 to March 8. Experience the magic of movies and horticulture as they celebrate the silver screen. The theme this year is “Celebrate the Movies”. I went to the show a few years ago and it was amazing. I plan to go again.

Then there’s the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, every gardener’s dream show. The show has been held on the grounds of the Chelsea Hospital in London, England, every year since 1913, apart from gaps during the two World Wars. Once Britain’s largest flower show (it has now been overtaken by RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show), it is still the most prestigious. The show runs from May 19 to 23.

This show is on my bucket list, but will have to wait until I’m not spending the long weekend in May working in the garden centre. I will go one of these years.

Then there’s always the quickest fix of all. Just take time out of your busy schedule and visit your favourite garden centre greenhouse to smell the air. Many garden centres are already busy with cuttings and seedlings as well as a selection of tropicals and seeds. I snuck away for an hour last week, picked up my favourite hot beverage and wandered up the rows of the centre taking in all the lush new growth.

And as I said before – I promise spring will come. We just have to wait until it’s ready.

It’s never too early to plan for spring. Why not consult a landscaping expert who can help make sure your garden is ready for fresh blooms.