Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

Spring has begun and the garden sings with new growth. What a fabulous time of year it is as we wait in anticipation for the bare roses and perennials to green up and bloom. The weather is so unpredictable during Spring and in the past week has ranged from the welcome days that felt like mid summer to extreme cold, wind and frost. This is the nature of the Spring season.

Spring is the reward for all the hard work and planning of Autumn and Winter in the garden. A time of massive change and everyday delights with new shoots and buds beginning to come out everywhere. The ground pops open with greenery and the bees appear happy and busy again. A truly glorious time of year especially if you happen to live in an area with distinct seasons. Although I dislike the cold of winter it is refreshing to have a definite changes from season to season.

First signs of Spring this year so far have been the Magnolia trees in Sydney, the Snowdrops I have in pots by the back door, the deep red tightly packed leaves starting to unfurl on the roses and blossoms on the trees. This year as we are still in the grip of extreme drought I have noticed the bees are highly agitated to get water. Whenever I start the hose the bees congregate around any water splashed on the ground by the tap. I try and leave bowls and buckets of water here and there although the risk is they sometimes drown in it. The best spot for them is a very slow leak in the bottom of the concrete water tank that is covered with thick moss and they are in constant buzz getting to the water.

Spring is the highlight of the year in the garden the one season where you can see if the inspiration and creative ideas that you implemented actually are going to grow and become what you had envisaged. The patience and perseverance shown through winter starts to pay off. My Nahema rose last Spring managed to get to the top of the arch but this Spring I’m anticipating it should reach all the way across the top. Each Spring season adds another layer of growth and development and takes you one step closer to what you had envisaged when planning.

This Spring I am eagerly waiting to see renewed growth on 200 roses after late winter pruning and the beginning growth of about 100 new bare root roses planted over the last few weeks. Major moves and changes were made during Autumn and Winter to fine tune the colour scheme in my garden. Each season is a milestone for me to see the growth in the planting and development in the garden design as it is so new. A very exciting time of year for most gardeners. The first taste of Spring got me thinking of what does define the Spring season, when does it start and why that date?

Last season’s 2018 Spring blooms in Garden in Orange, hope mine are as good this year!

Spring is the period of time between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice and is defined by the angle of Earth’s tilt toward the sun. Although as a general rule we tend to think of Spring starting on the 1st September until the 1st December in Australia.

The Equinoxes are the times when the day and night are almost equal. In our southern hemisphere for 2019 the Equinox is the 23rd September at 07.50 The word Equinox is derived from two Latin words AEQUUS meaning ‘equal’ and NOX meaning ‘night’. The Autumn equinox was on March 20th.

The term Summer Solstice is the moment when the earth is most inclined towards the sun and is the longest day of the year. It occurs in the southern hemisphere around the 21st December. The Summer Solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer. The Solstice dates are opposite on either side of the equator, so the Summer Solstice in the Southern hemisphere is the Winter Solstice in the Northern hemisphere and vice versa. The word SOLSTICE is from a Latin word ‘solstitium’ meaning ‘sun-stopping’ and defines the point where the sun appears to rise and set, stops and reverses direction after this day.