The return of open windows is one of the gifts of spring. As the kittens enjoyed the fresh air, I followed their gaze into the backyard.

While they watched for birds and squirrels, my eyes caught sight of green!

I rushed outside to free the sprouting bulbs from their protective winter covering of leaves and chicken wire.

Oh, the joy of discovery!

I love this tender stage of the garden – the sweet shapes, the fresh colours.

As if that wasn’t joy enough, the sun came out just as I freed these new shoots.

That is the magic of the garden. As  I clear the way and discover new life, I feel close to myself, to the Earth and to my mom.

From a distance, it looks like a big mess and a patch of dirt.

But when you look closely, there is beauty to be found.

It’s fall and I’ve been feeling badly about neglecting my garden this year. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was the intense work going on in the studio. I hardly got out there at all. Weeds grew to a massive height. Grass pushed the boundaries, establishing dominance over the garden borders. Stray morning glories wound their way tightly around phlox and roses, intertwining their fates for the season. When I saw my peonies covered in powdery mildew, I wanted to go back inside.

Instead. I looked a little closer. Here’s what I saw.

The beauty of life always and always finds a way and that always and always gives me hope.

The winter was long and I have been impatiently waiting for the garden to show signs of life. It’s only been about two weeks since there was ice back there! Now every day I’m taking a little tour and yelling out to Justin and Shannon, “Hey, you’ve got to see this. Look! Look!”

One of the very first things to show up in the garden this year was Sedum Sr. Last year I went on a rescue mission to get this guy. He’d ended up in the neighbour’s yard after we had our fence replaced. Last summer I snuck my fingers through the fence and gently, gently pulled him back home. He looked a little depleted when I replanted him but clearly he’s come to like his new spot!

I’m delighted and perplexed by this crocus bud. Delighted because it’s white, which I love, and it’s the first thing to flower! Perplexed because I didn’t plant any crocuses. Not one. And yet there seem to be quite a few sprouting. Interestingly, I planted quite a few white daffodils… and not one has shown up. I’m beginning to wonder about bulb packaging!

One of the very first things I planted in the garden was this tree peony. She’s quite a sensitive soul and spectacular too. The first year she unfurled one lone bloom with a single layer of petals. The next year there were three and they were more robust. I am always curious to see what she’s going to do next.

The phlox is coming up too. The only way that I remember what or where most of these plants are is to not clear away all the debris in the fall. Otherwise, I’d forever be digging up old plants as I make way for new ones. (I still manage to do that more often than I’d like, ack!)

Every year these are my absolute favourite sprouts. This white bleeding heart always looks like alien beings stretching out of the soil towards the sun as they come to life.

It took a keen eye to notice this tender purple under all that old growth. If I remember correctly, this plant will have a beautiful white and green leaf and tender little purple flowers. I’m going to get out there today and clear the old away.

I am so excited to see these tulips coming up. In the fall I planted bulbs for several varieties of white tulips and then covered them with chicken wire held down by rocks, hoping to outwit the squirrels. I know they got few within days of planting and now they are definitely nibbling on the tender shoots but hopefully I’ll get at least a few beautiful flowers.

I love this time of year. Spring is Christmas for gardeners!

No doubt I will soon be starting my #goodmorninggarden series on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Join me and see the garden grow!