I look forward to every spring day as if I’m on a long-awaited vacation. There’s something very special about seeing new life from the ground up and limb out. It was Mother’s Day 1997 that my family made the decision to move over 120 miles to this house, this street, and this city. And each spring season I’m reminded of why.
The season started in my yard while snow was still melting. The first sign that something survived under all that winter snow is actually a bulb plant aptly called snow drops (Galanthus) and the flowers came and went while the piles of snow were still melting in other sections of the landscape.
With spring ephemeral (meaning lasting a very short time) wildflowers poking through the soil and leaf mulch, the excitement of welcoming green and growing plants back to the landscape gives a joyful lift to each day, rain or shine. The ants have done the hard work of spreading around the Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) here, while the Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) are starting to inch across a path, proving the ability to self-seed in our harsh Minnesota climate.
Other spring favorites to watch emerge are Trillium (Trillium cernuum) and Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). The trillium species I’ve observed is the “nodding” or “drooping” Trillium with the flower hanging beneath the petals. Jack-in-the-Pulpits are special to have, and truly look like a preacher in a pulpit! Later in the summer the leaves dry out and the plant evolves into a red cluster of berries, providing an end-of-season feast for birds that do a better job of spreading seeds around than humans ever could—creating many more jacks for the seasons ahead.
A couple years ago I transplanted a couple Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) into the backyard. This was a plant I enjoyed watching unfold when I was growing up in another state, and this week, right on schedule, I’m observing these umbrella-like plants spread their leaves, creating an image that there should be a tiny lawn chair positioned underneath for a lazy turtle to hang out until it moves along and enjoys the season ahead.
Someone asked me recently what type of gardening I like to do. For me, it’s the type of gardening that I can do a lot or a little and still enjoy the yard every season. Once the tree-canopy leafs out, I’m on to the next step of enjoying the garden. Cleaning up the tree branches that fell from the weight of the snow and ice, trying to keep a watchful eye for invasive species such as Siberian Squill, Garlic Mustard and Buckthorn, potting annuals, pulling weeds and watching the garden grow.
Jessica Lamker is a 24-year resident of Savage and a Community Voices columnist.