Hayfever aside (because, despite my envious sniffling, some lucky souls actually don’t suffer from it), this is surely the greatest time of the year if you’re a plant lover.  The soil has been turned, the seeds have been sown, the transplants are in…and now all we have to do is to anticipate and enjoy.  (Well, okay, there’s also the weeding and the watering and the fertilizing and watching for nasty insects and keeping the endless parade of squirrels and rabbits out and making sure the neighbour’s dog doesn’t trample the dahlias and cultivating and harvesting…but, hey, it’s all good, it’s all part of it.  Sort of the POINT, really).

I always love it when the trees bloom, and although our extraordinary (I’m being polite) weather has caused the whole process to be a little later in the season than usual, everything’s well under way in southern Alberta at the moment.  There’s nothing quite like the sight of a flowering almond (Prunus triloba ‘Multiplex’) in full splendour, or brilliant jewel-red crabapples (Malus cvs.), or even the highly fragrant Mayday (Prunus padus var commutata), a massively popular boulevard tree here in Calgary.   Before we know it, the flowers will have faded, so it’s time to go for a long walk and take it all in.

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