The Whistling Gardener

by Steve Smith

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, located at 3915 Sunnyside Blvd., and a respected local expert on all things horticultural. You can reach Steve at 425-334-2002 or by e-mail at info@sunnysidenursery.net.

Four days ago, on March 20, my calendar declared it to be the first day of spring. I'm not sure what planet my calendar was meant for, but it sure as hell wasn't for the Pacific Northwest--at least not this year.

As you all know, the weather has been so miserable that I had a customer come into the store the other day declaring that the only thing he could do in his garden now was "stir it." I found his comment both amusing and sadly accurate. But despite this depressing situation we all find ourselves in, Mother Nature seems to be moving forward in a business-as-usual manner. Oh sure, she is 2 to 3 weeks behind schedule, but nevertheless spring is in fact happening all around us. The signs are everywhere.

In the past week on days when the mercury actually got into the high 40s and flirted with the low 50s, I could hear the sounds of our native tree frogs singing away in the nearby retention pond. If you have a low area near you that has standing water this time of year, you have a very good chance of attracting these small frogs that make a very large noise. If you don't, then you should really consider making one because these amphibians are very entertaining and uplifting. If you call your wet area a "rain garden" you might even get some help from the county to construct it.

Birds are another sign that spring is approaching. I have seen several pairs of robins in the last couple of weeks farming my small lawn for worms. It is fascinating to watch these birds "listen" for the worms and pull them out of the ground like a long piece of spaghetti. I wish I knew how they did this because I would like to use the same technique to lure moles to the surface where I would promptly clobber them to death.

I think I mentioned a few weeks ago that my killdeers have returned to our gravel parking lot across the street. These birds lay their eggs (four of them) on the ground, usually in a gravel area (but last year it was in our food bank garden) and they are almost impossible to find unless you wait very patiently for the mother to sit on them. Once we find the nest, we usually mark it with sticks or stones so no one steps on it or drives over it.

If you approach the nest, the father and mother will feign a broken wing and lure you away. When you have lost interest they will return. After 3 or 4 weeks the chicks hatch, fully feathered, and they are on the run with the parents. All evidence of the nest disappears the same day they hatch so that predators won't realize what has happened. If you are lucky enough to have a gravel driveway, then you may know what I am talking about.

Bulbs are a sure sign that spring has arrived and, although my crocus are finished, the daffodils are coming into full bloom as we speak. Tulips are just emerging from the ground and I suspect won't be blooming until mid-April. The folks at the Tulip Festival are probably a bit anxious at this time. There is a reason they decided to have the festival last the whole bloody month.

One of the key harbingers of spring is the shrub Forsythia and as I drove down 3rd Street in Marysville the other day I noticed two poorly pruned specimens flanking a front porch starting to show their cheery golden colors. Please, please, please don't prune these plants into globes or balls or other geometric forms. They look their best by far if left to their natural arching growth habits. You can whack the snot out of them after they bloom if they are too large for their location and they will grow back with vengeance and bloom spectacularly this time next year. Your other option is to plant one of the new dwarf forms on the market like Magical Gold from Monrovia Nurseries, which stays compact and has huge flowers completely covering the stems.

Finally, a sure sign of spring is our Celebrate Spring Event on March 26, where we barbeque hotdogs, give away a ton of stuff, help you figure out what and where to grow things and how to care for them, and generally kick off the season in style. So stop by between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and the staff and I will be on hand to answer your gardening questions and help you get into the spirit of the spring season.

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached at 425-334-2002 or online at info@sunnysidenursery.net.