Opening Day.
That eagerly anticipated date on the schedule which warms soul and soil.
The sun has finally ascended from its winter-long horizon hugging. Clouds no longer carry the threat of wintry mix, but instead offer welcomed shade on long, lazy afternoons in the stands.
Emerald green turf, thick as Cole Hamels’ mane, glistens with the dew of still-cool nights.
The Orioles, Cardinals and Blue Jays are back.
A well-worn glove, retrieved from the shelf where it lay since last October, releases the satisfying aroma of leather, evoking memories of seasons past.
I grip the familiar contour of the tapered wood handle of my favorite trowel.
Yes, hope springs eternal this time each year for gardeners too.
The “hot stove” deals and acquisitions of January and February, reaped from the tempting offerings of nursery catalogs, and combined with several returning veterans, promise a winning lineup in the mixed border this new season.
There’s Misanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus,’ a lanky ornamental grass that can handle the high heat. View image
Caladium ‘Thai Beauty,’ is a steady utility player looks equally good in the mixed border or showcased in a container. View image
Standing just 15 inches tall, Verbascum ‘Sugar Plum’ is a powerful, pastel purple shortstop. View image
‘Blanket Flower’ Gaillardia x grandiflora has shown the stamina to go extra innings well into autumn. View image
Geranium ‘Rozanne’ got all the buzz this winter on the covers of catalogs and in pre-season gardening magazines after taking honors as 2008 Perennial Plant of the Year. View image
Heliopsis 'Prairie Sunset', a Ruthian specimen that pounds out golden-orange flowers from early summer to fall atop robust tall plants, anchors the lineup. View image
A late-bloomer with some pop is lavender-blue Aster x frikartii. View image
Still hanging on after taking MVP honors back in ’97 as Perennial Plant of the Year is Salvia ‘May Night.’ View image
On the mound, of course, is South Jersey Pinelands league standout, ‘Pitcher Plant’ Sarracenia purpurea. View image
Tinkering with the roster is irresistible. A couple of trades are contemplated: shall I finally send down Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Pia’ to a minor bed with more afternoon shade, and call up Geranium cinereum “Memories’ to The Show? Meanwhile, Astilbe will likely start the season on the DL after going under the knife to be divided.
As June rounds third toward the Independence Holiday, the collection of perennials and annuals should really being showing their stuff. By the start of July, Calibrachoa ‘Cherry Pink’ will be busting out in blossoms like its on steroids.
But a few short weeks after the All-Star break, when the delphinium have surrendered to the dog days of August, after powdery mildew strikes out the zinnias, and Japanese beetle have made the purple coneflowers look like bush leaguers, I will sigh the perennial late-season refrain of Phillies faithful (Baseballus frustratii): “wait till next year.”
