After our long and leisurely stroll through the forest trails with our little dogs yesterday afternoon on an absolutely perfectly sunny, breezy and warm day, we decided it was time to hie ourselves off to our favourite plant nursery to see what they had in stock and determine what we'd need to begin planting our garden pots and urns.

There will be later excursions to acquire annuals that won't be planted in pots but in spaces in the gardens themselves, if and where we find spare places not yet monopolized by our many and varied perennials, ever spreading their domains.

The garden is blooming apace. From that time just weeks earlier when everything looked bleak and dismal, the fertile soil in our garden and the changing atmosphere began coaxing first the bulbs, then the perennials to be bold and poke above their winter haven below ground. They've been working at it ever since.

The first of the perennials, Bergena, and Bleeding Heart are shoving tulips and hyacinths aside, and already the lilies, Japanese anemone and irises are claiming their ground with fresh green spears lancing the air. The Japanese quinces are thrusting their bright orange buds into view, the hostas are beginning to erupt out of the soil and the heucheras are busy refreshing themselves.

And the two Magnolia trees, the older and larger one at the front of the house and the later-acquired (25 and 15 years respectively) and smaller one in the back garden are opening their large luscious blooms of bright pink, a show of concentrated conceit if ever there was one.

I had transplanted wild ginger from the ravine last spring into the garden, along with some trout lilies and a few white trilliums, hoping they would do as well as the foamflower, purple trilliums and Jack-in-the-Pulpits I had transplanted about fifteen years ago, but though they've made their return this spring they won't yet be as robust as I'd hoped to see them. Time will tell.

Meanwhile, we bought our favourite begonias, some pelargonium, (geraniums), lobelia, petunias, and parsley as a start, though we'll be returning for more at yet another favourite garden nursery before long. What we did acquire will enable the beginning of the garden pot planting. A wonderful large hanging basket we couldn't pass up, is also hanging from the deck, so more texture and form and colour are on the way!