There is a certain kind of shift in the air when spring finally arrives. It’s the feeling of throwing open the windows for the first time and trading heavy coats for bare skin. Everything suddenly feels lighter. Less fuss to get out the door. Less packing, unpacking, and less rush to get inside. The longer days and warmer weather invites us to stop and smell the cherry blossoms.
The Backyard Nursery
Growing up in a landscaping family, spring also meant the yard transformed into a living canvas of colour. My family would prep trucks, plan schedules, and order plants till our backyard became home to hundreds of flats of flowers. I remember walking through those rows like a student in a living library, studying every leaf and memorizing every name. I took in the design of each flower as proof that nature too was indeed an artist. Every bloom joyful, delicate, and resilient all at once. I marvelled in all of it.
To me, they weren’t just inventory; they were gifts of inspiration. I couldn’t wait to deliver them to customers, knowing each flat was about to transform a home.
The “Cabbage Patch” Connection
Sometimes when I open the back of my truck today to reveal a sea of vibrant blooms, my mind flashes back to a very specific kind of magic. I was a child when my friend’s mother opened her trunk to reveal a dozen Cabbage Patch dolls, still in their boxes like flowers waiting to be picked. I can still hear the cellophane and smell the faint powdery scent. Pointing to a brunette in purple, she gleefully told me, “This one is yours.” It felt like Christmas in June!
I had wanted that doll forever and I was the kind of kid who took care of and cherished all of my things. As someone whose parents came to Canada as kids with little and worked their way from the ground up, I knew I was lucky to be where I was and have all I did. Being gifted a “real” baby doll was a dream come true. That feeling of pure joy is exactly what I still feel today.
Delivering the Dream
This business is my “baby.” I still take that same meticulous care with every plant and space I handle. I come from a time where clothes were mended, items repurposed, and things were built to last.
Spring is a reminder of that resilience we all love to see in nature. The kind that without question always guarantees that no matter how long the winter, there will always be a spring! A time where we can all travel a little lighter, stay out a little later, and bloom exactly where we were meant to… even if it takes a few seasons to get there. It’s all part of the adventure!
Every year we return to that giddy joy of our youth. Seeds we plant become reality, sometimes unfolding in the most unexpected and beautiful ways. The garden we plant today is the garden that brings someone joy just by passing by, provides food and housing to pollinators, cleans the air we breathe, and feeds the ones they love for months. That’s magic in action.
Each summer when I open up my truck bed to a sea of flowers, I’m instantly transported back to Christmas in July. A little girl helping plant the seeds that later become proof that anyone can bring life where there once was none. All it takes is imagination, a steady calm faith, and a return to magic and joy. That is the gift of spring and what gardens bring.
