Spring always brings the fast-n-furious out in me. There’s so much that must get done and so much I want to do that I have a hard time organizing my thoughts, let alone my actions. But as much as I might panic and freak out (I do more of that at home) every once in a while I am reminded that spring won’t get ahead of me if I slow down and pay attention.

It’s only April and not only that, it’s early April. What’s my hurry? There’s time to divide and move plants. There’s time to weed. There’s time to enjoy spring as it unfurls. As a matter of fact, seasonally appropriate temperatures have slowed spring back down. The magnolias might have gotten ahead of themselves (our M. stellata is OK because it was planted in a cool shady spot and hasn’t opened all the way yet) but the daffodils will keep peaking probably through the week by the looks of forecast day and night temperatures. The cherry trees, winter hazel, and crabapples, which are all looking pretty close, should stay in a state of suspended animation. There’s plenty of time to take a deep breath and enjoy it.

As for dividing and moving plants, no doubt about it, now is a great time. But take your time. It’s easier – and easier on the plants – to do it as soon as possible before they’ve grown too much but if you promise to baby them, most perennials can be transplanted for a while yet and still bloom more or less on time.

We are trying to be very methodical as we move plants back into the North Garden. We’ll shoot for a couple-three carts-full a day, and are planning our plantings so we don’t do too much head scratching when we get there. We should have everything transplanted within a couple of weeks and we won’t kill ourselves doing it. That last bit is very important. The older we (I) get, the more prone to tweaked muscles we (I) get, particularly in spring and any injury slows us down a little too much.

Are you taking spring slow and steady or do you need the reminder like I do?