Spring Fever

Spring being around the corner completely messes with my ability to behave like a sensible adult.

It starts innocently enough. I tell myself, I’m just going to prepare the nursery for Spring. Which sounds responsible.

What I actually mean is… I’m going to order plants. Then I’m going to order more plants.

Then I’m going to see another plant and think, Oh, that would look lovely.

And before I know it, I have ordered lots and lots and more and lots and an additional amount of lots.

Because apparently Spring requires preparation. And by preparation, I mean turning Sylvia Pass Nursery into a jungle.

The staples are already on their way into my Spring plans. Azaleas, hydrangeas, elephant ears, Mona Lisa and all sorts of other gorgeous things that make me completely forget that there is such a thing as restraint.

And then the deliveries start arriving.

One of the recent arrivals was my Bougainvillea, and naturally I had to make a video because when something that beautiful arrives at the nursery, it feels rude not to show everybody.

There is something about a Bougainvillea that just screams, Summer is coming, even when the weather hasn’t quite got the memo yet.

And while I’m preparing for Spring, the garden has decided it has its own agenda.

The aphids have apparently received the Spring newsletter before I have. Normally my garden isn’t completely overrun with them, but you can suddenly find them having little meetings on the new growth as if they’ve booked the plants for themselves.

So out comes the neem oil.

Mine is already diluted, because I am very much a fan of making gardening as uncomplicated as possible.

Gardening is sometimes less about eliminating every creature in the garden and more about convincing them to eat somewhere else.

Which brings me to elephant ears.

I’ve had another elephant ear question this week because somebody had a plant producing lots of new leaves, only for those leaves to eventually start looking sickly.

And this is one of those situations where a plant can look like it’s doing wonderfully because it’s producing new growth, while something underneath isn’t quite right.

Watering, drainage, light, feeding and the condition of the roots can all come into play.

Plants are very good at keeping secrets until suddenly they aren’t.And speaking of light, someone asked whether a bamboo palm can live outside in shade.

Yes.

And this is exactly why I love talking about plants. Because “shade” doesn’t automatically mean “no plants allowed.”

There are so many beautiful plants that actually prefer protection from harsh direct sunlight. The trick is understanding what kind of shade you’re dealing with and choosing a plant that is happy in those conditions. Then there are the hydrangeas.

Someone asked me about hybrid hydrangeas, and once again I found myself going down the rabbit hole of plant terminology.

Because apparently we can’t just say, “That’s a pretty hydrangea.” We need cultivars, hybrids, macrophylla, growing habits and approximately seventeen different things to discuss before we’re allowed to admire the flowers.

And somewhere in between all of this, I’m also dealing with quotes.

And the very important clarification that I have Sunrise but I don’t have Golden King.

Because this is what running a nursery is actually like. One minute you’re admiring a beautiful new plant. The next you’re checking whether you’ve got the right cultivar for somebody’s order while simultaneously trying to remember what you’ve ordered for Spring and wondering where you’re going to put all of it.

And that’s the thing about Spring.

It hasn’t even properly arrived yet and I’m already preparing for it like it’s an incoming invasion.

I’m rearranging.

I’m ordering.

I’m planning.

I’m checking stock.

I’m answering plant questions.

I’m dealing with aphids.

I’m rescuing unhappy elephant ears.

I’m explaining hydrangeas.

I’m finding shade-loving plants.

And I’m standing in the nursery looking around thinking…

Where on earth am I going to put everything?

But then a new delivery arrives. and I see that Bougainvillea. And suddenly I remember exactly why I do this. Because there is nothing quite like watching a nursery come alive. Winter might still be hanging around. Spring might technically still be on its way But the plants don’t care about our calendars.

They start pushing new growth. Buds appear. Flowers start showing off. New stock arrives.
And suddenly the whole place feels like it’s waking up.

So yes, I’ve been preparing for Spring.

Perhaps slightly too enthusiastically.

But if you’re looking for me over the next few weeks, I’ll probably be somewhere underneath a pile of plants, covered in soil, talking to a hydrangea and wondering why I thought ordering “just a few more” was a good idea.

And if you see me doing it again…

Please don’t stop me.

I’ve clearly got Spring fever.

Terry

Sylvia Pass Nursery
59 Frederick Street, Sylvia Pass Observatory
061 805 9761
www.sylviapassnursery.co.za
Instagram: @sylviapassnursary

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