PROCTOR: Choosing what's first is the hardest chore

Rob Proctor, Special to the Rocky

Thursday, March 27, 2008

The first few days back in the garden start with unbridled enthusiasm and end with sore muscles and sunburned cheeks. The most difficult thing in getting started is deciding what to do first.

Should I cut all the perennials back? Or sow seeds of early-season vegetables? Maybe I should do a bit of pruning on the crab apple. The patio is a mess; perhaps cleaning and arranging pots is in order. My potting shed should be set right and the tools cleaned and sharpened. Or should I get after those dandelions before they set seed?

All of these tasks - and more - demand my attention. I've got a long list and seemingly never enough time to complete it. I don't think I've ever checked off every item on the list. Ever. The day that happens I'll take up golf.

In the early days of the season, it all seems a race against time and the weather. I want everything cut back so I can enjoy each plant as it comes back to life. The early-blooming bulbs such as crocuses, snow irises, snowdrops, pushkinia and squills peek out from under last year's debris. Thicker and more vigorous than during the years of severe drought, these charming bulbs inspire my cleanup efforts.

In a garden as large as mine, the cleanup goes on for weeks. I focus on the areas with patches of blooming and emerging bulbs. On the north side of the house - which just happens to be the front - plants stir to life more slowly. It takes me longer to get there.

Last spring, as I was puttering in my front garden, a couple walked by. The woman asked me (rather ungraciously, I thought), "What's happened to your garden? It used to be so beautiful."

Well, admittedly it was still a mess, but I meekly said, "We're just barely into spring. Just have patience."

If only that passer-by could see my list. The front wasn't even close to the top of the list. The priorities were dividing and moving daylilies, weeding grass out of borders, sowing sweet peas, mending a fence and buying an economy-size bottle of ibuprofen.

Throughout the season, I'll keep you apprised of what's on my to-do list. You might be ahead of me and have everything checked off. In that case, may I suggest you take up golf?