For many Canadians, this holiday weekend is synonymous with gardening.
Victoria Day actually celebrates the birthday of Queen Victoria who was the longest ruling British monarch until the present Queen Elizabeth ll. Following the Queen’s death in 1901, May 24th was decreed “ Empire Day” across the British Empire. Canada is the only country who still celebrates this holiday on the Monday that falls before May 25th.
For Canadians this holiday marks the unofficial start of Summer and is known as “planting weekend”. Now that we have some assurance that there will be no more frosty nights, and since many flowering plants are sensitive to frost and cold soil, we want to get our gardens ready for the short growing season!
Planting is theraputic as all gardeners know. Digging in the soil, creating flower beds or vegetable gardens is the ultimate “back to nature” activity. No matter how tired I am, I always have more energy after doing some gardening. After the long winter our outdoor spaces are very important to those of us in the Northern hemisphere. With our patio furniture likely already in place, it is now time to make these spaces more beautiful with flower pots, hanging baskets as well as flower and vegetable beds.
The lockdown of 2020 resulted in a huge increase in the number of people gardening, a trend which will surely continue this year. And the good news is that the fragile coronavirus (COVID-19) is completely degraded by UV radiation so we can feel safe outside to enjoy the sun and flowers!
Comments