It’s a beautiful day here in Toronto and I’m hoping to go outside shortly and get some gardening done. I still have to spring clean at least half of the back garden and all the roses need a trim.

With all the snow cover we had over winter I don’t believe that I lost any plants, but I should have a final tally later today. Well if my tum stops hurting long enough for me to do some work that is. My Crohn’s is acting up bad this week.The other day I went outside and took some photos of the garden. We have five established Peonies and they’re all coming up:

Soon we’ll have beautiful peony flowers.

I expect that shortly after that we might have our first hydrangea blooms. The hydrangea that I planted in our of our backyard garden beds last year appears to be thriving:

One of my favorite roses – Theresa Bugnet – is thriving in her planter by the front door:

I can get away with growing Theresa in a planter since she’s hardy to zone 2 (I’m a USDA zone 5b or Canadian zone 6b). Most years we do put some burlap or another form of protection around her, but we didn’t this past winter. I’m happy that her planter had lots of snow around it for the coldest months.

I love this roses red branches. They stay red all year round, although they are most vibrant in the spring and fall.

How are your plants doing this week?

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information. GTS participants remember to check in at As the Garden Grows each week so that we’ll know you made a new post!