Fellow denizens of the Northern Hemisphere–it’s time to celebrate. The spring equinox has finally arrived. Maybe you’ve already noticed more birds hanging about, all singing with marked enthusiasm. Maybe you saw some tiny green sprouts shyly poking up out of the ground where, just last week, there was only crusty snow or mud or, in my neck of the woods, a depressing combination of both. But it’s official now. Spring is here. If, however, you live in a place where the opportunity to actually garden is still a long way off, like me, diversions may be in order. Here are two happenings, both kicking off imminently, that I’m inspired by and I hope may inspire you, too.

A national garden celebration, starting today

The Canadian Garden Council has proclaimed 2022 “The Year Of The Garden“, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association. What this means for you and me (ok, you do have to live in Canada) is a wealth of events, initiatives, promotions and commotions across the country about gardeners and gardening. The first day of spring marks the official kick off to “Live The Garden Life“. How you do that is up to you but there are lots of ideas for getting inspired and getting involved on The Year Of The Garden website, which promises to be regularly updated with new activities, destinations and opportunities.

An online workshop to rev up creativity

I signed up for the Sketchbook Revival Online Workshop, hosted by Karen Abend, an artist who first launched this annual series of free learning experiences in 2018. This will be my first time getting involved and I can’t wait but I won’t have to for long because the daily sessions start tomorrow, March 21st. I’ve found that drawing, painting and photographing plants has not only made me a better gardener, these pursuits have taken the enjoyment I get out of gardening to a whole new level–and not just gardening but appreciating the wonderment of the natural world around me. So I’m hoping that this sketchbook challenge, which promises to cover everything from new ways of thinking creatively to honing painting and drawing skills, will make a great start to the gardening year, despite the fact that I won’t be actually gardening for at least another 9 or 10 weeks. I’m particularly intrigued by the workshop called Abstract Rainbows but I digress.