Five things to plant this spring

Today my baby sister gets married, and I love weddings. So before I iron all the white shirts and figure out what lipstick I’m going to wear, I wanted to pop in and share what I’m planting outside this spring—all good things I’ve admired in other people’s yards:

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English daisies. I don’t know if there’s a more whimsical flower. And bonus points because it’s a perennial.

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Forsythia. I adore spring, so it only makes sense that I should have one of the earliest-blooming shrubs in my yard. The fact that it’s bright, happy yellow makes me love it all the more.

Pansies in an urn. Last fall I planted a boxwood in an urn for the front step, and I’ve been really annoyed with myself because I didn’t plant it right in the center—it’s pretty close to one edge. Well, it occurred to me last week that this is perfect for underplanting in the spring and summer. The extra space on one side of the boxwood can be filled with flowers for warmer weather. I’ve already popped six pansies in there and might add some creeping Jenny as a trailing plant later.

A tiny garden. I’m taking a risk by planting some things a little bit early, but I’ve got a tomato, some strawberries, and a bunch of peas in a raised bed in the backyard. I am keeping the tomato covered at night with an empty milk jug that has the bottom cut off. I’m planning to plant some lettuce and squash in there soon.

Lastly, I bought a bunch of seeds and will start them indoors in tiny cups next week. Mostly they’re zinnias, and I’m hoping they’ll get nice and strong so I can transplant them at the end of May. I love the ones that bloom every year just down the street from our house.

What are you planting this spring? And what have you planted in the past that I need to plant this year? •