As we move into early spring gardening, it’s time to start shifting things around and enjoying early greenery and blooms.

Three things need to continue or undergo cold stratification starting this week:

• Milkweed seeds
• Wingstem seeds
• garlic cloves

The garlic cloves have been in the freezer for quite awhile and can just rest. I was surprised to learn that without cold stratification, they would only grow garlic grass. I also need to research my zinnia, dill, echinacea, and black eyed Susan seeds. (Update: black eyed Susan and echinacea do need cold stratification). Although I’ve planted them directly in years past, I wonder if they would do even better with some cold stratification.

It’s also a good time of year to gently transplant some things to the side and back yards. My front yard plants will be the source. I plan on transplanting:

• Creeping jenny
• phlox
• lamb’s ear
• lemon balm
• mint

Both side yards need a lot of ground cover and I won’t mind how voracious (for territory at least), the mint is.

As far as buying things for the garden, I hope to do all my buying in this early spring season and refrain from buying for the rest of the year. I need to buy:

• Strawberry plants
• potting soil
• bird netting (possibly)

Korean Spice Viburnum (Viburnum carlesii) growing in a large pot on the back deck. Last year this plant bloomed with fragrant blooms in the last spring but we never got the black berries of the fall.

I also have a pot of chickweed growing back here (which has edible leaves), almost crowding out the Grouse Whortleberry (edible tart berries).