Whensday: Ice Saints

When can you start planting your flowers and plants? Well, the wise advice here talks about waiting until after the “ijsheiligen” - the ice saints. These are special religious holidays named for certain saints, but ending with May 15. An easier way to remember it is to think that planting should wait until after Mother’s Day. 

Mother’s Day in Belgium used to refer to Mary, the mother of Jesus. But the celebration of motherhood that other countries recognize soon took over, as did the commercialization of the day. The day itself is often just a little different. In The Netherlands, Belgium or the US, the day can vary by a week. 

Still, if you are going to get mother a plant, she may have to wait just a bit before putting it outside. That is because it technically could still freeze outside, killing the poor plant. So everyone is taught to wait patiently. Just as every good mother tries to teach their children the same thing. 

This year, we did not get any freezing weather near May 15. And Mother’s Day was celebrated on Sunday, May 12. Shirley got flowers sent from Sean and calls from both of the boys (yes, they are still our “boys” and always will be). I called my mom as she is getting ready to make a major move across the country in the coming month, starting a new season of her life. 

In the meantime, we will consider which plants to plant. We are leaving in June for several weeks to visit our grandchild, so we cannot really plant a bunch of flowers we will not be able to care for. It is hard enough to keep up on mowing the grass in between the rain showers. So we will be patient and see what we can do in the summer.