The long weekend - marked in Quebec by Fete des Patriotes - usually marks the beginning of the gardening season in southwestern Quebec.
Nurseries and greenhouses will be swarmed this weekend by budding horticulturists coveting early-season flowers and vegetables.
Sylvie Régimbal, owner of the Regimbal Nursery in Boucherville, is expecting one of the year's busiest weekends, unless inclement weather changes those plans.
Régimbal said she'd make use her full staff through Monday in order to meet the needs of the nursery's clientele.
However, aspring green-thumbs should be aware that there is still an overnight risk of frost, and some plants may suffer as a result.
The more resilient plants will likely survive, but those that are more fragile could be killed off before taking root.
Even though weather in the Montreal area wasn’t exactly inspiring, it didn’t stop veteran gardeners – as well as beginners – from getting their outdoor spaces ready.
At Sources Nursery in Pointe-Claire, Rosemary Barone and her husband say they need at the help they can get.
They’re expecting hundreds of customers to walk through their doors during the long weekend, looking to do more than plant herbs and flowers.
“We’re getting away from just planting,” Peter Niro explained. “People are creating outdoor living spaces, gardens that are a mix of different types of flowers and vegetables.”
Niro explained that the gardening trends are changing, and that even those with smaller outdoor spaces are maximizing their experience.
“People who have apartments, condos, are planting on their balconies – doing small herb gardens, vegetable gardens that are in containers,” Niro said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the ground.”
Temperatures this month have been below average, but the cooler weather and rain aren’t enough to break the tradition of long-weekend planting.
It’s the busiest day of the year for garden shops. At Sources Nursery, it’s estimated that almost half the annual flower sales will happen over the next two weeks.
“Low maintenance is always a key word for all our customers who come in. Now, the first thing we hear is ‘I need something that’s easy to take care of,’” Niro explained.
