I acquired my copy of this year’s spring season a week and a half ago, and so far it has performed largely as advertised. Spring 2026 has opened with the appropriate day length, and a healthy mix of sun and rain, so the basics are well covered.

The daffodils have begun blooming, although it remains to be seen just how spectacular they will become. The signs are promising. 

The pea and lettuce seedlings have also grown as expected for Spring, though the performance of the onions has been a bit of a disappointment.

The birds of Spring 2026 are abundant and noisy. Lots of house sparrows, which I know are cheap filler, like the peanuts in nut mixes (probably my fault for not buying the Deluxe Edition). But there have been some excellent white-faced herons, a few little owls, and a generous number of paradise shelducks. The pīwakawaka of Spring 2026 are also abundant and extra cheeky. Good value for money there.

Though I haven’t had this version of Spring for long, I am concerned about the abundance of wasps and the lack of honeybees. I hope that as the Spring progresses, these issues sort themselves out.

And of course, I wish there were a pollen-free version of Spring on offer. I would definitely buy that over the current model.

Overall, Spring 2026 is a reasonably solid, if somewhat average edition of the season.

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