More Spring....

Overall, it still looks pretty dreary out there in my garden.  But there are a few plants that are bravely making their way and sharing their beauty.

The flowering plum is covered with blossoms.  It will get its purple leaves later.   That is a close-up of its blooms above.

It grows next to - way too close to - a holly that will bloom later.  The forsythia bush is also there.  Think how pretty this would all look if the forsythia was well pruned and in full bloom with periwinkle in full bloom beneath it.  And daffodils to boot.  There is always hope...

Speaking of daffodils... There are several different kinds of daffodils here and there in my yard.  None in abundance this year, though.  This beauty was looking down ~ maybe because it is raining.

The beautiful blue hyacinths are still blooming.

My daphne bushes don't look all that great; the winter has been hard on them.  But they are blooming.  They smell like heaven.  Daphne are notoriously difficult and short-lived so I am pleased to have had mine for so long.

It appeared as though maybe my variegated hydrangea hadn't made it through the winter.  But that is ~ thankfully ~ not the case.

And my rose bushes are starting to show their new leaves.   This is New Dawn, my climbing rose.

Such charming muscari...   I love this picture.

A pot full of Johnnies on the corner of my deck. 

Oh, wonderful, unabashedly cheerful Johnnies.

Have a beautiful day!

Spring!!!

Spring officially arrived earlier this week.  On Thursday, March 20th, to be more specific.  At 12:58 in the afternoon, to be exact.  And, so far, the weather has co-operated and been pleasantly mild since Spring began.  It's been a tough winter here this year.  I can tell my plants have suffered.  Some may not make it.  And others show damage from the cold.

My forsythia has blooms on it.  The harbinger of Spring.  The plant itself looks pretty sad, but at least there are some clusters of bright yellow.

Every year I tell myself that I am going to transplant the periwinkle so it will grow under the forsythia.  They bloom about the same time and the blue and yellow together would be so charming.   Maybe this is the year...

My camellia bush is blooming.  I hate to say things like this, but it doesn't really look very good.  The fungus that attacks camellias is having a heyday with my bush.   This flower looks okay, though.  I have fond memories of picking camellias when I was a little girl.

My blue hyacinths smell so good!  And, of course, the color is incredible!  I love having them in my garden.

Some of my muscaris are are blooming.   They aren't doing well this year.  I don't know if part of it has to do with the wicked winter.  I do know part of it has to do with the deer.   My neighbor doesn't have his dog any more and the deer have decided that my garden is a lovely place to eat.  And, guess what...  They seem to really like my muscaris.  If you look, you can see the chomped leaves.

I bought this hellebore as a tiny seedling at a Cooperative Extension garden sale probably about five years ago.   This is the first year it has bloomed!  I'm so excited!  I love the pale pink and pale green tints in it.   Several weeks ago, the deer had eaten its leaves, but thankfully they haven't discovered the flower yet.  And I think there is another bud on it, too.

Have a beautiful day!

Yes, Spring is coming...

About this time of year, I start to think that Spring will never come again.  Maybe that's why there are crocus ~ to remind me that, yes, there is hope.  These yellow crocus are starting to close up for the evening.  They are growing in a tub near the lavender crocus I blogged about in the last post.

Today I found my first daffodils of the year.  These are short Tete a Tete daffodils.  So cute!  So charming!

And Muscari!!!  You know I am excited about seeing these blooms!

A lovely yellow Johnnie for you.

 Have a beautiful day!

Hello, again...

Well, it's been awhile, hasn't it? 

 I've been desperate for spring and look what I found today!

 These crocus are growing in a low tub underneath some trees.

 And soon there will be more.

 Have a beautiful day!

Bed of Roses....

One morning, a couple of weeks ago, I went out into my garden to cut some flowers to take to work with me.  As I was looking around, I saw a dark spot in one of my roses.

I thought maybe is was a dead leaf that had fallen on the bloom, or maybe some huge insect.

However, as I got closer, I realized that it was a little froggy!  It had certainly chosen a lovely place for a bed!

Have a beautiful day!

Ruth

So much blue...

I have a bunch of blue flowers blooming right now.  Here are most of them.  The first one is a bulb that I dug out of a vacant neighboring yard several years ago.  If you look closely, there is an aphid on one of the blooms.  (Already???)

"Forget-me-nots."  These have the tiniest flowers and  I think they are adorable.  You don't forget them for a couple of reasons:  they are so charming and they reseed themselves.

Veronica "Georgia Blue."

A whole clump of Veronica "Georgia Blue."

Rosemary "Tuscan Blue."  "Tuscan Blue" can get to be six feet tall!  This one is about two-and-a-half feet tall, so it has a ways to go.

Blue Phlox.  I'm sorry I can't remember its botanical name at the moment and I am too lazy to look it up.  Oh, and it's fragrant as well as beautiful.

Ajuga "Chocolate Chip."  Yum!!!

Have a beautiful day!

White Muscari

Well, hello!

I know it's been awhile since I've blogged, but I'm still here.

I have, in addition to hundreds of blue Muscaris, white Muscaris blooming!

There is a clump of white Muscaris that I've had for a couple of years in a raised bed.  These photos, however, are of a large flower pot filled with Johnnies and and Muscaris.

I actually bought these Muscari bulbs in a cheap box at Food Lion!   I didn't expect them to grow at all, but at the time, I was craving the hope of Muscaris, so I got them and planted them. 

And what beautiful results!

Have a beautiful day!