It's Sprung!

Everywhere I look, spring has sprung!  Everywhere there are bulbs blooming, trees flowering, seeds

exploding from the ground.  It's a riot of color and growth and exuberance.  It is SPRING.

I'd never really noticed before how the seeds I start really do spring from the soil.  I made the little seed starter pots out of newspaper, filled them with potting mix, added the seeds, some water....then light and a little time and the little plants just sprang from the soil.  A yearly miracle.

I love how beans just bully their way to the surface and how the leaves unfurl.  Eye catching and amazing, no matter how many times I've observed it before.

Daffodils with sunlight streaming through the delicate cups glow with such a happy, sunny yellow.
And they smell so sweetly.

I don't remember the name of this primrose.  I do remember I first saw it in an English garden magazine and had to have it.  It took some time to track it down here in the U.S., but I finally found it.  And it's done very well in my yard.  I love the white edges to each petal.

This cherry tree is in the parking strip in front of my house.  It's just opened up its blossoms and soon the petals will litter the ground like a late pink snow.  The bumble bees are having a wild time in this tree.  It actually sounds like it's buzzing when the sun is bright and the temperature is warm.

I love how a few branches of the cherry tree have intermingled with my flowering quince.  The colors are so bright and cheery.

This particular flowering quince is so bright it almost looks like it would be hot to the touch.

Has spring sprung for you?

Heralds of Spring

It's here.  Spring has arrived!  And perhaps best of all, we've had two (count 'em, two) days of sunshine in which to enjoy the blooming bulbs, shrubs and trees.

I have big pots on my deck and each year I plant them with daffodils and tulips.  The daffs are in their full glory right now and the tulips are preparing to take over in a week to ten days or so.  I love the exuberance of these reliable spring bloomers.

Grape hyacinths are another favorite of mine.  They are such a bright, happy blue.

This is the lone tulip that is blooming now.  Many more will follow.

One of the flowering cherry trees in the front yard is blooming now.  It's pretty, but the later bloomer is my favorite.  I don't know why, exactly, but is just seems more, somehow.

This gorgeous pot of primroses was a birthday gift from a dear friend.  It just keeps putting out flowers and color.

My hellebores are still going strong.  They are the first perennial in my garden to bloom each year, usually the second week in January.

And who can resist the vibrancy of flowering quince, made even more astounding by the flowers popping open on (mostly) bare wood stems.  I have a large quince in the mixed hedge that separates my front garden from the property to the west.  It always brightens up the whole front of the yard.

The bridal veil shrub is just beginning to flower.  Soon it will be a solid mass of these teeny tiny white five petaled stars.  It, too, is in the mixed hedge.  In full bloom it is a thing of wonder.

How is spring progressing at your house, Dear Reader?

Easter Flowers

I woke up to the most spectacular spring morning.  The sunrise was gorgeous.  The daffodils were back lit and breathtaking.  Birds were singing.  The sky was blue.  A gentle breeze blew just strong enough to make the wind chime sing a little song.  In other words, a perfect morning.

I had some lovely quiet time to work on my journal while I  sipped iced tea and enjoyed the view from the windows at the cabin.  I love Sunday mornings like this!

Happy spring!

Cold Spring

It has been the coldest spring I can ever remember.  And wet.  Really wet.  The rain and cold just seem to go on and on and on.  I read about other parts of the US experiencing cold, too, so I guess we are not being singled out for special punishment.  It feels that way, though!

In the past week we have had rain, drizzle, wind, rain, partly cloudy skies, hail, rain, snow, blue skies and rain here in the Pacific Northwest.  I have not had the snow at my house, but it has been very near by.  Silly weather.

The only compensation is that you can't keep a good bulb down.  My tulips and daffodils are spectacular and every time I open my back gate and enter my little, secluded backyard, the blast of red orange from the tulips lifts my heart and spirits.

I bought an outdoor carpet for the deck and I must say, I like it a lot!  It just makes the whole deck seem like another room.  The carpet is advertised as not mildewing (important in "Rainland" where I live!), won't fade, lets water through and is made of all recycled material.  What's not to like?

My kitty statue, a gift from a dear friend, guards the pots of daffodils and tulips.

The clematis is budding out.  I can hardly wait for it to bloom.  The blossoms are huge, the size of dinner plates, and a creamy white that glows.

I am very partial to this primrose, the name of which I have, of course, forgotten.  I love the white edging.