Nothing quite as vibrant as tulips and the first blossoms of spring!

April 19, 2012--I love the color...

I have three members of the Fritiallaria family in my yard; the Imperialis or Crown Imperial, red and yellow...

The Fritillaria Persica has quite a different look...

The Eastern Red Bud is one of my favorite trees...

The flower on the Bleeding Heart is another one that does not like frost; so far so good this year...

The plant with the strange looking shoots that I posted earlier is now about 2 feet tall.  In another month it will put on a flower resembling the Calla Lily (it is also a member of the Arum family), dark purple, nearly black and in some cases will measure over 12"...

Just for fun I've planted mini herb gardens.  Someone might like to grow their own herbs...

For me there is nothing as therapudic as gardening

Blossoms of Spring

Last year the rain and snow made it seem that spring would never come.  This year the wind has caused a few problems.  Some early dafodils withered before their time, but others are doing well and the late ones are yet to come... 

With the peaches in bloom last weekend I was concerned about the cold.  Saturday morning, around 3:30 the temperature was about 27 degrees and by 5:00 it dropped another degree.  I was encouraged to see the bergenia survived; maybe the peaches did too...

It is interesting to see the differences in blossoms of fruits that are so much the same...

This nectarine has a relatively large flower and is quite different from the Bell of Georgia peach...

The Elberta is more like the Nectarine...

Some early tulips are now blooming...

The mid-season and late tulips are another week or two away.  The flowering pears have put on quite a show this year...

March 25, 2012 Spring will not look back!

A lone tulip in a sunny spot is weeks ahead of most of the others...

When should roses be pruned?  A good rule of thumb is, when the forsythia blooms...

Low to the ground the crocus and anemone take full advantage of the first warm rays of spring...

Another low grower, only 4" tall, resembles the hyacinth, but is actually Puschkinia libanotica and is native to Asia and the Middle East...

The Bergenia has a pretty flower and likes to bloom early, even though the blossoms can't tolerate frost.  I often lose the blooms before I've had a chance to enjoy them...

The Dafodils are just starting and the Apricots are in full bloom...

Some plants are just as interesting as their names.  The flower on this plant is as unique as its sprouts and can measure over 12 inches.  It is in the Arum family and is called....take a guess before I tell you.

Four days of spring in Arizona was great; what a beautiful place!

I was fascinated by all the thorns and surprised to see them even on palms

What appeared to be delicate leaves turned out to be very unforgiving; more like knives than leaves...

In Jerome we found a bit of spring much like our own, but several weeks ahead of us...

The Arizona Sycamore, below Montezuma's Castle were beautiful, even without leaves...

Page Arizona is nearly 6000 ft. above sea level, but even there I saw the spring breathing softly in  the shadow of former splendor...

Meanwhile, here at home, the first harolds of spring have spoken...

A southern exposure helps a few windflowers to bloom slightly early...

And in the greenhouse spring is in full force...but, in the next couple weeks the number of plants will double...

One of the palms that came back with us from Arizona is this Sago...

Life is truly a gift and it shines most brightly in the spring.

Bird of Paradise

The Bird of Paradise needs to be in a bigger pot.  I've enjoyed watching the flowers develop.  They are now at stage three...

I thought stage one was cool but then...

Stage two was amazing, but then...

Stage three is spectacular.  I've enjoyed this so much that I've ordered a couple more plants.

This is the last image of the Amarilys.  They've all faded now, but I have about a dozen bulbs in storage for spring planting outside.

I've made some more changes to the greenhouse to get ready for planting.

Spring is not far off now.