Late Spring

Yesterday I mowed the lawn for the first time and tonight it's covered with a couple inches of snow. Spring is a week or two late this year is an understatement. The National Weather Service forecast is for a warmer and drier spring than normal. I'm ready for my garden to explode in color. The cool weather has been beneficial for the blooms on the Star Magnolia. Some years it seems they are gone in just a few days but they started to open earlier this week and have many buds still to open. A cool week is forecasted so they may persist for another week or two.

Another shrub in full bloom is Pieris Japonica or Lily of the Valley shrub. This one is over 25 years old.

I only took one picture of the Lenten roses blooming since I didn't have the patience to lift the flowers to get a picture.  

Hyacinths are in full bloom too.

While taking the pictures of the hyacinths I dug around to see if the False Indigo was putting up shoots. They are just breaking the surface.

I did my annual daffodil bloom count yesterday. I divided a number of large clumps last year  and moved them to the church gardens so thought I might have a lower count but the cool weather again keeps them looking good.  This year there were 1324 blooms in the garden. The daffodil below is one of my favorites mostly because it's the only clump of this color that I have.

The first of the tulips in the curb garden are up but not open yet. Gardening in that 24" of ground is challenging. As a project this year I'm going to take pictures every week and see if I can keep it looking reasonably good all year.

Today was Palm Sunday and for the first time since Lent began flower arrangements were made.