State of the Spring Garden

My garden is starting to look less barren as more green leaves begin to peek out and the small bulbs continue to show off. The 'Tete a Tete' mini daffodils are the cutest darn things ever. Everyone who visits gets a kick out of them. Doesn't the one above look like it's having a tete-a-tete with the scilla?



The garden still isn't ready for wide view photos. Once the roses leaf out and we spread another layer of fine bark, I'll take some wider shots and post them. But I've been waiting on the bark until the small bulbs are done blooming, since they'll probably get covered up.



I was very happy to find little dieback on my roses and other shrubs when I was pruning last week. Last year a harsh winter cut the roses canes back to a foot high. This year the climbing roses might actually look like climbers, instead of little shrubs just hanging out in front of trellises.



A few days ago my preschooler informed me that we had corn growing in our front yard. Hmmm, not corn, just hyacinth buds forming. The photo above shows 'Gypsy Queen' hyacinths and 'Spring Beauty' scilla.



Not all of the new leaves are green. The leaves on the peonies (above), the roses, the purple-flowering delphiniums and some of the hellebores are reddish right now. One of my two new tree peonies has lots of red leaves growing. The other one looks shriveled and dead at the top, but there is one bud that's starting to grow down below. I really hope I can nurse it into better health, as it was rather expensive.



The 'Ivory Prince' hellebores are blooming along with many of the others. More hellebore pictures are coming soon. Lots more.



The kids and I are looking forward to the giant bumblebees that always show up when the crabapples bloom in a week or two. I saw a butterfly in the front yard last week. There are plenty of robins and other little birds whose names I don't know flying around. Above are blue Chionodoxa luciliae (Glory of the Snow).



We have had a nice mix of sunny warmth and gentle rain lately, which is perfect for the plants. I'm looking forward to another pretty year out in my garden!