Spring Petal Shower

The 'Royal Raindrops' crabapple trees are coming into bloom this week as the 'Spring Snow' crabapples drop their petals.  I have been busy in the garden with all the spring chores.  It's so nice to be outside again after a long winter.

Creeping phlox and Euphorbia polycroma add color at ground level along with a few tulips.

Long blooming 'Margarita' tulips are finishing up as 'Black Hero' begins to open.  I really need to plant more tulips this fall!

By fall I have less energy for planting bulbs, but in spring I always wonder why I didn't plant many more of them.  In this main sunny bed, I'm planning to add more double tulips for next year, like 'Orange Princess,' 'Abba,' 'Miranda,' 'Black Hero,' and 'Menton Exotic.' 

Allium leaves have been providing green color for over a month, and the earliest allium bloomers are starting to open their buds.  My alliums increase each year and have been divided and transplanted around the garden.

On warm days we've been enjoying the new bench swing.  Soon this corner will be shady when the honey locust trees finally finish leafing out.

My six 'Katherine Havemeyer' lilac shrubs are blooming now.  I wish I'd planted six different types instead, but in the past couple of years I found space for deep violet 'Yankee Doodle' and reddish-purple 'Charles Joly.'  These aren't blooming yet.  Maybe next year.

I planted annual verbena, euphorbia and dichondra in the bottom section of my broken black fountain.  The sprinklers reach it, though I might have to supplement water in the hottest part of summer.

I'm happy to finally look out the window and see so much green.

May is a magical time in the garden.  There's even more color coming next month, but I have to remind myself to fully enjoy what's happening now.

The west garden is cheerful as usual.  Spring is so great.