Wednesday, April 15, 2015

April Bloom Day--Spring at Last!

April--the month I consider true spring here in Illinois.  We've had our share of April showers, of course, along with some wild weather including hail and threat of tornadoes.  But in between, the calm days have been sunny and warm, including Easter Sunday, which had to be one of the most beautiful Easters we've had in a long time, a perfect day for the grandkids to run through the yard hunting Easter eggs.  It is also the time when the garden finally wakes up, and each day seems to bring a new surprise.

For this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, I am sharing a few photos that were taken last week.


The crocuses are fading fast, but they were a welcome sight to begin the gardening season.


Every year I plant more, and my efforts have been rewarded with some nice big clumps.  I love these striped crocus--'Blue Pearl,' maybe??--and must remember to add many more of these this fall.


The daffodils first opened up on Easter Sunday, appropriately enough.  The standard yellow NOID's are the first to bloom, but there will be many more of different colors and forms in the coming weeks.


One of my favorite small blooms of spring are these Scilla in the shade garden.  I don't remember if I planted more last fall or they have multiplied somewhat, but either way, more of these will be ordered this fall, too!


The Hellebores have taken awhile, but they have finally opened up, too.


Part of a collection I ordered from a mail-order company several years ago, they're all "ladies" of some type--'Red Lady,' 'Green Lady,' etc.--but I really don't know which is which, because they're all either white or deep red/burgundy.


The warmer temperatures last week really jump-started the hyacinths, which went from tightly closed buds to fully opened blooms in a matter of days.


I'm still not completely finished with gardening clean-up. due to rainy days and some other commitments.  But I couldn't resist planting a few pansies and violas in one pot.


One of the many delights of the spring are the surprises in the garden--surprises because I can't remember what I had planted the previous fall!   I had completely forgotten I had planted a few more miniature narcissus near my miniature Japanese garden until they appeared a few days ago.  On checking my notes, I found these are 'Topolino,'


Sasha kindly helped to show a sense of scale here so you can see just how diminutive these are.


Another surprise--some Chionodoxa, also known as "Glory of the Snow," under the lilac.  Actually, these bloomed last year, too, but once again, I had forgotten all about them.


Another new bloom this year--and one I had also forgotten I had even ordered, much less planted--are these Iris reticulata.  These are also planted by the miniature Japanese garden, and I think 'Harmony' is a perfect addition here.


 But my favorite surprise of all--Puschkinia scilloides, or Striped Squill.  I have admired these on other people's blogs for several years, and I can't believe I finally remembered to order some last fall.  Ten of these little beauties are blooming now, and I think they'll need some more company next year.



As I said at the beginning, all these photos were taken late last week, because by the time this posts, I will be in Texas cuddling my youngest grandson once again--no doubt posting lots of photos on Facebook:)  When I left, the lilac was leafing out, one flowering crabapple and the small serviceberry (above) were budding, and some tulips looked about ready to bloom.  Who knows what I will find when I return next week?  I am going to enjoy every minute of cuddling with Grandson, now almost four months old, but I'm looking forward to even more surprises in the garden when I return!

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Garden for hosting GBBD each month and for her constant inspiration.  I expect this month will see a host of people joining in celebrating the arrival of spring.

31 comments:

  1. Lovely to see your Spring blooms Rose.
    I love crocus and always feel a little sad when they fade.......another year to wait but perhaps that is what makes them so special.....

    Hellebores are very pretty. I tend to like the more subtle flowers, although more and more vibrant colours are appearing.

    I love the thought you have a miniature Japanese garden.....I know how much you like them Rose.

    Lovely post,............

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, Rose!
    Finally spring came to your place! Love these Chionodoxa, pushkinia, striped crocus. My Chionodoxa is not blooming yet, but soon:))
    Happy GBBD!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love that you ordered the Striped Squill. It's been on my list for a few years, but I always seem to forget to order it. I **MUST** order them this fall. Happy Bloom Day!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. April in your garden is just beautiful. Such a variety of colorful blooms and Sasha is just an extra added attraction!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hyacinths are my favorite but all your bulbs are lovely. Happy Bloom Day.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You have a lot of color in your early spring gardens Rose. Love those hyacinths. Makes me want to plant some more. Happy GBBD. I know you are having a great time with that new Grandson. Love seeing the picture of your granddog too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great to see that spring has arrived in your garden Rose and that the daffodils opened as if on cue for Easter. I grow 'Topolino' too and am most fond of it. I see that the Easter bunny paid you a visit too. Enjoy those cuddles with your little man.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have a similar rabbit ornament in my garden. I had hoped it would make the rabbit god spare my flowers, but it doesn't seem to work! Happy Bloom Day

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lovely blooms. Spring is certainly looking good for you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks to Sasha for helping to show the scale of the plants. ;-) Congratulations on the new grandbaby! I'll bet you're having a wonderful time! I need to add some Iris reticulata. The one you show here is so pretty. I also like 'Katherine Hodgkin.' Enjoy your time with the new little one!

    ReplyDelete
  11. A wonderful salve for the soul cuddling grandchildren! You certainly have a riot of Spring blossoms already! Here not so much. One wee crocus patch that's about it! We have the winter mess cleared away and waiting for all plants to exhale! Yah for Spring! The photo of your cat brings back memories of my Paisley walking about the daffodils ..I knew it was her lady time way back then. Thank you for commenting that you felt you knew her. Hugs.

    ReplyDelete
  12. You are slightly ahead of me with daffs blooming...I have the same blooms showing up all at once except the daffs which are just about to open I hope by the weekend....so happy to see your bright sunny spring.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Spring has arrived in your garden! Your striped squill is gorgeous (mentally adding to my list of bulbs for fall!) Happy GBBD and happy cuddling!

    ReplyDelete
  14. new follower here. Beautiful flowers! You guys have really earned a lovely spring. (my in laws all live in Bolingbrook.)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Even if these flowers are common in posts of most bloggers yearly, i still look at them. I've seen only the crocus in person, i haven't learned how low before the flowers drop or wilt.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Happy bloom day to you! So glad spring has sprung up there. Looking great! Enjoy your trip!

    ReplyDelete
  17. We are just a little behind you. Today was a bit cool, but overall we finally have spring weather. I have snowdrops, crocus, Chionodoxa and scilla but the rest are still coming. Have fun in Texas and give that grandson a cuddle for me!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh you have garden hyacinth! How lovely. The scilla are pretty too.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh you have garden hyacinth! How lovely. The scilla are pretty too.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love the stripy crocus! And the squill are so pretty. Our bulbs are finally starting to bloom too. I lost some during this bad winter, but I was glad to see many of the new ones I planted coming up. Spring is such a great season! Enjoy your new grandson!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi Rose, loved the Striped Squill. Will be looking for that this fall. I have a limited selection of bulbs so I look at other gardener's and try to find similar to add to my garden. Hope you're busy with the grandson. Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Happy GBBD! I'm hoping to see blooms such as these soon. We're a bit behind you in Maine. I'm sure you're having a delightful time with your grandson.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Your spring wild flowers are lovely! You must be so happy that spring has arrived where you are.

    I live Sasha's color. One of my cats is a dilute tortoiseshell/ tabby. Is Sasha eating grass? Two of my cats are great grass eaters. My long haired cat used to get quite grumpy if she didn't get grass.

    ReplyDelete
  24. You had a gorgeous bloom day, Rose. So many bulbs in bloom. Your kitty is beautiful too. We are still too cold to have much in bloom, but maybe in anther week or so...

    ReplyDelete
  25. I love these baeautiful spring flowers !!
    Wonderful pictures !
    Have a nice Sunday :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. I enjoyed seeing your blooms, Rose. I'm so excited it is spring! Thanks for stopping by my blog. You asked if my Illinois bundleflowers are coming up. They just poked through the ground a day or two ago. I planted some seeds, too, but they haven't come up yet that I can tell.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Sue, while cleaning up that area yesterday, I realized the plant I was thinking was bundleflower is something else that I planted last year. I'll just have to be more patient to see if my seeds germinate.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I've also read that some native seeds, I don't remember which may not germinate the first year, but then will the second year. I bought some seeds from Prairie Moon Nursery a few years ago, and none of them came up, and I'm thinking Illinois Bundleflower was one of them. I planted several kinds of seeds from my plants this spring, maybe in March, in an area across the street in order to have some plants to give away to local people in the Gardening with Nature in Mind FB group, but none of those has come up, either.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Sue, I think that's true. Last year I had yellow conflower blooming and some Aster Tartaricus, both of which I had planted a year or two before.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I love the Iris reticulata!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I love the Iris reticulata pic!!!! Thanks for sharing!!! :)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you, so please leave a comment. I'll try to reply here, but I'll definitely return the visit.