Worless Wednesday

This Bud's for You

For this week's Wordless Wednesday, a few spring buds for you -

Spring Flowering Trees

All around me, the trees are in full bloom. Shades of pink and white are lining my street and filling the air with a sweet scent. And while trees are beautiful to admire from across the street, my favorite vantage point is right next to the trunk, looking straight up. 

The Bradford Pear tree has clusters of small white flowers and a lovely sweet scent. 

I just love the pink flowers against the burgundy leaves of the Plum trees. 

The Saucer Magnolia tree usually blooms before the others, but this year, everything is a little off because of the long cold winter we had. Truly a magestic tree in full bloom. 

I was lucky enough to have inherited this tree when we bought our house. I'm not sure how old this Weeping Cherry tree is, but it's no youngling. Filled with small, dainty flowers on long, cascading branches, it sways quietly in the breeze and is simply gorgeous. 

So next time you see a tree in bloom, get right up under its canopy and look up. It's a view that won't disappoint. 

Forcing Forsythia

Happy First Day of Spring!
The weather is warmer, the buds are swelling and every day something new is blooming. I love to bring in Forsythia twigs when they are still in bud and watch with anticipation while the buds swell and then open into full bloom. At first, it looks like a just vase full of twigs, but then it becomes a gorgeous bursting delight:

As you can see, my amaryllis and poinsettia are still holding on too! But I love bringing nature inside and forcing its appearance a little sooner than normal simply for my benefit. Happy Spring!

Early Signs of Spring

I looked out the window this morning and actually saw...the lawn! Yes, after about 2 months of snow cover, I can now see patches of grass. Mind you, it's still matted down and brown, but it's there!

With temperatures flirting with 50 degrees, I was on a hunt to spot some signs of spring. Lo and behold, I found some. Yeah!

 Two little daffodil sprouts

More daffodils and tulips

May 15 is considered the last-frost date here. So we still have a while to go, but at least the early spring bulbs are starting to emerge. It made me so happy to see these and now I simply can't wait for ALL the snow to disappear!

Daffodils: Symbols of spring and rebirth

Daffodils are popping up everywhere around town these days. Some are all yellow, others are white with yellow middles and still others are yellow with orange middles. Some have long, tubular trumpets, others have short, round trumpets. Some plants are tall and slender, others look like miniature versions. To me, all are beautiful.

Many people wonder what the difference is between a daffodil and a narcissus. In a word... nothing. Daffodil is the common name for the plant, while Narcissus is the Latin/botanical name for the genus. Occasionally, I'll hear someone refer to this plant as a jonquil. But jonquil refers to a specific kind of narcissus and not a correct term for the group in general. True jonquils usually have several, very fragrant flower heads, to one stem. 

Symbolizing rebirth and new beginnings, the daffodil is virtually synonymous with spring.

I think the miniature varieties are so cute, especially when they are planted with the vibrant blue Scilla siberica.

Spring has sprung (in more ways than one!)

Spring is here. Time for rebirth, new growth and the start of a new cycle of life. I've been on a bit of a hiatus these past few months and for that I apologize. But it's been a busy winter here. In December, we moved to a new house. Then in January, I gave birth to twins. And now it's May and I'm finally starting to settle into the rhythm of life with four kids and a new house. 

Having moved from a rental house where I only had containers and a small deck, I am fascinated to see what is popping up at this new house. From what I gathered from the neighbors, horticulturalists used to live here and as a result, there are some really nice plantings on the property already. However, the people that we bought the house from had let these plantings take over. As a result, there are a lot of overgrown shrubs, a bizillion hostas and lots places of neglect. In addition, the back part of the property is very wooded and on a slope. There is one level spot where I assume held a swing set at one time. Lots and lots of maples, probably self seeded.

Here's how it looked in March:

Overgrown Pieris japonica (Andromeda) behind the stone wall provides at least some green color through the winter.

A large, overgrown Yew hedge wraps around the path to the front door. The main front yard garden has a lovely Japanese Maple tree in the center. Sandwiched between the Maple and the Yew is a lovely Weeping Spruce which definitely needs more room to grow.

Looking down from the top of the slope, the backyard is a woodland wonderland right now.

The mild winter and warm temperatures in April made everything bloom early, but I didn't mind!

Hostas, Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii), Coral Bells, Iris and Forsythia line the garden near the road.  A beautiful Kwanzan Cherry tree is in full bloom next to the house.

The Japanese Maple begins to leaf out. Below it, I see some Tulips, Sedum and Montauk Daisy coming up.

I love the smell of the fragrant white flowers on Pieris japonica and the reddish color of its new growth. Below it, two lovely Azalea plants stretch for sunlight. Hostas and Astilbe make up the triangular garden on the patio.

Now it's May and the maple and oak trees are all full of leaves, providing a lot of shade in the backyard. The Hostas are at their full width, Iris is blooming and some of the ferns I have in containers are taking hold. Time for me to get outside and take some photos... if I can find the time! I'll do my best, so stay tuned.

Signs of Spring!

The birds have been chirping, the sun is brighter and now we have an extra hour of daylight in the evening. Even though I still have snow on the ground, I did manage to see a few other signs of spring in the neighborhood yesterday.

The first was a beautiful yellow-bloomed witch hazel tree (Hamamelis). It's one of the earliest to bloom in late winter/early spring. 

The flowers have these squiggly little petals and gives off a sweet, delicate scent. 

Here is a close up, from Wikipedia:

Another early bloomer is the lovely and delicate Snowdrops (Galanthus). These are just about to open:

The name Galanthus means "milk flower" in Greek. The petals, when open, face downward and when in a mass, looks like a light covering of snow. 

Where the snow has melted, I see a few shoots of crocus and daffodils. Soon my landscape will be a riot of color. Soon!

Little Blue Spring Flowers - What Are They?

I love seeing the little blue flowers that appear in the spring. They often appear naturalized in the lawn or showing up in the garden bed among the daffodils and hyacinths. But which are they - Scilla or Chionodoxa?

The main difference is the direction the flower head faces.
Scilla siberica, or Siberian squill, have electric blue flowers that are bell-like, drooping downward. 

It's six blue petals surround stamens that have thread-like filaments and are not clustered together. Scilla can grow 3-6 inches high and each bulb produces 3-4 stems with medium, strap-like leaves. It's very tough and cold hardy that easily naturalizes by bulb offshoots and self-seeding.  

Chionodoxa is commonly called Glory-of-the-Snow because it is among the first bulbs to bloom in the spring. Each bulb produces six petaled, soft blue flowers with white centers that face upward and are surrounded by narrow, basal leaves.

If you look closely, you'll notice the stamens have very flattened white filaments arranged close together, giving the appearance of a central white cone.  The plant naturalizes easily by bulb offsets and self seeding.

Both these bulbs are planted in the fall and during the late winter/early spring months begin to bloom. They may be small, I think they are both adorable and beautiful! 

Bloomin' Rhodys!

Everywhere I look, the rhododendron shrubs are in full, glorious bloom. At one time, I was not such an fan of rhodys. I am more of a delicate type of person and everything about the rhododendron is BIG. The leaves are big, the flowers are showy and the shrub itself can get very big if not pruned. 

But then I started to look at them differently and noticed the beauty in each unique flower, the deep green of its evergreen leaves and the rounded shape of its form. It's truly a beauty in bloom and a welcome sight in the spring. Take a look at some of these, which I happened upon last week:

(Rhododendron cv Ken Janeck)

(Rhododendron 'Gigi')

(Rhododendron cv. )

Next time you pass by one, be sure to give it a second, closer look at its beauty. You'll be glad you did. 

Tulips in Full Bloom

The tulips are in full bloom all over my town. I think the best looking tulips are ones planted in clusters rather than a single line of them. In landscape design, you often read about the rule of sticking to one color or color family when planting in groups. But I think this unofficial rule can be broken when it comes to tulips. Look at this grouping I found along a local parking lot the other day. 

The mass of colors from tulips of the same form are simply show stopping. 

I wish I had this much space to plant this many all together!

What's Blooming: June 2014

Things here have been, well, hectic, to say the least. I took these photos of the garden in mid June and today I see it is July 1! Nevertheless, I want to put these up anyway, because June is my favorite month in the garden. All the pinks, blues, purples and yellows making their way into view. The air smells delicious, the birds are chirping continuously throughout the day and the trees are still a lovely shade of bright green.

Here's what my garden in June looks like this year:

The pink astilbe look fabulous against the wall and their sweet, subtle fragrance is a treat if you catch a whiff of it. Along the edges, I'm so happy to see the "Pretty Polly" Heuchera (coral bells) starting to fill in and produce their delicate wispy blooms.

Many varieties of hydrangea won't bloom this summer because of the brutal winter we had, which killed off all the over-wintering buds. But these Endless Summer varieties are just beginning to bloom and I'm so happy to see the lush foliage and blue flower heads.

This mountain laurel was salvaged during the backyard renovation project a few years ago and I'm so happy I kept it. It's in the perfect spot now and it's soft pink blooms are such a welcome sight in June.

This spot along the back fence gets a good deal of morning shade but enjoys some afternoon sun. Because of this, the blue hostas, viburnum and variegated red twig dogwood all get along swimmingly here.

 And of course, the carpet rose. Carefree, abundant and repeat bloomer. I just love this plant.

In the front yard, the pink lychnis (rose campion) is in full swing and mimics the color of the Salvia involucrata 'Mulberry Jam', to the right.

Along the sidewalk, the purple salvias are still putting on quite a show, the yellow daylilies (Hemerocallis 'Happy Returns') are starting to bloom and in the back, the blue tradescantia and white daisies are making their presences known.

Ah. And my much beloved shade garden that I created last summer. Look how everything is really filling in and growing so lush and healthy. I just love watching this garden unfold and morph into itself.

And so that's what my garden in June looks like! Let's hope next month is just as lovely!

Wordless Wednesday: Hints of Spring

Signs of spring were spotted in a greenhouse display recently! Love the plant and color combinations here.

100,000 Bulbs in Bloom!

100,000 bulbs, over 500 varieties in bloom. With beautifully landscaped grounds and so many things blooming, this garden reminded me of Keukenhof in Lisse, Holland. But it was actually the private home of my friend Deb Van Bourgondien on Long Island. Debbie is the executive vice president of Van Bourgondien and Sons, which sells bulbs via its Van Bourgondien catalog and website dutchbulbs.com.

Every fall she plants more and more bulbs on her property - a task I'm sure her neighbors thank her for every spring.

Pulling into the driveway I was met with a sea of yellow daffodils, beds of tulips and two enormous cedar trees.

The side bed was anchored by two gorgeous Saucer Magnolia trees (Magnolia x Soulangiana) in full bloom.

Because of all the different varieties, the bloom times were different. Each bed had some tulips or daffodils that were blooming, some that were still in bud and others that had just finished.

Everywhere I walked, something new was blooming and under the foliage of the bulbs, I could see the new stalks of late spring/early summer blooming perennials, like Hostas and Peonies, peeking through the soil.

I was so happy to have explored her garden and am in awe at the amount of work that has been put into it. I can't wait to go back again soon to see what the garden looks like in the summer!