Spring Surprises

I just love the surprises in my garden during the spring. As plants start to emerge from the ground, it's always a happy moment to see old friends and to look at new shoots and think "what did I plant there"? I am very happy to see that all of the new plants I planted last year in my new garden survived the winter and are back and looking good. Last spring I planted two lilac bushes - I'd always wanted a lilac, but just did not have the space to plant one. When I had to have my front porch replaced, it gave me the opportunity to get rid of some bushes I never really liked and to plant what I wanted. There are so many new varieties of lilacs and I found one that only gets about 6 feet high - perfect for in front of the porch. A few days ago I was pleasantly surprised to see many flower buds on my lilacs - this really brought a smile to my face! The rain this past week helped to push plants farther along. I now have some other varities of tulips getting ready to bloom and have lots of daffodils in their varying shades of yellow, happily taking up lots of space in the garden. Enjoy these pictures of this week's blooms.

How to Beat the February Blues

The long, grey days of February are starting to last a little too long. At this time of year my thoughts wander to spring. I start dreaming of seeing green once again and the excitement that green shoots of daffodils and tulips bring. This is the time of year when I read every gardening magazine that I can get my hands on and pour over the seed and plant catalogs that arrive in the mail. I guess I have garden envy and am ready for spring. Every fall, when I put my garden to bed, I think to myself "My garden looks good and I probably don't need any more plants" but then comes spring and the gardening itch takes over. I start thinking about what plants I can add where, what I can dig out and give away because it's overtaking a part of my garden and what can I add to the garden to attract even more birds and butterflies. Because I have a small garden in a small "city" I feel like I need to do everything I can to attract a variety of insects and birds that more likely are visiting my friends' gardens in the country. Over this next month I'll do a lot of dreaming and planning, just waiting to get my hands dirty!