Monday, April 4, 2016

Spring Glory





Isn't Spring the most glorious time in the garden?  She has come to Virginia and I couldn't be happier!  Late winter was unseasonably warm for us and the perennials started to emerge quite early.  But nature can fool us this time of year.  Those of you in the northern climes are experiencing late snow storms.  We are expecting freezing temperatures the next two evenings.  Knowing this information,  I wanted to take some Spring photos before the fleeting blossoms disappear for another year.


Camellia Japonica

The Camellia is blooming so well this year.  Usually the squirrels have eaten most of the buds before they were able to bloom.  I caught a little rascal chewing a bud a few weeks ago and Grayden suggested that I put cayenne pepper around the shrub.  It worked to keep the squirrels away.  I've used this method in pots with freshly planted flowers and it keeps them from digging.  It does not harm them, but they don't really like spicy cayenne pepper.


Bleeding Heart  Lamprocapnos spectabilis 

The Spring came suddenly, bursting upon the world as a child bursts into a room, with a laugh and a shout and hands full of flowers.
Longfellow


Creeping Speedwell Veronica Repens

Helleborus orientalis

Of course the freeze will not kill the plants, but it will affect the tender blooms.  Not the Hellebores as it loves the cool temperatures as well as the Camellia.


Pulmonaria officinalis

Azaleas

The variegated Hosta are growing quite rapidly now.


Hosta


Narcissus


Narcissus

The pink azaleas are in full bloom across the front of our home.




Dogwood Blossom

Wisteria

We put a new piece in our garden this year.  It shows how much wind we have been experiencing recently.




Just living is not enough
One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
Hans Christian Andersen









38 comments:

  1. Oooo so pretty are all the colorful spring flowers!
    A snow came to my house, and plans to stay!! We covered the daffodils and primroses and now we must wait it out!! :-)
    Your pretty blooms filled my heart with hope :-)
    Blessings and love, Linnie

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    1. Oh Linnie, I do hope all of your lovely flowers are safe under the blanket of snow! My daughter has snow as well.
      Stay warm and cozy, dear one! xoxo ♥

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    2. We are on our way home after being away all weekend so I don't know what I'm going to find in my garden especially after the wind storm i heard we had Saturday night. Your flowers look lovely.

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    3. Cathy, I do hope everything is well around your home. Saturday was something else with all the wind blowing--over 50 miles an hour. We had just cleaned the yard of all debris and then had to do it all over again after the wind storm. ♥

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  2. Oh how I love this quote Martha Ellen! Spring is THE most beautiful time around your home! Enjoy all the beauty!

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    1. Thank you, dear Betsy. Spring brings so many plants and flowers blooming. It's a joy to view it all. It's 32 degrees and quite windy so I can hope all is well with the flowering shrubs and trees. Have a wonderful day! ♥

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  3. Oh what a joy to see the lovely blooms! I wish I could grow camellias here but out temps drop just a bit too low for them. Those azaleas as amazing! I know a gal in Richmond, VA that was talking about the frosts coming and she said she's going to cover up her plants to hopefully save the blooms and buds that have yet to open. Love the little windmill type piece you added to the garden- it was really moving in that one picture!

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    1. Liz, camellias reign supreme in Richmond. Everyone has the most gorgeous blooms right now. My son has a beautiful peppermint colored camellia there. I have way too many plants and shrubs to cover. I'm hoping the wind has kept the frost from damaging the blooms. Have a beautiful day! ♥

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  4. Those are all blooming now? What a pretty time of year for you! I'll have to visit your garden often.

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    1. Vee, yes all of these plants are blooming right now. I do hope our upper 20 degree temperatures tonight don't ruin it all. There was a frost last evening, but the winds are so fierce it protected the blossoms. Enjoy your afternoon, dear Vee! ♥

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  5. Such pretty flowers. I love the centre of the narcissus, so vibrant and quite unusual with that swirl of colours.
    Our seasons are all awry. Although no snow, we swing back into colder temperatures later this week after nearly reaching 50 degrees. Strong winds are almost normal daily winter winds around here the last two Winters, but thankfully the trees are not in leaf which is how most of the damage happens. Hoping that Spring will make her presence properly felt very soon!
    ~~~Deb xoxo

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    1. Deb, you need to batten down the hatches! If our recent winds come your way, it will be howling. We are lucky not to have any damage to our trees, but we had many sticks and small limbs to clean up. Sending you warm Spring times ahead! xoxo ♥

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  6. Oh, my, Martha! Your plants are just so beautiful! Love seeing all of your spring blooms! I'm going to have to wait a little while for Spring! Thank you for popping in to see me.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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    1. Thank you, Shelia. I hope your Spring is not too far away. It doesn't feel like Spring today---It's in the 30's! Enjoy your evening. ♥

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  7. We are cold too.

    Late freezes are sad, for first flowers. We don't have any yet, so it's not that sad here.

    What a cute whirllllyyyyyy! Love it!

    Tessa

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    1. Tessa, we are having quite cold snap. The new Whirlllyyy has gotten quite a workout recently! Have a nice evening. ♥

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  8. Such beautiful blooms. I love Spring. You have captures so many lovely flowers. We also have wisteria and we love it. Thanks for sharing the garden. Enjoy the rest of your week.

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    1. Linda, I remember your beautiful wisteria. I'm afraid our freeze last night ruined the blossoms on the wisteria! Boo Hoo Have a wonderful week! ♥

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  9. Martha Ellen, Spring is glorious around your neck of the woods. Everything is blossoming, and the Pink azaleas caught my eye. What a BIG bush this is in front of your home. At our old house, we had a small bush of Pink azaleas, and I really miss them. The Camellias are always so pretty to me. They are sturdy flowers as well.

    Lovely photos today, Martha Ellen.

    ~Sheri

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    1. Thank you, Sheri. Unfortunately we had a freeze last evening and the pink azaleas were nipped and the pink blossoms now have a faded look....and the wisteria suffered the same fate. The camellias really don't mind the cold weather so they are still pretty. ♥

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  10. The flowers are so cheering and encouraging after winter! I love all the life and color, and also love the quotation by Hans Christian Anderson. So true! xo

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    1. Yes, Spring comes when we need it the most. Have a great day, Judy! xo ♥

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  11. Oh Martha, what a beautiful display around your home.. Your azaleas are stunning!
    It is too hot here to grow them, so I will enjoy viewing yours... Thank you so much for sharing.. And thank you for putting your name in the giveaway... I am honored.
    blessings,
    Penny

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    1. Thank you, Penny. Sadly our azaleas were hit by the freeze. They are now an ugly faded pink color. Oh well, we enjoyed for a few days. ♥

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  12. Beautiful post! Spring brings such joy! We actually are going to have a frost here tonight. That's why we never plant our veg. garden until after Income Tax day. Your hostas look wonderful. We rarely see ours now as the deer love them. Now I'm going to see your kitchen.

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    1. Thank you, Dotsie. I'm so glad I took these photos before our freeze. Sadly the azaleas and wisteria were hit really hard. Our spring blossoms were quite fleeting this year. ♥

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  13. Your garden is such a lovely burst of Springtime color, Martha Ellen! It seems like you are at least one month ahead of us. I'm so sorry to read that you have had a freeze though. We are still having light snowfalls and our nighttime temperatures have been in the 20s. Our magnolia blossoms opened half way, and we are waiting to see if they will fully bloom after so much wild weather. Sending sunny hugs for a nice week ahead! ♡Dawn@Petals.Paper.SimpleThymes

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    1. Thank you, Dawn. Spring has been so fickle this year. You have so much to look forward to as your garden comes back to life. I can imagine your magnolia blossoms must be a welcome sight after winter. Enjoy a beautiful week, dear Dawn. ♥

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  14. It seems that poets write about spring more than any other season. With good reason.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. It's so true, Amalia, we are all happy to see the earth come back to life after a winter's rest. Enjoy your week! xo ♥

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  15. The flowers are gorgeous. I love spring time. So many blooms to take in their beauty. I wish it would last all summer.

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  16. Your garden is so loved and beautiful!! I hope the recent frost did not do too much harm.

    I am excited to discover what plants are established in our new yard. (We aren't living there yet, but we're keeping an eye on everything.) So far, we have seen lots of daffodils, a row of forsythia, and a few tulips. And a camellia!! We've never had a camellia, so that's exciting. I understand that the previous owner loved to garden. :)

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    1. Cheryl, the freeze did hit our azaleas and wisteria--boo hoo. I bet it's exciting to discover what new plants will pop up in your new garden--it sounds lovely. Although I imagine there is more on your plate to take care of these days! Take care. ♥

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  17. Such beautiful blooms in your area, Martha! We had some mild weather here and the daffodils bloomed and some of the trees are beginning to bloom and leaf out, but we may get another big snow storm this weekend--hopefully not!

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    1. Oh Pat---more snow? I'm glad to hear you've had some blooms. The freeze zapped our azaleas and wisteria, so hopefully the snow won't ruin yours! ♥

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  18. Hello there - I've just come across from Sheri's blog.
    Your blooms look lovely what gorgeous colours ...

    All the best Jan

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    1. Nice to meet you Jan! Thank you for stopping in. Spring is a glorious time of year in the garden. ♥

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