Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Springtime Blossoms


Every Spring the world around our home blossoms.  I've shown photos of our garden for the five years I've been blogging.  If you don't mind I'll share what it's looking like around here now.  I can't help it, I love gardening and Spring!


The dogwoods have been lovely this year, but such a short time in the sun!  It's been so warm they are now waning.


"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




The daffodils are over their blooms and then the narcissus and grape hyacinths were blooming.


The bleeding heart comes back to our delight every Spring, usually around Easter.  


The wood violets that I planted last year are blooming so pretty this year.  I know some consider them a weed, but to me they are lovely.


Not everything is all flowers and blooms around our home.  Last week on Monday morning during the wee hours we experienced a very ferocious storm.  The above photo is taken from our compost area showing the hickory tree that fell during the storm.  We were so lucky that we only lost our tree!  Our children's old swing frame saved our fence.  The tree is gone now and I'm sure we will miss it.  It's always sad to lose a tree! 




The perennial bed is alive with color.  Veronica speedwell is filling in nicely.  It's a joy to watch old faithfuls return. 



The nodding columbine is beginning to blossom.  Their sweet shy heads are purple and red in my garden.  The red are having a slower start.



The pulmonaria continues to reseed itself all over the garden.



The pink azaleas out front are full of blooms. 



The white ones out back have a larger bloom and are quite lovely.






The pirate bluejays are frequent visitors the last few days!  Grayden's family owned a darling set of books, Book Trails for Baby Feet, that has a sweet story about the pirate bluejay.  Very appropriate for these characters!  Our daughter now has that set in her home as she loved these books.







It's a wonderful time of year watching the earth come alive again! 






30 comments:

  1. Indeed, it is a beautiful time of year at your house, Martha Ellen! Lovely at every turn!

    It is so delightful to see green grass and green leaves and colorful blooms after the gray of winter. I am loving the azaleas (almost fully bloomed but not quite) and the irises which are just beginning to open. But my biggest thrill this year is my bleeding heart plant. Ron gave it to me for Mother's Day last year. Never having grown one before, I was convinced that it had died. But lo and behold, suddenly it was green and then full of those sweet and delicate pink hearts! Joy!

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    1. I hear excitement coming from you about the spring blossoms, Cheryl. I'm so glad your bleeding heart returned as I'm sure it will every year to remind you of a special Mother's Day. It really is a lovely time of year for happy events that will be coming to your family! ♥

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  2. How wonderful your garden looks! Spring really is a nice season :-) I hope you had a lovely Easter weekend.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Thank you, Amalia. And a happy Passover to you, my friend. xo ♥

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  3. Your garden is so pretty! I love the photos of the dogwoods and bleeding hearts especially, and your pot of double daffodils is so sweet. Did I mention the pot of violets? Oh, dear, it is so difficult, I love them all! You take beautiful and clear bird photos too!

    You were so lucky not to have more damage as the old hickory tree succumbed to violent weather, and I hope you can find some use for the wood, which will help the memory of your old friend live on.

    ~~~Waving~~~From Across the Pond~~~Deb in Wales xoxo

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    1. Deb, thank you for the thought of saving some of the wood. We have a couple of large pieces still in the compost area. I have my thinking cap on and hopefully will come up with some use. I hope today finds you doing the things that you love, my friend. Thank you as always for your kind comments! xoxo ♥

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  4. Veronica Speedwell seems like something I need to check out. So sorry about the tree, but rejoicing with you that it came down as safely as possible. Beautiful spring...it is finally there!

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    1. Vee, I do hope spring is awakening in your neck of the woods, as well. If you were near, I'd share veronica speedwell with you. It's a great ground cover. ♥

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    2. ☺️ Comes in lots of colors, too.

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  5. Your blooms are so pretty. I can tell you are far south of me -- you have wisteria, for one thing, which I love and doesn't grow all that well here. And your bleeding heart is rocking it. I noticed mine came back again this year (whew! after this cold winter!) and are leafy but it will be May before we see blooms. I always associate those with my grandmother who had huge plants! Lovely in every way!

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    1. Jeanie, I live in Virginia and I believe you are way north of us. I love plants that make us think of loved ones. I'm sentimental and cherish plants in my garden that were from relatives. So happy to hear your bleeding heart is up again. As much as I love gardening, I have no idea how to garden in your climate! Have a lovely day.

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  6. You have a nice selection of flowers! I love this time of year, too--from mid-April to mid-June--before it gets too hot and my plants's leaves start turning brown,

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    1. Thank you, Cathy. Spring is quite lovely compared to the hot humid days I know are ahead.

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  7. Martha Ellen, it's such a joy to see all the flowers in your garden. The Dogwood trees are lovely when I see them, such a delicate pretty flower. The Longfellow quote is delightful. Those heart-shaped tiny flowers are beautiful. I asked about the Violets the last time I went to the Nursery, but they didn't have any. I was surprised, cause they are pretty common I thought. What a pretty color of Purple yours are. Oh no, you lost your Hickory tree! - so sorry to hear that. That must have been a fierce storm to do all that damage. The Azaleas in your front yard are so charming. And that RED CARDINAL! That made my day, Martha Ellen. Thank you. : ) Spring is surely coming alive in your area.

    ~Sheri

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    1. Sheri, I appreciate all of your comments, my friend. The wood violets grow wild in forests and lawns all over the place here. Some consider them a nuisance and try to get rid of them. I collected a few rhizomes and planted them in a pot last summer and then they came back and to my delight bloomed. I wish you were closer to me so I could share them. Have a nice week.

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  8. Oh, how lovely your gardens are. You have so many of my favorite perennials and shrubs. Everything looks so well cared for!

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    1. Chip Butter, I enjoy gardening very much. It's one of those things that makes my soul happy! Thank you for visiting today.

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  9. A delightful post Martha Ellen, your garden is gorgeous, full of the most beautiful flowers and I loved the birds also, as well as the little stone bunny. So glad you didn't have a lot of damage when the tree fell but sad to lose it with so many memories.

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    1. We are so sad to lose another tree on our property, Denise. 47 years ago we bought this lot because it was wooded. Thank you for your sweet comments as always, my friend.

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  10. Your Springtime phots are so delightful ... It's my favorite time of year ... so the dogwood and bleeding heart really make my heart soar with delight, like your Longfellow quote. Everything bursts forth with such great gusto that you can hardly breath to release the JOY of rebirth and God's wonder. We will have a late bloom this year, but already the excitement is high as the birds sing and little animals scurry about ... Your garden is so lovely and such a positive sign of what is to come ... Thank you for sharing the beauty, Sweet Lady... Big Hugs

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    1. Thank you for visiting and leaving such kind remarks, Zaa. I'm excited for you to have Spring come for you. It always seems brief here, but wonderful all the same. Have a lovely weekend.

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  11. I thoroughly enjoyed the walk around your garden and seeing your beautiful Spring flowers. I'm enjoying being at the beach but also I'm missing seeing what's blooming in my wild farm garden. :-) I envy your Cardinals.. I so wish we had them in Oregon. Not fair! :-)

    ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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    1. Enjoy your time away at the ocean, Teresa. I'm sure your blossoms will wait for you. Thank you for your sweet comments. We love all of our birds and especially cardinals. He is our state bird.

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  12. Hi Martha Ellen

    I'm sorry that you lost a mature tree in the storm, but happy your fence was saved.

    I enjoyed seeing all your beautiful spring flowers! Your area is ahead of ours here in Colorado. We were greening up here, but there is possible snow in our forecast for today and next weekend which will slow everything down.

    I love violets and you gave me the idea to plant some in my flower pots as I think they would do well here.

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    1. Pat, we have been having some very wicked storms lately. It really concerns me for our planet that the weather seems to be changing.
      I hope you do plant some violets. It makes me happy to think you would do that! I'm shocked to hear you will have snow into May! Stay warm and cozy.

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  13. Martha, I always love a tour of your garden. You are such a talented gardener as well as photographer. Why would anyone consider those violets a weed?!

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    1. Jean, thank you for your kind comments. I think a lot of folks want pristine lawns and consider violets an intrusion on their pristine lawn.

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  14. I so agree with you:
    "It is a wonderful time of year watching the earth come alive again!"

    I enjoyed seeing your lovely photographs.

    All the best Jan

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