Signs of Spring

The garlic in yesterday's post wasn't the only indication of spring I found in my garden. These others were just hiding a little bit.

The irises are pretty dependable early voices in the springtime chorus, peeking out at first, waiting for the warmth...

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I just hope the deer don't get too hungry!

The deer won't touch the catmint though, another dependably early one:

They haven't noticed the Siberian irises yet, or do they not care?

The surprise lilies (Lycoris squamigera) are really multiplying:

The foliage emerges so early, fades quickly, and I forget they're there -- until they bloom of course!

Speaking of blooms, the crocus are coming in strong:

And there are plenty of daffodils just about to say hello:

The bleeding hearts (Dicentra) are late this year:

I always love seeing this rosy foliage emerging!

And now some pleasant surprises:

I planted this blue grass last year, saw the rabbits decimate it, then the hot, dry summer seemed to kill what was left. I really thought this was dead -- so much so that I don't know if I even have the plant tag anymore.

Also suspected to be dead were these two Clematis:

Both of these looked so sad by the end of last summer, I doubted they would come back. So happy to see them budding!

This one too:

Since this was my first winter for the Clematis, I didn't know what to expect. I guess I can stop worrying about these now.

Also going through a first winter for me are the peonies:

I didn't expect to have any problems, and glad to see that I didn't.


See, spring really is here -- you just might need to look a little harder depending on where you live!

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