Yes, it's Spring

Just a look around the garden today, at the blooms and foliage that spring brings to my yard.

As busy as I am getting things back into shape, if you don't stop to appreciate what's there, what's the point?

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I've never seen these bloom before (wait, did they bloom last year too?), and don't know what they are:

I inherited them with the house, and actually thought that they were crocus that never got enough care to flower. Since I created the walkway a couple of years ago they're now living in a bed that's tended (as opposed to being in the lawn) and that apparently has made the difference. What are these?

The Irises don't disappoint...

...the ultimate "share with a friend" plant as I've never had to purchase one of these.

Red-veined sorrel, where have you been all of my (gardening) life?

I didn't know that I'd like ornamental onions (Allium) so much, but can't imagine not having them around now:

So geometric! They spread gently too, which is always a plus in my book.

They're not the only globes that spring brings...

I have several spots in a couple of beds that really need to be thinned out...

...like this carpet of perilla. I think I'll let a few plants grow here again, as long as they stay dark and don't revert to green.

My Viburnum sargentii 'Onondaga' has come back from the dead...

...smaller than it was of course, but so glad to see these wonderful blooms again!

My one honeysuckle always blooms the first week of May, just in time for Mother's Day:

Only one bloom open so far...

...but the rest are ready to explode! I'm strongly considering adding a second (more fragrant) honeysuckle to my garden this year.

The Plumeria has come outside -- I'm so excited to see it with three branches now!

Will I actually get to see a bloom this year? (Some roofing debris knocked the one bloom bud off last year.)

This Japanese maple hasn't produced seeds before...

...but I did repot it last fall so maybe that gave it a jolt. I'll probably post about this tree in the future because I'm not sure what to do with it...

The scouring rush (Equisetum hyemale) really captivates every spring:

I think I'm going to plant some of this in the ground behind the pond. I know it's a bit scary, but it will somewhat contained back there and I want to see it get big!

Speaking of getting big...

The clumping Fargesia dracocephala 'Rufa' -- my original bamboo, planted in 2006 -- has thin shoots that are 7-8' (2-2.5m) tall this year. There are dozens of them!

They'll droop once they leaf out, but this thing is finally getting big! Probably too big for its spot at the edge of the patio, but it's so happy there now that the contorted pine is giving it some shade.

How can you not love bamboo shoots? Even their discarded sheaths are beautiful:

(That's from Phyllostachys aureosulcata)


Take the time to enjoy your gardens -- up close too!

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