Wednesday, April 7

Spring Emerges--by Leaps and Bounds!

With the warm temperatures this week, spring has not so much been emerging as it has been bursting! Early tulips, daffodils, a sore back, and the lawn-and-leaf bags* lined up on my treelawn are the usual first harbingers of spring in my garden.  But as I worked around the yard today, I noticed quite a few signs of "mid spring" making themselves known.  Here's an assortment:

Blooms on my peach tree

Buds on one of the currants

The pretty, purplish stems of lovage as it first makes its appearance
Cherry buds

Cherry blossoms

Apple buds, with a pretty shadow of the espaliered plant on the fence behind

Lonicera sempervirens showing off its first few flower buds

Newly emerging tree peony leaves

Sedum, cheerfully peeking out from a pocket in a strawberry jar

Most of these photos were taken as I weeded and mulched yesterday.  I also pulled out a great many plants--details on that will be posted later--in an effort to simplify my design.  And I started on my spring plantings of carrots, onions, shallots, lettuces and the like.  
Of course, there is still more to be done.  I plan to put in a little bit of an edging wall in the front yard, to make the garden there look a little more finished.  (The aforementioned neighbors should like that!)  In late May, the tomatoes, beans, peppers, eggplants and other heat-loving crops will need to be put in as well.  But for now, it's enough to appreciate all of the fresh faces of spring.  Happy spring gardening to all!

*Yes, I still compost.  However, I've learned from experience that certain things--some ornamental grasses, all woody plants, and perennial weeds--just do not break down enough in my little compost bins.  (And those pyracantha branches have scratched me up enough the first time around, so I see no reason to let their half-decayed thorns stab my fingers while I spread finished compost.)  The city's compost piles are big enough to heat them all up and turn them into black gold, however, so they end up on the curb in the spring.

10 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Kim your garden is looking quite lively now. It is enough to inspire you to get out there and accomplish great things no doubt. As to everything going into a compost bin...we take truckloads to the limb piles each spring. I just don't have a large enough compost bin and my DB and neighbors wouldn't appreciate a huge pile of *#@^ piled where they could watch it decompose into something useful. Ha.. Can't wait to see what else you have been up to. Happy Spring.

Entangled said...

You have coral honeysuckle buds already?!? I have to go check on mine.

This hot weather made so many of the spring flowers bloom all at once. I remember the same thing happening a few years ago too. I like the effect, but it doesn't last long.

Unknown said...

Greenbow Lisa, LOL! You're so right... frankly, I wouldn't want to see a "huge pile of *#@^" in my small yard, either. Nor do I have the $$$ or space for a chipper/shredder to make said pile decompose faster. I guess at least our extra (big) things all go to a good place, right?

Entangled, that's a good point. The flip side to the beauty explosion is that there's generally a lull once all of the spring things are done... but I'm trying not to think about that right now. :)

Btw, this coral honeysuckle is a beast! (I LOVE it.) It had buds when it froze in December, but I believe that all of those have long since fallen off... so these must be new, right?

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

This is such a weird spring. That poor Honeysuckle barely had a break from blooming. Things do seem to be blooming all at the same time. The lull threatens to be very long this year. I also do not try to compost some things, as I'm a lazy composter.

lisa said...

Your spring is springing beautifully! That lovage looks like my raspberry runners (though it's likely less troublesome :) I'm glad my plants aren't that far along just yet-we got snow today!

Layanee said...

The same is going on here. Since it is barely mid-April there is concern for a return to cold. One day at a time.

Dirty Girl Gardening said...

Those currents look fabulous... nice fresh buds.

Gail said...

Kim, your blossoming garden looks wonderful~Love the lovage...that's a very nice purple! Do you get to pick the currants for home use or do the birds beat you to them!

Even shortened, spring still makes me smile. The emerging plants, the green is so fresh on the grass and trees...There is nothing like it. gail

Stratoz said...

I am thinking spring is about 8 months ahead of schedule, but I may be exaggerating. I am wandering about how this is affecting bird migration

Heather's Garden said...

So that's what lovage looks like! I'm growing some from passalong seed -- I think I'm going to like it. We're far ahead of schedule here too in terms of spring, but it justs makes us feel behind in our clean-up efforts.

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