Diary April 2010 - Early Spring

Yahoo - Spring has sprung!! And it's gorgoeus!!!
Winter in Ontario was a non-event (thank goodness) - hardly any snow, a very sharp cold snap in late January that lasted all of 2 weeks and no ice storms! I can handle that type of winter!
It got very warm and summer-y over the Easter weekend and everyone got their hopes up but it was a tease. There was a bit more cold for another week but now it's edging up to those lovely temps again. Paired with briliant sunshine, it sure feels like spring is really here.
On Sunday, I decided to go on a "walk-about" in the garden, front and back, and discovered some lovely things:

This is the gregeii tulip "Red Riding Hood", a lovely short (6") early tulip with very bright red petals. It's the first year in 3 years that the stupid rabbits haven't chewed off the heads! It was great to see them again. I missed them.

I love the sharp blue of muscari or Grape Hyacinths. They spread like mad which is fine by me.

At the very back of the yard are my 3 forsythia - gleaming yellow this year in the bright sunshine. A true harbinger of spring!

I think these little beauties are the mini daffodil called Tete-a-Tete. For some reason they have not naturalized as much I had hoped but the few that are here are truly delightful.

I bought one Hellebore (Christmas Lenten Rose) a few years ago and will buy many more - they are so cool!

I have Iris reticulata in the front garden and the back. They are also a sharp blue and one of the first little plants to bloom. I used to have yellow Iris danfordiae as well but they must have died out. I have to make a note to replace those in the fall - they look great together.

Spring brings out surprises too: who would have thought that an evergreen would have cuddled in under an existing cranberry bush?? It must have grown from seed because I certainly did not plant it there! Next weekend I will transplant the little tree and see what happens.

And finally - I bought pansies (which can withstand quite a bit of cold) and planted them in my empty urns. I added forsythia branches from the back and voila! A nice spring arrangement that will tide me over until I can put the tender summer plants in.