And The Garden Keeps Growing On

I must admit that this has not been the best month of April we�ve ever had; there hasn�t been a lot of sunshine and the daily temperatures haven�t been that great. But at least the garden continues to keep growing on, which is providing me with some hope that there are better days up ahead that will be filled with beautiful colours from my garden � and every garden around me. Let�s hope so.

So here�s what�s happening in my garden these days, starting with the first flower display from my perennials. I wondered which plant (aside from the spring bulbs) was going to flower first; turns out that Pulsatilla vulgaris wins first prize.

Isn't this just the prettiest flower?

The daffodils (trumpet mix) in the back of the house are still putting on a pretty good display, but there�ll be a new kid on the block fairly soon. The tulips (purple flag) that were planted in the same flower bed with them are starting to wake up.

I. Can�t. Wait. To. See. These. Flowers.

My Agastache �Blue Fortune�, given to me by my dear friend, Joy, last year, is eagerly springing back to life. I am thrilled about that; it�s one of the best garden plants I�ve ever grown.

Sedum kamtschaticum �Variegatum� is on its way. A beautiful plant that is also so easy to grow.

Clematis 'Niobe' is making an appearance. I�ve never grown Clematis in the past, so I have no idea if I�ll succeed or fail with this plant. In any case, it�s worth a try.

Lilium 'Star Gazer' is growing along nicely. I�m looking forward to the beautiful flower display. I just hope that I don�t have too many problems with those nasty red lily beetles that devour lilies.

My Anemone hybrida (x) 'Honorine Jobert' is beginning to grow, but since it�s not supposed to flower until late summer, I can only enjoy its pretty foliage for now. That�s okay.

I expected Aquilegia 'McKana Hybrids' to be the first to bloom since it began growing way before any other plant, but so far, nothing. Waiting patiently for further development.

The spring bulbs in front of the house have decided that it�s warm enough to come out and play. I�m really looking forward to seeing these blooms because in addition to daffodils and two types of tulips, I�ve also planted crocus and hyacinth in the flower bed. So it�ll be a nice display.

Last year we planted a red maple tree (Acer rubrum) at the end of our yard. It seemed so tiny and vulnerable that I worried it wouldn�t handle the harsh winter very well. Well, it not only handled the winter well, it was one of the first trees in our backyard to bud this spring. Way to go, little one.

That�s it for today. There is a lot more going on in the garden, but it can all wait for another day. Happy gardening, folks.