The Spring Garden

The more years I've been gardening, the larger my bulb collection and the better the spring display. I still have a lot to learn about how to plant things with different bloom times for a constant show, but if nothing else, I am making progress in this area by sheer numbers of bulbs I plant each fall. Here are some of the things blooming now.
Daffodil 'Tahiti' - I absolutely love this flower in my tropical garden. The flowers are showy and long-lasting. They're not the most floriferous, but well worth planting. And of course, daffodils are of high value for their pest resistance.

This is a Trillium erectum that isn't quite flowering. Underneath it is an epimedium that I bought at a plant sale and later couldn't read my own writing as to the variety.  But it has a cute little orange flower.

Here's the front yard. The pink is Phlox subulata 'Red Wings'. It seems to be fool-proof and a good way to add bright spring color. I seem to recall it reblooming last year too. 

Here's the tropical garden with our Karl's Favorite pear blooming. The red tulips on the right (Tulipa 'Orange Shogun') have interesting speckled foliage.

And here is one of my bloodroot beds with  Magnolia 'Ann' in the middle, just about to bloom. 

My Favorite Time of Year

This is the time of year when I crouch down low to the ground every day, scouring the ground for signs of green shoots poking through. After a long, Wisconsin winter, I'm desperate for something green and fresh. My hard work each fall of planting hundreds of bulbs pays for itself in the spring when first a sea of crocuses appears in the lawn and beds (though shortly afterwards it's usually eaten by bunnies), then the dwarf irises (Iris reticulata 'Pixie' and 'Pauline'), then hyacinths and daffodils. The first hyacinths and daffodils just opened yesterday, the nicest day we've had this spring. I'm not counting the strangely warm days we had in February. And the blood root opened its first blossoms over the weekend as well. The birds are chirping, the lawn is getting green, and it's a joy to be alive.