Spring has arrived

This week, Spring arrived in full swing, as the daily temperature climbed into the 70's, and the sun was shining all day, with blue sky.  It was ideal for taking the chairs and umbrella to the patio, and sitting in the warm sunshine, as we observed the new growth appearing all around our little space.  

As the Sandcherry burst forth her burgundy leaves, the tiny pink flowers followed after a few days.  We keep the growth trimmed short, and this year the leaves filled in after the shorter trim it was given last year.  

The purple/blue Speedwell began greening up in early March, and several weeks later the blooms popped out, covering the entire spread of green.  It's magnificent this morning as I walked around the yard.

The woodland Geranium has greened up nicely, and I always love seeing that it made it through the winter months, since it grows best on the north side of the house, and gets the coldest temperatures.   The Bleeding Heart is also on the north side, and once it starts growing and shooting up, it seems to add inches daily to its height.  By May, there will be buds in tiny heart shapes on long flowing stems.

The Maple tree is still fairly young, and the "helicopter buds" are tiny, because of the variety of Maple.  In a few weeks, all those helicopters will be flying around the yard, piling up in corners, and blowing across the street, or right onto our patio. 

The chives are looking healthy now, and ready to cut for using in our cooking.  They are easy to grow, and give a great taste to many foods.

The Bunny Grasses are finally showing signs of life, and soon will be getting taller, and fuller, followed by the stems of "bunny tails" that will flow in the summer breeze, and become a lovely color for Autumn.

The Weigela bushes are just starting to leaf.  They also grow very fast, and will have tropical color red flowers soon.

Finally, the Coral Bells are greening up, and small stems with early buds are appearing.  

All of these plants will be my photo props for the summer, as they send out their beauty for us to enjoy once again, this summer.