Love for the Garden – Mid Spring

This post is going to be pretty picture heavy because it’s all about what’s blooming in my garden right now (mid to late April). It is so beautiful, and there is so much going on it really stimulates me and calms me at the same time. I feel that I am (almost) unbelievably fortunate to live here and to take care of this garden. Please join me for a mid-spring tour…

As you pull up to the driveway, phlox greet you on the left. There were some daffodils blooming as well, but they have finished for the season.

Phlox on other side of driveway

Phlox next to driveway

On the right, the front bed is starting to fill in with hostas, blooming azaleas, daffodils, hellebores, sedum, and more!

Front Bed

Front Bed

New fern fronds are pushing up all over too:

Ferns Coming Up

Ferns Coming Up

The front of the house is also starting to come alive with more color as the azaleas are starting to bloom, and the pink dogwood is big and bold.

Front of the House

Front of the House

I think I may need to cut back the nandina just so I can see the pink azaleas blooming behind them. The camelia to the left of the stairs has been going crazy with blooms for the last two weeks too:

Pink Camelia Exploding with Blossoms

Pink Camelia Exploding with Blossoms

And here’s a view of the front yard from our Dining Room window:

View from Dining Room

View from Dining Room

I love looking out the windows! You can see there are some white dogwoods blooming in the median across the street, and our Japanese Maple out front has filled out with leaves. It feels so good to have leaves on the trees again.

Now going up the side yard from the front:

Side Yard Looking Towards Back

Side Yard Looking Towards Back

With leaves on the trees, we have dappled shade again which I’m sure our shade loving plants are wanting as the weather turns warmer.

And here’s a view of the same side yard from the back looking towards the front:

View of the Side Yard Cleaned Up

View of the Side Yard Cleaned Up

Continuing down the yard, we come to the vegetable garden. It really has a cacophony of other flowers growing, including wood poppies, sedum, phlox, daffodils, iris, azaleas, a dwarf crape myrtle, roses, and I’m not sure what else. We plan on putting in a few tomato plants in the cages, and hopefully find some room for peppers, zucchini, cucumber, and herbs. Whatever we don’t have room for in the garden, we hope to put in containers on the deck.

Vegetable Garden

Vegetable Garden

Here’s a view of the vegetable garden from the deck:

View of the Vegetable Garden from the Deck

View of the Vegetable Garden from the Deck

Now walking down the slate path, here’s a close up of the wood poppies.

Wood Poppies Growing Large

Wood Poppies Growing Large

They have gotten quite large, and stand about 18″ tall now.

Continuing down the path, we come to the first set of stairs going down to the lower terrace, where I have another Japanese Maple growing:

Japanese Maple Leaves

Japanese Maple Leaves

Looking up from the bench at the bottom:

View from Bench of Path Going Up

View from Bench of Path Going Up

It is so nice to just sit and enjoy the view.

Backyard From Bench

Backyard From Bench

There’s even stuff going on behind the bench:

View Behind Bench

View Behind Bench

There’s so much texture and color back here. Another Japanese Maple, hostas, wood poppies, azaleas, ferns, daffodils, spirea, and more trees and shrubs that I don’t the names of (yet).

Closer to the stream, there are some nice arrangements with hostas in planters:

Hostas

Hostas

And even though it’s now late April, I still have some daffodils blooming:

Narcissus Still Blooming

Narcissus Still Blooming

At first I thought there were just a few varieties, but as the month wore on, I realized there are several different kinds of daffodils out there, including this pretty all white variety:

Pretty White Narcissus

Pretty White Narcissus

There is a lot going on in the lower level:

Azaleas Starting

Azaleas Starting

The azaleas are just starting to bloom, and the whole hillside is covered with them.

Mr. Lucky and I finally got the bottom baths cleared out. I pulled weeds, and he raked up the leaves.

Bottom Paths

Bottom Paths

Going back up the other path:

View of Path to Driveway

View of Path to Driveway

At the top of the hill, which is at the bottom of the driveway, the Crimson Queen Japanese Maple is blooming. (I thought it was a Dragon variety, but I found the information card in the box she left).

Crimson Queen Japanese Maple

Crimson Queen Japanese Maple

The flowers are really small and delicate looking:

Flowers on Crimson Queen Japanese Maple

Flowers on Crimson Queen Japanese Maple

What a view from the top of the driveway!

View of Backyard from Driveway

View of Backyard from Driveway

There’s another path from the driveway around the back of the house, where I am so happy to see the purple oxalis coming back:

Purple Oxalis

Purple Oxalis

It’s amazing how much comes out day to day. Here’s a view of the backyard from over a week ago, and the azaleas are barely budding.

Backyard View 13 April 2014

Backyard View 13 April 2014

The weather has been nice enough that we’ve been able to enjoy eating and relaxing out in the “sky room”. I would just leave the windows open in the house too if it weren’t for the green pollen that is everywhere and coating everything at the moment.

I’m so glad I could share my garden with you!

 

Linking up to these parties:  Remodelaholic, Thrifty Decor Chick