Sunday, April 15, 2012

Spring Blooms


Spring has finally begun to show itself around here. We went out of town for a few days around Easter, and when we came back, everything was coated with a fine yellow dust. Tree pollen is everywhere, and I spent all of last week pumping myself full of medication so I could breathe. Ah. spring!

By Saturday morning I had pickled my insides with enough allergy meds that I was able to do some yard work and enjoy being outside in the beautiful sunny weather we had here in the DC area.  I had one empty pot in my front yard which I filled with these yellow and red/white petunias. Right now there's a lot of pink in my garden, so I was drawn to these lighter colors. 

My big chore was tidying up the backyard. Here are some Before and After shots of the ivy all over my goldfish pond. It had gotten out of control and I spent time Saturday clearing this up.  Some of the ivy roots had begun to take hold inside the pond, which is not a good thing. It looks great all cleaned up now! The water seems to flow much better too. Frogs are a sign of a healthy pond, so I was excited to see the frog this morning. Hope he's here to stay.

Back to blooms--The pink azalea bushes have really taken off. The purple, white, and red azaleas haven't emerged yet, but I see buds and am sure I'll have more color in the garden soon. I'm not sure why the pink looks so electric in these photos. It's a little more subdued in person.


The snapdragons I planted last year have made a comeback. When we left town before Easter there were a few buds on the plants, and I was so happy to see all this color when I got back. Again, they're a very electric pink, mixed with some red and a little yellow. 

Here's the last pink bloom in my garden--on my strawberry plant. I am looking forward to some home grown strawberries this year, if this net can keep the birds and squirrels off. And that's about it for the flowery things in my garden. I'll post an update on some of my veggies soon.

I'm linking up with Carol of May Dreams Garden's Garden Blogger Bloom Day. Head over to her site to see what's blooming in others' gardens. Maybe they'll have colors other than pink. :)


12 comments:

  1. We're a good bit ahead of you here in Georgia. Seems our pollen counts are much lower now. We broke records back in March with the count. You have a lot of pretty spring colors showing, I love the two toned petunia. Great job on corralling that ivy, I know that was a chore!

    ReplyDelete
  2. My daughter would love your garden - all that pink. Really pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Once my strawberries start blooming I will be netting mine too...I love all your blooms...my snapdragons will be put in pots this weekend...looking forward to them blooming...glad to hear you were able to get past some pollen...wow that is a lot of ivy ...it looks great!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Leslie--thanks! It was a pain to cut the ivy, but very satisfying too. :)

    @Liz--thank you!

    @Donna--looking forward to seeing your snapdragons. I like them, I considered buying more in different colors, but went with the petunias instead for a little variety.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a gorgeous azalea! And I love your snapdragons! Sorry you're having allergy problems. Hope you get to feeling better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Pink flowering strawberry? That's new to me. I have about five withe flowering type. They are relatively young and I have been told not to let them fruit for an year to help the plant channel its strength towards its growth.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mmm, fresh Strawberries! If I had more sun in my garden, I would plant some for sure! You made some nice progress with the water feature and the plants around it--very nice! Happy belated GBBD!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love your snapdragons! Great job on the ivy. It's such a bear to clean up. How are your ground cherry seedlings coming along?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi! Your pond area is looking good. Isn't it nice to get a fresh start in the Spring? I like the bright color of you azalea too. I used to live in an area where azaleas were everywhere but now I live where there are none, so I enjoy seeing the photos.

    I am nominating you for the Versatile Blogger Award! Check out my blog to see the details of this award. Looking forward to seeing more of your garden experiences this year.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your garden is looking wonderful and those snapdragons are gorgeous!! I will be looking out for these at the nursery, great color! Sorry to hear about your allergies, hope they settle down soon...no fun =(

    ReplyDelete
  11. Gorgeous looking plants. I was attacked by dandelions, apparently I am really allergic. Our flowers and shrubs have been struggling because of crazy temperatures, one night freezing (last night) one night high 40s lower 50s (tonight). Keep the allergy pills going and enjoy the garden.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love the flower pictures. I'm always so happy to see them. Right now I don't have a ton in bloom, so I just enjoy everyone's photos!

    ReplyDelete

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my garden site. I appreciate the time it takes to read posts and comment. Happy Gardening!