Saturday, March 15, 2014

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up March 2014: Spring at Last!

Welcome!  It is mid-March and spring arrives in just under a week.  The month of March came in like a lion with snow flurries and winds but the winter that seemed would never end is slowly disappearing with each passing day. After seven snow storms and frigid temperatures the daily temperatures have been rising up into the 40's and 50's and the ground is defrosting.  Surprisingly temperatures plummeted once again into the 20's right before Bloom Day but there are evident signs of the changing seasons.  The birds have come out of hiding and the first robins have arrived.   Life is gradually coming back into the landscape and it will be spring at last!  Come along and take a walk with me in my Long Island garden.  
The first robins arrived just the other day so I had to photograph them to mark the occasion.  This male robin is really flaunting his bright red color!
Hyacinths are emerging from the earth and showing their pink tipped buds that will form into blooms within the next several weeks.
The Lamb's Ear is sporting its new growth of soft fuzzy white foliage.
Here are some close ups with the new macro lens of a cone overwintered on the Blue Atlas Cedar...
and the new spring growth emerging on the Blue Montgomery Spruce.
In the backyard the white cottony Weeping Pussy Willow catkins are opening with the rising temperatures...
and the rosette-looking Sedum 'Brilliant' growth is emerging from the ground...both sure signs of spring!
The golden foliage of the 'Skylands' Oriental Spruce' is a show stopper every season of the year but seems more vibrant now when getting ready for new spring shoots. 
In the backyard under the Magnolia tree is my new favorite birdbath purchased at the end of last summer.  It has been a water source for the birds throughout the winter and now every morning it is a regular meeting place for robins, blue-jays and chickadees.  I love to watch them flutter their wings and splatter water everywhere.  I will try to get some photos of this morning ritual with my telephoto lens as spring and summer arrive!
Here are some macros of the Weeping Pussy Willow catkins...
and a pine cone on my Weeping White Pine.
In the front yard by the driveway the bark of the Coral Bark Maple glows a reddish-pink before new growth emerges.  The unusually cold winter has really made the colors of this tree vibrant.
Here is a closer view of the golden hue of the Skylands Spruce.  The Coral Bark Maple and Skylands are very near one another so I get a show of color all year long.
 
Here is another one of the arriving robins.  I am assuming this one is the female.  Did I mention how happy I am to see them here at last?
As spring gets closer the  buds on the Star Magnolia are growing larger and will soon form into beautiful white fragrant blooms and the garden boy and girl are finally visible again after being covered in a blanket of snow for most of the winter.
Spring is such a wonderful time of the year when the garden is full of hope and slowly changes as new growth emerges day by day.  Once the temperatures become seasonal spring will be in all its glory here in the northeast. Please visit our hostesses Carol at May Dreams Gardens for  Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Pam at Digging for Foliage Follow-Up.  Thanks to them we can enjoy blooms and foliage every month of the year. Thank you so much for touring my March garden. If you leave me a note I will know you dropped by and will be sure to visit you as well!

Happy Spring to you and As Always...Happy Gardening!


Author: Lee@A Guide To Northeastern Gardening, Copyright 2014. All rights reserved



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38 comments:

  1. Hi, nice to see spring has arrived in your garden too! Lovely close-up photos. It has been a weird winter, let’s hope we get a perfectly normal spring and summer, all of us :-) Happy GBBD!

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    1. HI Helene. Spring is finally making its way to Long Island but slowly! It is just so good to see some life coming back into the garden!

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  2. I envy your signs of spring. We still have a few feet of snow. I actually saw some robins here about a month ago, although I haven't seen them since. I am not sure if they waited to move south for some reason or what. Hopefully we will have a few buds of our own within the next month. Happy GBBD!

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    1. Hi Jennifer. I feel for you with all the snow. It just started changing here but as soon as the temperatures started rising a bit the robins returned and there was hope. The crocus are doing nothing yet but the hyacinths are finally coming up. Spring will arrive for you soon-hang in there.

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  3. Beautiful spring images. And I love the cute Robin! Happy weekend!

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    1. Thanks so much Eileen. I was happy the robins allowed me to get the photograph and since they are such a welcomed sight right now I wanted to capture the moment! Happy Bloom Day & weekend!

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  4. It truly looks as though spring has sprung in your garden. It's still very tentative here. Love your spring images.

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    1. We're getting there Dorothy. The temperatures just need to get up into the 50's and remain there for a stretch. Hopefully spring will start to show for you as well. It has been a very harsh and unpredictable winter.

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  5. Oh, there is hope! I am much further North, practically into Canada, and we are still blanketed in snow. I am waiting for the arrival of the Red-winged Blackbirds - a sure sign of Spring here. Some Robins actually over winter here because there are enough berries for them. Although when they arrive in my garden, it is in the Spring to nest. I cannot wait. You have many beautiful trees!

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    1. Thank you so much for visiting and commenting. I am hoping your temperatures start to rise soon and yes...there is hope. After this horrible winter there are signs of spring...FINALLY. Hang in there...it's on the way!

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  6. Today was the first day I could actually see a bit of spring coming through. Like your photos attest, sometimes we need to "seek out" springs arrival in order to actually know it has come. Thank you for the beautiful photos,

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    1. Hi Maryanne. It does take some searching sometimes but spring is arriving slowly but surely! Thanks for visiting my gardens!

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  7. Lee - I am so pleased that Spring has started to show itself on Long Island! We have a robin here in our crabapple - bet he regrets coming back this early. We still 2 feet of snow (a lot of it just fell last Wednesday). You are going to love that new macro lens - I bought one last year and it is so cool.

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    1. Hi Astrid. The macro lens is so much fun already. I love how I can get the finest details of everything I photograph and the clarity is amazing! So far I am very happy with the lens. I hope spring arrives for you soon. The robin is a very good sign!

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  8. Good to hear that spring is finally arriving in your part of the world. What amazing photos you take.
    Your robin looks quite different to our English robins.

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    1. Thank you Chloris. I am also glad that Spring is FINALLY showing signs here! It is interesting what you mentioned about the robins. I guess there are slight variations for different climates. Thanks for dropping by and commenting!

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  9. I hadn't realised until the other day that your Robins don't stay with you all winter and are very different to ours.
    Nice to see your garden coming to life - great shots, your new lens will be a valuable asset in your garden. Happy Bloom Day Lee :)

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    1. Hi Angie. I never realized how much robins differ in other places....it is interesting to me. Thanks so much for visiting and I loved visiting your March garden. You have so many wonderful blooms and are way ahead of us!

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  10. The little boy and girl certainly look happy to be out from under all that snow! I love your macro shots, especially the pussy willow catkin! There is a whole tiny world waiting to be noticed. Flocks of robins are visiting us. It is a joy to see, but I bet the worms are trembling!

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    1. It is such a relief that the snow has melted completely and there are signs of spring. The forecast for this evening is predicting another dusting to inch of snow which I can handle but prefer that it just stays away completely so that my crocus will come up! Thanks for stopping by!

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  11. Beautiful images of spring. I have to wait just a little longer for spring to take hold here,but it will come.

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    1. Ruth-your owl and frozen photographs are beautiful but I understand how you feel about the cold...enough already! I hope spring starts to show for you soon. It took a while to arrive here and is still behind but I'll take it!

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  12. I love your site! Such beautiful photos and a lovely tribute to Spring. Enjoy the coming blooms-n-foliage of the growing season.

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    1. Thanks so much Tina for visiting and leaving a comment. I am enjoying your Texas grasses and gardens. Your spring weather is so way ahead of us but I am hoping on catching up soon!

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  13. If the robins have arrived that must mean spring - whoever anointed groundhogs as weather forecasters anyway? I love pussy willows and wish I could grow them in SoCal.

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    1. Thank you Kris. Spring is finally trying to come around and I even saw the first of the crocus popping up today. I am betting on the robins!

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  14. I love pussy willows, and your macro shots are fabulous!

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    1. Thank you so much Julie. I appreciate your comment on the macros. I know there is a learning curve with the new lens but I am really enjoying it so far!

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    1. Daniela-You are making my day! I purchased the camera with higher resolution and macro lens so that I could get very defined close ups of the various plants in my gardens. Macro opens up a whole new world as far as photography is concerned.

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  16. Lovely robins in your garden, we have them too (The Netherlands) but they look different, a bit smaller and fatter. Glad spring finally arrived at your end of the world. We had a very mild winter, unusually and a lovely early spring.

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    1. You are so ahead of us Janneke and I am enjoying your beautiful magnolia blooms and weeping willow. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a note and happy spring to you!

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  17. It is nice to see the robins back in business and your snow gone. I will be watching for your splashing birds. I too like to see the fun they have.

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    1. Donna-the robins are such a welcomed sight and the last patch of snow disappeared just this morning. Life is good! I can't wait to get the photos of the splashing birds as well. I will be using my new telephoto lens for that so wish me luck!

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  18. This post "sings" with the joy of spring! You are so lucky to have a Star Magnolia. We have some at church, and I'm always joyful to see the buds swelling and then breaking. Great macros!

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    1. Thank you! Spring is making its way slowly but I am enjoying the signs after a long cold winter and tried to capture as many moments as possible. I am having fun with the macros too!

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  19. Lee, when I left Connecticut last year, I never thought I'd be saying this, but: If you get spring before before I do down here in Georgia, please send me some. Your images, including that fine birdbath, evoke the season.

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    1. I have been hearing about the weather in Georgia and you have been having a brutal winter. I hope it changes for you soon. Spring is arriving slowly here on Long Island and I am anxiously waiting for the temperatures to maintain themselves in the 50's. When spring gets there I'll send some down to you!

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Thank you for visiting. I love reading your comments and knowing you have been here, and will try to reciprocate on your blog. If you have any questions I will try my very best to answer them. As always...HAPPY GARDENING!