Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Foliage Follow-Up April 2015 Garden: Early Spring Blooms!

April Garden 2015
March went out like a lion with snow on the 29th, resulting in a layer of white blanketing the first buds and foliage for the start of April.  It was the snowiest March on record for Long Island with 19.7 inches of snowfall and the transition from winter to spring has been slow moving. As temperatures gradually climb from being mainly in the 40's to some 50 degree days here and there, the past winter feels more and more distant. Spring is a wonderful time of the year as I wait anxiously for the first signs of life to emerge in the garden.  It is time for another Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Foliage Follow-Up to take notice of what is blooming.  Come along for a walk in my garden!
Hellebore 'Shooting Star'

I have always admired Hellebores in other's winter garden posts so when I saw these on opening day at the local nursery I did not hesitate to purchase them and plant them on the north side of the house. These beauties are shade loving plants that bloom from late winter into early spring (January through March) here on Long Island.  I am very excited about this purchase and look forward to how the foliage will look throughout the summer and will then anticipate their late winter blooms next year.  It will be interesting to follow these in the garden.

Crocus

The first established blooms to arrive this year were my white crocus.  They popped up almost overnight in a sunny spot in the garden and are showing their pure white blooms.  They are such a refreshing sight after the long cold winter.
White Crocus and Purple Hyacinth Backdrop

Being very anxious to get out into the garden I planted these new purple hyacinths in order to supply a backdrop of color to the already blooming crocus.  There are more pink and purple hyacinth buds popping up in the garden and they should bloom within the next week or so.

Purple Hyacinth

Here is how far along the already established bulbs are as this time of year.
Hyacinths Spring 2015

Coming up is the foliage from one of my newest additions, Allium 'Globemaster'. I planted the bulbs last fall and cannot wait to see the giant purple blooms that will 4-5 inches in diameter!  I also planted Allium 'Mont Blanc' in the perennial garden as a backdrop.  Having seen these magnificent flowers in many a botanical garden, I had to add some to my own space.
Allium 'Globemaster' (Giant Allium)

As you can see there are many new additions this spring. Having been retired from my 32 year teaching career for the past two years and with the particularly long winter we just endured, I have taken notice that my perennial border just outside the back door needed some more late winter/early spring blooms.  Just before my design season started up I went on a gardening frenzy adding hyacinths and daffodils along with the added crocus and allium bulbs from last fall, which can be seen throughout the property.

Miniature Daffodils
These miniature daffodils were perfect and now I can enjoy their blooms every spring.
Sedum 'Brilliant'

For some foliage, the perfectly shaped rosettes of sedum are just showing their presence as they emerge from a winter's sleep.  The succulent-like compact form of this plant is a welcomed asset to the garden all season long and is complemented by large pink blooms in late summer.
Weeping Pussy Willow

The graceful Weeping Pussy Willow has been showing more and more catkins with each passing day that can be viewed right outside my kitchen window.  There have been frequent mockingbird visits, so it looks like they will be nesting in it for another year.
Weeping Pussy Willow Catkins April

Here are the catkins close up...so soft!
Yellow Crocus

In the front garden the yellow crocus planted just last fall are about to open...
First Robin 2015

and the first robins have arrived which signals the arrival of spring in my Long Island Garden. 
Spring Love!

Thank you to Carol at May Dreams Gardens who makes it possible for us to have blooms on the 15th of every month with her meme Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Pam at Digging for hosting Foliage Follow-Up.  I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Creative Country Mom's Tuesday Garden PartyToday's FlowersFloral FridaysMosaic Monday at Lavender Cottage, I Heart MacroMacro Monday 2, and Nature Notes at Rambling Woods.  I hope you enjoyed the visit to my garden.  If you leave a note I will know you dropped by, and will be sure to visit you as well.

Happy spring!

 And As Always...Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2015. All rights reserved


32 comments:

  1. Gorgeous blooms! Your photography captures them perfectly. I am envious of your skill. Happy Bloom Day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Dorothy! It is such fun to be outside with the lens while everything is just coming to life. I am glad you enjoyed the photographs. Happy spring!

      Delete
  2. What an amazing winter you've had! I respect the need to see some color asap as your winter snows finally relented. You'll enjoy your hellebore. They are delightful and hardy in the winter gardens. Happy GBBD!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so enjoying my new hellebores. I did have a need to hit the nursery on the first day they opened after this long and snowy winter to find anything that was blooming!

      Delete
  3. Your photos are an artistic treat!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Ricki. I enjoy garden photography as a hobby and keep trying to improve my skills. I appreciate the words of encouragement!

      Delete
  4. You have some wonderful colors! I love your photos and am glad you included the robins in your spring garden post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was a photo of the first robin I spotted in my garden just a week after the last snow melted. I was excited to see them right before Bloom Day and Foliage Follow Up! Thank you for visiting!

      Delete
  5. Love the crocus! I also planted lots of bulbs lats year, among which two varieties of Allium that I can't wait for to bloom!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Daniela. My Allium bulbs that I planted last fall are now sprouting beautiful foliage that is several inches high. I can't wait to see the blooms in my garden for the first time!

      Delete
  6. Great photos, the design element really shows through. Especially the crocus. You should know that clicking through from May Dreams leads to your March 15th post. Made me think that Long Island was in a cold snap for sure. Glad to find out that spring has indeed found you. By the way you should get rid of the Wordpress.com option for commenting. It not only doesn't work more than have the time for people from the Wordpress.com side, but it erases the comment as well (frustrating). Google (Blogger) does not play well with other systems. Personally I've had no problem with open comments on my site for the last five years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you John. When I posted my link to Carol's site the linky tool somehow remembered my post from last month and repeated it, so I had to go back and re-post it again for April...grrr! I bet it looked a bit scary with the snow photos in April as we are now finally into spring! I will look into the comment options. I had open comments for some time and got continuous spam on my blog so I had to change it back. I know how you feel... I get frustrated with commenting on some wordpress sites, as they will not accept my blogger id and end up deleting what I post. I appreciate the feedback and will look into seeing what can be done.

      Delete
  7. What a beautiful Spring post!! Your photos are amazing. Thank you so much for sharing your garden tour!!
    Hugs,
    Jody

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for your kind words Jody and Stan. I am glad you enjoyed the photos. Happy spring to you!

      Delete
  8. Lovely spring blooms! Hellebores are wonderful and crocuses always a favorite.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for visiting! The crocus certainly are a wonderful sign of spring and I am enjoying the new hellebores in the garden. There's nothing like the first blooms for the exhuberant gardener!

      Delete
  9. We have had very similar weather to what you describe, but finally the days have turned warmer. I planted some white crocus as well and were really pleased with how they looked. Next year I think I will add more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It has finally turned warmer Jennifer and the first Magnolia blooms opened just yesterday...right after Bloom Day! More crocus also opened in shades of purple and yellow. They sure were a sight after the winter we just had. It looks like spring weather is FINALLY here! Thanks for stopping by and commenting and Happy Bloom Day!

      Delete
  10. the white crocus pictures are outstanding.
    great collages.

    I tried the bloomday prompt last month but didn't get one single reply out of them and got discouraged.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for stopping by and commenting on my blog. I hope you will try posting again for Bloom Day. I remember when I first got started I had only a few commenters but then you get to know a whole community of gardeners that meet every month...which is wonderful! I tried clicking on your profile so that I could visit your blog but nothing comes up.

      Delete
  11. ooh, Giant alliums, mine were eaten by squirrels.
    I just planted daffodils they had green
    spouts on them, hope they bloom. so much clean up,
    broken bushes and trees.
    and raking up. At last spring. yvonne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am glad spring has arrived for you Yvonne. The Allium foliage gets higher and higher out of the ground everyday and I am anxious to see their blooms. I am sorry the squirrels got to yours-maybe try again next fall. Spring always brings a little clean up after winter but it sure is nice to be out in the garden again...enjoy!

      Delete
  12. What a lovely look at your garden..I love all the flowers, especially the hellebores.. Pretty images and mosaics. Enjoy your day and have a happy week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Eileen! I just stopped by your blog and love the photographs of the birds...just beautiful!

      Delete
  13. I'd say you're a week or so ahead of us Lee, so nice to see colour after the long winter. I've been tempted to buy a hellebore too and still haven't done so - love the one you purchased.
    Congratulations on your book, I saw it in the previous post and I wish you success.
    Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for the good wishes Judith and for hosting Mosaic Monday. We are running about two to three weeks late here but spring has finally arrived...so it is on the way for you!

      Delete
  14. How wonderful to see spring arrive in all its glory in your garden...so many blooms so fast....I wish i had more large groups of crocus but the voles and deer foil me at every turn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for visiting Donna. I enjoyed your beautiful vases and spring flowers. Have a great week!

      Delete
  15. Lovely photos od the Spring beauties :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I enjoyed visiting you as well and seeing your spring blooms...especially the hellebores and crocus!

      Delete
  16. Delightful shots of a wonderful bounty of Spring blooms.
    Thanks for taking part in Floral Friday Fotos!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Marvelous photos! Isn't it wonderful now that the spring flowers are blooming? Thanks for sharing and happy Sunday to you.

    ReplyDelete

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!