I don’t know what it is about spring that gets me so excited. Is it warmer weather? Is it the earth bringing forth new life after a long winter? Or is it getting my hands in the dirt and creating a pretty flower bed. I’ve always appreciated spring, and maybe it’s all three reasons.

The paperwhite narcissus have bloomed and are looking rather limp now. We’ve got hundreds of muscari, some of which will be culled and thinned out when they’re done blooming.

Picking weeds is a necessary task, but there is also picking off old blossoms and stirring the soil around plants. And after some clean up in the beds and digging up the garden area,  I could not resist getting my camera and taking some pictures.

Paperwhite narcissus, drooping a little, but still delicate and lovely to look upon

  Daffofills lifting their faces to the sun

Tulips, planted last fall, and grape hyacinths (muscari)

  Pasque flower that I planted last year, but it didn’t bloom until this spring. I think it just needed to get settled in.

The bleeding hearts flowering

I look for plants that are drought tolerant and need little care. That way I can enjoy my garden in the summer and know that the plants will survive even when it’s hot and dry and a watering ban to adhere to.

I recenly purchased Kim Burgsma’s book, Almost Eden, and look forward to learning more from her about garden design that honours  creation. The book was endorsed by Mark Cullen, a gardening guru; he writes in her opening pages that “the photographs alone are worth the price of the book. To see her book, go here. My sisters and I gave a copy of the book to our mother who looks forward to reading it and looking at the pictures too.

Happy gardening!