Well, April Bloom Day (hosted by May Dreams Gardens) finds me with more blooms than I had in March! I have quite a few hyacinths and do they ever smell nice! I have them all up near my house as I wanted to smell the fragrance entering and exiting my front door. Their placement ended up being fortuitous for another reason, too. Most of them are under my roof overhang so they stay pretty dry over the summer, and that's just the way they like it (uh huh uh huh).
Here are some white ones in another location.
And some mixed blues and whites in a third location. 
I also have three sets of heirloom hyacinths, which I planted last fall. They are not quite up yet, but they have nice nubby buds.(The tips of the foliage are a bit damaged from last week's snow, but it won't hurt the flowers.) 
I love this pale purple grouping of what I think are chionodoxa. I say "think" because while they look all the world like chionodoxa, I didn't buy or plant any chionodoxa last fall (?!). 
I also have some happy yellow daffodils peeking out from under a garden chair.
And some paler daffodils are just about to bloom, as well. I have a few more groupings with buds as well.
Both my forsythia out front where it's more sunny, and this one out back where it's more shady, have started to bloom, both flowering only on the bottom branches so far.
This isn't the best photo because the focus is on the ground and foliage, not the blooms, but my pulmonaria in the north shady bed are blooming. (And aren't the little leaves of sweet woodruff cute, too?!) They always start out as a few small blooms here and there, and then by mid-May there's a mound of blue blooms over a foot wide.
These primroses on my porch more or less survived last week's snowfall.
This sweet pansy has only one bloom at the moment, but it's such a lovely color!
While hounding the garden for blooms, I was elated to see the rattlesnake master I'd planted last fall has sent up baby leaves, in that sweet light green color (the tips have frost damage but will not hurt the plant). I love how the hairs look spiky and Little Shop of Horrors-esque!
And, look! The holiday arrangement on my side porch still looks nice (except for one branch) four months after I made it!
Finally, this is Jimi. He's not, as you will surely note, a bloom of any kind, but the mug in the background has blooms on it and, frankly, James is cute. That, and he was making it hard to do this entry by walking back and forth across my keyboard until I took his photo. Oh, sure, he looks all casual and nonchalant, like he's not even posing, but trust me, he is! (Fiona was sleeping, so her photo is not included.)Happy Bloom Day, everyone!
Love that holiday arrangement on your side porch! Looks so good! And the hyacinths, oh yes, I am betting you have a bouguet near that mug on your desk so you can smell the blooms. Lovely! Kitty cat is nonchalant-but that's so kitty!
ReplyDeleteGreat list of blooms! Your Daffs under the chair are just plain daffy! I could tell Jimi the Ginger Boy was posing because he was showing his best side--very handsome.
ReplyDeleteLOL, I think I have a cat tail in one of the photos of daffodils I intended to use,too:) Tell James he is quite a handsome fellow and that we're always glad to see him. You do have a lot of blooms already, Monica! Maybe the chionodoxa were planted there by some of the fairies around your town.
ReplyDeleteLove those hyacinths Monica! They don't seem to like my garden though - probably too shady, or as hard as it is to believe in our dry shade, maybe too wet. They bloom fine the first spring but don't come back.
ReplyDeleteLove your holiday greens! I almost included a photo of mine too in today's bloom day post. It won't be long before we can fill up the containers with blooming things and compost those winter greens.
Hi Monica, ooh how I love hyacinths, and since mine are long gone, I get to relive their beauty through your photos, uh huh uh huh. :-) You have some tough plants to endure the long winter, but they seem to hold up just fine. Mine all had more foliage damage than what you are showing, no snow cover here. Jimi is regal in his profile post. The E. yuccifolium babies are up well here, but the leaves are very narrow, not looking like yours at all? Happy bloom day!
ReplyDeleteFrances
Hey Jimi, don't let her push you off that keyboard. You deserve to get your picture blogged for all the world to see. Ham it up!
ReplyDeleteAll my daffodils are in the 'about to bloom' stage. Love your hyacinths, will definitely plant some this fall.
Marnie
Tina,
ReplyDeleteI do love that holiday arrangement, and it's so easy to make. Interestingly, I didn't cut any hyacinths to bring inside, but of course I should!
MGRR,
Jimi will be 16 next month, but he's still very active and cute! (He says all sides are his best side.)
Rose,
LOL, the fairies definitely didn't plant them, this faerie (me) did--it's just that I didn't buy chionodoxa... but the bulb guy sometimes throws in extras... or it could be a mistake (me misrembering, the order being wrong). In any case, I like them, they're just a bit mysterious!
Linda,
I was debating showing the holiday greens because they're not blooms, but I do love them so. If you can believe it, I got the hyacinths about 7 years ago from an ex coworker--and they had been sitting neglected in her garage for months after she bought them 75% off in a grocery store!!
Frances,
My e. yuccifolium was a division from a mature plant, so it makes sense that a new baby one grown from seed would look different in its first year. I'd love to see a photo!
~Monica (off to a client's this afternoon)
Marnie,
ReplyDeleteYou and I were typing comments at the same time! I do love the hyacinths, not only because they smell nice, but because they're hardy (see Linda's comment) and because the groundhog leaves them alone! Jimi is one cute boy, that's for sure. Purrrr!
Monica, Thank goodness for bulbs! They surely say spring is here when they show up...and hyacinths do show up rather dramatically. Bringing fragrance, too! I admire all my northern garden friends...you put up with long winters and then show us dramatic springs! Love your kitty...I wish my boy could go into the garden...It's just not safe out there! Gail
ReplyDeleteHorray for your pretty post, Monica. And the rain has stopped ... yipee ... the weekend looks wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI love Hyacinth too. The fragrance is heavenly! Beautiful shots. It's wonderful that spring is here, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteHappy GBBD!
Your Hyacinths looks fabulous, I love the combination of that rich cobalt blue & white. Looks like your garden is really starting to rev up for the spring. :) My cat does the same thing, he wants my attention whenever I get on the computer, lol.
ReplyDeleteSome happy and healthy April blooms Monica - I enjoyed seeing them. Your hyacinths are making me sneeze but I love the colours and scent :) Jimi looks a most distinguished cat and every bit as pretty as a flower.
ReplyDeleteNooo! I must quickly sing the "Gilligan's Island" theme song to get the nasty disco song out of my head!
ReplyDeleteStuffing Hyacinths under the eaves is a great idea. I do wish your post came in Smellavision. You must have a case of IDRPT (I Don't Remeber Planting This), as those look like nothing but Chionodoxa, which is a good thing. How is it that your Pulmonaria is already blooming, while mine is just starting to form buds? Not fair. (Whine, whine, sniff, sniff.)
Jimi is just like the cat I had as a child.....sweet memories...
ReplyDeleteLovely blooms.....hyachiths fragrance is beautiful....and I especially like the white...I am a white bloom gal.....
Spring is with you now, all you need is for the daffs to open.....
James is totally cute; I love orange cats. I also really like the dark blue and bright white hyacinths together like that. Very groovy.
ReplyDeleteI have a cat named Chester who looks a lot like Jimi. He is posing in my photo of the snowball viburnum. Your blooms are lovely.
ReplyDeleteCats do love to dance along keyboards don't they! Jimi looks cute.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to have scented hyacinths by your door. It's been very foggy here today, which seems to have made the scents hang in the air more, so walking around in the Botanic Garden was heavenly!
That's funny about your kitty. They do demand to be part of everything, don't they?! Love your blooms, and so interesting about the chionodoxa. I planted some this year, they are a bit more blue but the flowers look very similar. Wonder how they 'migrated'? Maybe a mis-labeled bulb package or a squirrel with garden design ideas?
ReplyDeleteMonica, I envy thos hyacinths! Gorgeous-as are your other blooms. See, spring is coming even to your area. Jimi sounds a lot like my cat. Just can't let me be on the keyboard with out being on it too. :)
ReplyDeleteMonica, What a great post! I have a few hyacinth blooming today, too! It was a great surprise, because I'd forgotten I'd planted them last Fall. ha. One of my pulmonaria (a new one last year) is ready to bloom, otherwise the rest are just poking through the ground. Have a great day! (I guess I should say, have a great day tomorrow!). ha.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the hyacinth fragrance is divine. At Filoli they always have them on the doorsteps, and the visitors ooh and aaah endlessly. Each year I resolve to plant some but then...maybe next year.
ReplyDeleteMy cats do the same thing and orange tabby fur is so helpful for the keyboard....Your blooms are way ahead of mine...
ReplyDeleteFrom these photos, your season seems to be about a month behind ours (in Dorset, England) so visiting here is like taking a very pleasant step back in time.
ReplyDeleteIt is my observation that some cats are computer cats - and some aren't.
Esther
Happy Bloom Day!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your birthday wishes yesterday! Jimi, we want to see those cute polka dots on your paws again!!!
Purrs, Siena & Chilli
The first of my Dafs are now blooming and I'm ignoring them. I've gotten wildflower fever early this year.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fragrant Bloom Day! Funny how James wants equal blog time with Fiona...must be a cat thing. :)
ReplyDeleteJames, mom almost fainted from the cuteness of your ear polka dot! We are sure we would really love the milk ringies too, alas they don't exist here. Mom has to do some research...
ReplyDeletePurrs, Siena & Chilli
P.S.: The zoo was the zoo in Cologne where we live.
Aren't blogger the greatest folks! The second your mom offered the mass shipping of ringies, The Creek Cats had already offered the same to us! We are humbled by the niceness that surrounds us. Thank you for your sweet offer! Maybe you have Nepeta cataria seeds? That's a nother thing mom claims she can't get but we think she's lying to save her garden. ; )
ReplyDelete