What’s Blooming in my Garden on my Birthday? March 15, 2013

     Spring is almost here! You can feel it in the air! I’ve actually been out digging in the dirt a couple of times now! I can hardly  wait to have a year full of flowers! Yesterday was my birthday and I enjoyed rolling around my yard in my wheelchair, taking pictures of the few things already in bloom! I could hardly wait to share them with you! 
      Look at this beautiful plum tree just blooming its little heart out! My college roommate, and close friend for over 40 years now, Carol gave this tree to me for my birthday two or three years ago–its still young, but so beautiful! 
                         

Of course, who doesn’t love the look and smell of the spring blooming bulbs pushing up through the soil to cheer up our dreary landscapes! Even though I’ve planted about 75 daffodils along a bank bordering my front yard, I only have about ten to fifteen actually bloom in any one spring! I remember my grandmother who lived with us, had a huge garden of daffodils, so that we would have hundreds of flowers blooming in the spring! We were free to take bouquets to teachers and friends, which the little girl in me loved to do! Those memories, and the fact that daffodils always bloom around my birthday, make them one of my favorite flowers! 

On the left below, you’ll see a hedge of what looks like dead, brown branches. But in reality, its one of my favorite flowering shrubs, just beginning to awaken from its long winter sleep. If you look closely you’ll see a few little yellow flowers peeking out. In another couple weeks, these branches will be covered with yellow blooms! They make a spectacular sight, as blinding as sunshine bursting forth on a winter’s day! 

Can you smell these wild violets? They are one “weed” that I cultivate in my garden, because I love the smell and look of these dainty little purple flowers! 

Right at the edge of the woods part of our yard,  we’ve planted some Bridal’s Wreath! It’s also just beginning to show its beautiful colors! these branches will be covered with the white flowers in another week! I’ll try to remember to show them to you.

     Are you familiar with vinca? There is vinca major and vinca minor, and vinca variegata, all of which I have, and there are more variations I am sure. Periwinkle is the common name for this evergreen vinca vine, not to be confused with the vinca flower which I love to grow in the summertime! I love the fact that it is evergreen, and that it runs along the ground and makes a lovely ground cover. It can run everywhere however, so choose wisely where you want to plant it. Mine thrives in shade and sun, and wet and dry conditions here in North Carolina.  I’ve even used mine to cover a tree stump that I chose not to have removed. It looks quite lovely! I gave my next door neighbor some, and she has it shaped in a perfect circle around her mailbox! I am especially touched when I see my vinca blooming, as it was something I brought from home, my childhood home in Richmond, Virginia. So at 64, these plants have been with me all my life! They have beautiful little violet blue flowers im the Spring, and I just love them. 

        Here’s one more little thing poking its head up through the pine tags! Its my verbena, purple homestead,  just beginning to bloom! This is another great groundcover, that begins here in March, and will grow and bloom prolifically all summer long and into the Fall! 

     How delightful that the flowers are beginning to bloom! I’d love to see pictures of your own if you can post them along with your comment, I don’t know if that’s possible, some of you more tech savvy folks will have to let me know! Wishing you all blooming flowers and joy inyour own life!