it's spring!

Time for an early survey of plants around the yard. Most of the pics are boring- little green springs against dull ground- so here's the prettiest first. Vinca

are one of the earliest flowers in my yard

My daughter was playing outside and suddenly yelled in delight: "Mom! there's purple flowers out here!" She'd discovered the hellebores. Which are a surprise to find, how they hang their lovely heads.

You have to really get down at a low angle to see them. How they've grown!

So have the euonymus I babied. This is the best one. I fed it lavishly this winter- with broken sticks and leaf litter, haha. Guess what, it seems to appreciate that.

The three near my compost spot are doing well. Not sure if it's because they get leached nutrients out of the pile, or more sun here. The other five further down the line are shorter, not as lush in color, bitten off- rabbit or deer.

Other little shrubs- the viburnum I dug up out of the back garden and transplanted are sprouting new greenery. Except one that got broken off at the base. I think someone stepped on it.

There's buds all over the yard if I look close- forsythia, hydrangeas, summersweet- very small- and lilac. When I dig through leaf litter I find new small shoots of the turtlehead, salvias (even the black-and-blue!) and daylilies. Looks like it doesn't matter if I cover the mums against freezing cold- the one bit I left outside the pot edge is fine

I have tulips coming up again, but no sign of crocus. I wonder if the squirrels ate the golden bulbs.

Allium. I don't remember noticing before, what pretty purple tips the leaves have.

Camellia made it through the winter just fine!

Rumex is still here. I ought to move it to the front yard, where the decorative strip needs more plants, and its colors could get seen.

Monarda is coming up everywhere in the back bed, I'm looking forward to its lush green thicket later in the summer. Would like to add a few more...

Some of the rudbeckia never even died back all the way!

There's a bunch of these sprouting all around the back bed, too. I am not sure what they are. Ha, it's the echinacea. I just didn't recognize them!

Finally- ahem- here is my favorite blue-green weed!