Spring!

The definition of "spring" is "to leap forward," and while this is not the definition of the season, it could be! In the past two weeks, my garden has vaulted firmly out of the slipping clutches of winter and firmly into the lively, new season. Almost all trees and shrubs are awakening, and colors are becoming vibrant. 

Redbuds, dogwoods and Japanese maples create a tapestry of pink, red, white and purple.

The white flowering shrub on the lower right above is Pieris japonica 'Cavatine.' Below is a close-up of its blooms:

I have about twenty Japanese maples in my garden, and I love them all! Here is emerging foliage of four of them:Clockwise from top left: Butterfly; Vitifolium; Orangeola; Sango-Kaku

Hellebores are wonderful late-winter bloomers, but their blooms persist for months, gradually fading to shades of green. That double one on the left, by the way, is a chance seedling!

Looking toward summer, this scabiosa, or pincushion, bud will soon be ready to open:

The color of Deodar cedar 'Feelin' Blue' is especially vibrant this time of year:

A scene inside the woodland garden:

I am grateful for these flowers that grow wild in the woodland garden:

Cultivated flowers in the woodland garden include these sweet pinks:Top: Korean spice viburnum, in bud and bloom. 2nd row: Magnolia 'Jane.' 3rd row: Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection.'

Most of my daffodils finished blooming weeks ago; these in the woodland garden are among the last to flower:

Finally, I am newly smitten each year when I see the emerging fronds of autumn fern, Dryopteris erythrosora:

Happy spring!

My Podcast and Other Unforeseen Benefits of Garden Blogging

If you have ever wondered what I look like, that's me on the right, with Dave Ledoux. A while back he interviewed me for his Back to My Garden show, and my podcast came out this week! This was an honor, and I had a lot of fun talking about my experiences in gardening. Now, if you want to hear my Southern accent just click here. It takes about thirty minutes, but I promise, the time goes by quickly!

This podcast was just one of many benefits that have come to me through my blog. No, I haven't earned a penny from it, and that was never my intention. I started blogging about five and a half years ago, and at the time I had not the foggiest idea what I was doing. I had zero concept of the amount of work and time involved. I was barely computer literate.

What was my intention? I wanted to write about gardening and to share my garden with others, and I wanted to improve my photography skills. One of my sons encouraged me to begin a blog, and with a little help on his part, I began.

So what has come of it?

I have made so many new friends from around the world! True, I have never seen many of them, but we share a common love of gardening. Others I have met in person, and I have visited their gardens and/or they have visited mine. Eddie Aldridge, who founded the beautiful Aldridge Gardens in Hoover, Alabama, not far from where I live, discovered my blog one day and called me up. (Actually it was his wife Kay who came across my blog and encouraged him to read it.) We visited and got to know each other, and then Eddie nominated me to be on the Board of Directors at Aldridge Gardens.A few sites to see as one walks around the lake at Aldridge GardensThat has been a great experience, and again my world widened as I got to know all the great people there. It has been an privilege to participate in making this young public garden, hidden away but only moments from busy shopping areas, one of the best garden retreats in Alabama.

I have been asked to speak about various gardening topics in the community and to help educate the public about good gardening practices. Individuals and garden groups sometimes come to tour my garden, and I have been able to share my garden stories with them. Poor souls! I like to tell my yarns; almost everything in my garden has a story!

Truly, one of the best benefits of blogging is that my garden has become a better garden. I have learned so much from the community of gardeners. I have become an organic gardener because of what I learned from other garden bloggers. I have become much more knowledgeable about the interconnections of wildlife, plants and soil.Tiger swallowtail butterfly

The British architect Russell Page once said, "Green fingers are the extension of a verdant heart." I have come to realize that gardeners are some of the best people in the world. The world needs more gardeners! Most of them are nurturing, giving, creative types. They tend to be enthusiastic and ever optimistic. However, I am not sure if they garden because they are that way, or if they become that way because they garden.

Dogwood trees, Cornus florida, are beginning to open their blooms!If you have a blog, I encourage you to consistently put out the best content you can. It may take a few years, but I promise something good will come of it! As my particular part of the world is enveloped in spring, I listen to the birds and keep on gardening. Happy blogging!