The spring bulbs nosed out of the soil early due to our mild winter, but they were not fooled.  They waited till the last blast of cold and snow past, and now we get their sure sign that spring is truly here.

My first ever strawberries from my little patch.  Not too many so far, and smallish, compared to hothouse berries, but no coloring or flavoring added; REAL strawberry favor! Mmmm! 

A blessed moment after a long workday.   As I enjoy the sunshine through the glowing petals of my plum trees, and drink in their honey sweet perfume, the day’s toil melts away.  As I write this, I hear the church bells from across town, wafting to my ear.  Thank You, Father!

At this time of year, my garden gets all purple.  It’s one of my favorite seasons to be in the garden.  There are sprinkles of yellow here and there to make the purple, violet,  and lavender pop, and lots of variegated foliage to keep the eye moving and interested.

I think of lilacs.

I have lilacs in my garden that came from my mother’s garden.  They lined the back border of  my mother’s yard, where I spent my favorite outside times, swinging up into those fragrant, lavender tresses as a child.

This year, I was especially surprised by a lilac that was given to me by a dear lady who gave me  a particularly beautiful, large flowered, lilac with a strong, heady aroma.  She was a mom for me through hardness of loosing several family members.  The special surprise was the blossoms this year-the first I have gotten-on my own bush since this dear lady has gone to be with the lord herself.

The best part, though, is the lilac that I have desired to own; the small leaved and demure flowered “Miss Kim” Korean lilac.  Don’t let it’s polite graces fool you-she has loads of sweet fragrance to match her sweet disposition.  Growing to 6-8 feet and liking a sunny spot, Miss Kim is a keeper, and that’s just what I’m going to do with the one my son gave ME for Mother’s Day! (Now I just have to get him to plant it.)

The day before yesterday I was awakened while it was still very dark out by the familiar warbling song of my friend, the house wren.  He is a tiny, energetic, promiscuous bird with great lungs.  One of the few birds that will nest in a hanging birdhouse.  I was blessed with a ceramic one hanging here when I moved in.  We have had wrens every year that fill the garden with warbling song from morning till night.

Yesterday afternoon I heard a ruckus in the yard and  found several catbirds racing to and fro, playing tag and chase.  Two seem to be a pair and I expect to have a nest in my American cranberry bush viburnum again this year, which makes me very happy.  This large, tall shrub grows up and against my sunroom , allowing me front row seating to the musical performance catbirds can produce.  They are mimickers, and can copy other birds, or just sounds in general.  They are most famous for the wheezy call sounding like a cat, hence their name, but they do sing lots of different, pretty songs.

This tree in my backyard is a special delight to me. It is an ornamental cherry tree-it produces no fruit. At this time in the spring, it is glowing with blossom and you can hear the buzz of bees working in its branches from very far off.  My entire sunroom is redecorated by its new outfit!

I have several woody plants in the “prunus” family.  One real “Mars” cherry, which is semi-dwarf and self-polinating, a very large bunching cherry, which planted itself, and has a weeping habit, and lots of tiny fruits the birds love.  I also have  several Nanking cherries which are large shrubs with fruit for birds, and four American plum trees which are also not very tasty to me, but the birds and squirrels love them.

All of these plants flower wonderfully in spring and provide excellent food source for my certified backyard wildlife habitat. 

They really are rare and mysterious , and ellusive.  I could not get the program to place their picture here.  It is vaguely visible as a background at the right, but I have every confidence that when I press “publish” -ta-dah- They will be here! These are the one’s from my quest on the first day of Spring at Longwood.