Easter Blooms

After a long cold winter I have been keenly watching out for signs my garden is beginning to awaken for spring. It has responded in the last few days to bring me some blossoms for Easter to share with you.

The first daffodils to bloom in my garden each year are these ones which finally burst into full bloom on Thursday, April 2.  The temperature that day was a startling 75F which doubtless gave many buds a surprise. The next day temperatures were a more seasonal low 60'sF.

 These scillas were planted to border a perennial bed but this years perennials have yet to make an appearance and the fallen blooms from last year are still waiting to be cleaned up.

 On Good Friday as I roamed around with my camera this, the only Hellebore to make it through the winter, was still in bud. The common name is Lenten Rose so it was going to have to hurry to live up to it's name.

 The Easter Bunny brings blooms instead of chocolate eggs for me.

 To bring some spring color inside a bunch of alstroemeria adds a touch of pastel pink.

 Still looking like winter in the black walnut tree. But what you can't see is the long melodious song the male cardinal was singing while I did my best to photograph him from the upstairs window.

 The maple tree is budding...

 The plum tree, again reliably the first tree to bloom for the season in my garden popped out with it's pink display on Good Friday.

 The white dogwood buds are there but it will be a few more weeks before they bloom. In behind them are more maple buds.

The bird house is in dire need of a renovation and redecoration but it may be too late.

 Today, Easter Day, there are at last some open blooms on the hellebore. They need a shady spot but this shady spot is, by default, also the one where the snow sits the longest and that has delayed blooms opening I guess.

And one last look at the plum tree. Next to come will be the cherry trees also here at the front of the house. Once they are in bloom they steal the limelight so I wanted to give the plum tree it's moment of glory.