Spring is on its way!

Well, spring hasn't sprung yet here in NJ but it's on its way! My first daffodil of the season has bloomed.



And crocus are always early bloomers.



Welcome back, Oriental Poppy!



And all these lilies, too. Hope you've had a good winter's rest.



I'm looking forward to seeing more of my spring flower friends return.

Stargazer Lily

My daughter gave me this stargazer lily for Mother's Day. The three buds just kept getting bigger and bigger and I couldn't wait until they opened. And here's the first flower! So beautiful. I actually took a tape measure out to the garden and it's 9 inches across! And smells heavenly - like a gardenia. I can sit at my computer desk which is across the room from the window that faces my garden and smell it all the way across the room! It's the first thing you smell when you set foot on my patio. Thank you, Rebecca, for such a beautiful addition to my garden.

This year's garden

Gardening is one of the most rewarding pleasures I've found in this life. The beauty of flowers never ceases to enthrall me. Here are some of my favorite photos from this year's garden.

It's been raining so much here in New Jersey both during the month of May and now again during the month of June. April showers may bring May flowers but this much rain is a bit worrisome for gardeners. Bulbs can rot and the flowers are not lasting as long from all the wetness. And the forecast for the next ten days is more of the same. We drastically need some sunny days to dry things out a bit. I have a few of my potted plants sitting under the picnic table to keep them out of the worst of the rain. And it's much too cold for this time of year. Here's looking forward to some warmer, sunnier weather soon!












P.S. I just learned that Matt, the CEO of 1000 Markets, has posted this gardening post on the Community page of 1000 Markets. Quite an honor, that is! Thank you, Matt! Check it out - will probably only be there for a day or two.

1000 Markets Community Page

Still lots of flowers in NJ

Since we had a very cold week with even frost a couple of nights, I was really surprised when I walked back to my garden last weekend. There were still lots of flowers out there. I know their days are numbered but it was nice to see that they had made it through the cold week.

I know one plant that loves the cold is the gerbera daisy. They always start blooming more this time of year. Here are a couple of mine. These are actually last year's gerbera daisies. They're considered an annual here in New Jersey but I brought them into the house last winter and they made it through. I'll probably dig a few of them up this weekend and bring them in.





























And a few weeks ago, I found a black eyed susan plant lying in someone's gutter. It was pretty dried up but I saw a little green on it so I brought it home and planted it. I cut it back really good and in a matter of days, it started sending off new shoots. And it's rewarded me by blooming again - and it's absolutely not the time for black eyed susans to blooms in NJ! I like to think it's saying thank you for rescuing me. :-)



And there, of course, are fall mums,












canna lilies,













cosmos,













and zinnias.















And here's the last rose of summer!



Goodbye sweet flowers - see you in the spring. :-)