I started the first of a 20 hour class on perennial gardening last night. I am so excited. The class is being taught by a man who has the third largest botanical garden in the U.S. (and the largest botanical garden in Michigan and Wisconsin) and whose garden has been featured in many national magazines. His name is Jim Somers and he runs the Carp River Gardens right outside of Marquette, Michigan, which is about 27 miles from where I live. I already learned some neat things about keeping deer out of gardens and preparing the soil last night.
So, for today, I decided to post some pictures I captured when I went for a walk yesterday morning in my neighborhood by the lake. As you will see, the snow is finally melting and some of the earliest spring flowers are finally in their glory.
So, for today, I decided to post some pictures I captured when I went for a walk yesterday morning in my neighborhood by the lake. As you will see, the snow is finally melting and some of the earliest spring flowers are finally in their glory.
This one is from our shore, facing more out toward the lake:
You can see that the ice melting has caused a little flooding up into the shore. This typically is larger, but the meltdown has been slower this year:
Crocuses (finally!!):
I have these little blue flowers in my yard. They have bulbs when you dig them up. They are tiny (these photos are closeups). I don't know what they are, I will have to ask at a future gardening class. Does anyone know what they are?:
More crocuses:
Here is a few pictures of our house in the spring:
So, that is it for today....I have been tagged and I won two awards, so I hope to be posting those posts either later today or tomorrow.
Happy Spring everyone!! (and I am still checking things off my spring list too!)
28 comments:
I would love to take a perennial class! Good for you! Both my husband I love gardening though we don't have nearly as much time as we would like to do it. Someday!
Look at all the ice and Crocus'! Our ice has been gone for a while now (thank goodness) and all the Crocus are in bloom. The Daffodils are making an appearance too though I think they have yet to peak. It's just so nice to see color after our long, dreary, cold winter.
What a pretty house you have!
Sharon
We're no where close to flowers, but at least the snow is almost gone. Beautiful snapshots.
What absolutely BEAUTIFUL photos! I love the dramatic shapes and shades in the first few, but those crocuses don't even look real, they're so gorgeous!
Good luck with your classes.
Jane
p.s. I see my daughter is now following you! She's Dee-Zigns Jewelry, etc. and a great person.
such amazing flowers! And, you have deer that can come into your garden!! How amazing is that!
Drooling uncontrollably at the moment...I cannot WAIT to hear about the class!
Yeah I have awards to do too...wait for it...!!
How BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!
The pictures are just lovely!!
Scrappy
Those crocuses are Awesome...So pretty.
A New England Life: My daffodils are only up about an inch, so we are a long way from that. Thanks, we love our house, we have been in it for 4+ years now.
Screen Door: thanks. Once it warms up, it seems like everything happens pretty quickly. I was out raking for the last two days. (I am SORE!) but it is nice to see the green under all the dead leaves.
Gaston: Wow, that is your daughter? How fun! Got any more relatives to help read my blog? ha
I am glad you are both on and reading regularly!! I read yours daily too.
Roshni: The flowers are so neat after the gray winter and the first burst of color! I don't have deer in my yard (thank goodness!) because they tend to eat tulip bulbs and plants...but we did see tracks this winter through our yard to the lake, so maybe they are coming closer now!
Insanity: Yes, if you have any questions for me that you want me to ask the guy, I'd be happy to ask for any of you.
Brittany: They really are. Too bad they only last a few weeks, but I look at them every day (while I can)!
Scrappy: Thanks! The flowers get all the credit for their brilliant colors.
Loree: They are in their glory now when nothing else is in bloom. But I can't look at them enough!
Your flowers are gorgeous, I just want to reach out and touch them-they are just beautiful. Bev from Ohio
Hi retired one. What great photos and after looking at them I went out on the porch and said. Ladies you need to work a little harder. We will see. Smile
Hey, finally! Spring has sprung up there! We're close to cutting our grass for the first time, if it ever stops raining.
Can I come to the gardening class with you? Sounds like so much fun!!
Bev: Thanks...I just took the photos,they were 3 different neighbor's crocuses. Only the little blue ones are mine. But I will plant some crocuses this fall for sure.
Carol: I love gardening, but it is hard work, for sure. I raked all day yesterday and today and boy am I sore!!
Lynn: Yeah! I still have some things on my list to complete before it is officially spring though. ha It would be such fun to take you with me to class...if you have any questions you'd like me to ask him, let me know!!
The class sounds like so much fun. My husband and I used to be into gardening at our old house. We had two water gardens. I loved it. I thought our yard would be like that here, but no. He is obsessed with camping now.
thanks for tagging me, ha ha. I will be working on that a long time since the last people I tagged don't do tags but I will answer my questions. Your flower pictures are just absolutely beautiful and I love your house!!! I am so jealous.
Hey pick out your favorite pics and upload them here:
http://www.weather.com/photos/?from=gn_six_welcome
Your photographs are wonderful! The crocus are stunning! I believe ( my best guess) is that your little blue flower is Glory of the Snow real name..Chionodoxa luciliae they grow from a bulb.. in Zone 4..reddish looking stems.. and should readily take off and multiply for you! I used to have a Green House business..and went back to school late in life and took a whole bunch of Horticulture classes..I loved being a student.. If you have any questions just holler.. I especially like Perennials:)
Two Greyhound Town: Water gardens sound fascinating, I have never tried that. Maybe you could bring it up to him and he would do it again? It would be a nice break from camping every weekend, no? ha
Grannyann: I will be interested in your answers!
I loved taking the photos and thanks about the house. We love it here. Is the website you mentioned a photography contest?
Far Side: Thanks! And thanks for the name of the flower! I will pick your brain LOTS in the future now that I know you are an expert! I love perrenials too! We are Zone 3 here, so our growing season is super short!
These photos are simply wonderful. The house seems to fit right in with the first one. When the flowers came up, the colors jumped right out at me after the series of browns and grays. If the little blue flowers are the same as mine, Sharkbytes found out they are scilla siberica, I have yet to thank her. I've seen houses almost like yours on my hikes and dreamed of having one of my own. Wonderful place!
Beautiful pictures!
You'll have to share tips with us from your gardening class. I love perennials. There pretty and you don't have to plant new one each year (that's about the extent of my knowledge, sad huh)
Gosh, I just love the colors of the crocuses! Wow. We don't have any flowers here just yet but the greens are coming up from the soils so it shouldn't be much longer. You have a very pretty house.
Ratty: Thanks! The flowers are called Glory of the Snow, thanks to another reader (Far Side of Fifty) telling me. I looked them up and they are indeed the ones. I love when I can ask my fellow bloggers...you all are a wealth of knowledge!
Yeah: Thanks. I will certainly share tips with my readers as I learn them. I have a few already I will post about soon. I have another class tonight, so I am learning more!
Michele: Aren't they something? The purples and yellows together are so fitting for Easter! Thanks on the compliment on the house. We love it too.
Cool! I have never been up north in the spring. Jealous of the flowers! My lilac has buds, I just have to be patient.
Maniacal: You would love it when it is late spring up here..when the leaves come out they are the most bright,brilliant light green! And then we get yellow and purple wild flowers (and white Trilliums) on the forest floors....really nice.
Then for two weeks, we get lots of bugs! But then they die down a bit and you can go out in the woods more again.
Looks similar to NH - Spring has Sprung!!
Melissa: Yes! Finally! Although we had 4 days of glorious weather and today it was only in the 30's and raining. I am afraid we are going to get snow tonight! (groan!)
i live in the tropical philippines, i find it very lovely when springs started in your place where snow started to meltdown (i have not seen snow actually in my entire life only in tv hehehe,)and flowers started to bloom like those beautiful pictures u have. i have not seen those beautiful flowers in my place maybe we are at opposite end of the world and we have our own different variety.
in my house i have bonsai trees which i addicted to it.
Deejay: Are you new to my blog? If you haven't already, please become a FOLLOWER..we would love to have you join us!~
I love to see posts from your part of the world too...bonsai trees are awesome!
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