GARDEN NOTES

I've been gone for a few days visiting my daughter in California. In that short amount of time, the first blooms in my garden have appeared. I love this time in the garden when the first beginnings of life unfold. Everyday there is excitement of something new. This first picture is of a dwarf iris. My husband and I planted these 15 years ago and they have never done well. We planted two dozen of these in purple and yellow, but we only see maybe 1 or 2 of them bloom each year. At the end of the summer last year I ripped out an ugly sage plant that was just totally unruly. It was in the spot where this yellow iris is. Maybe it has been blooming all this time but was covered up by the ugly plant. Seeing it makes me so happy that I got rid of the sage. Well worth my effort. So the moral of this story is don't be afraid to prune. Here are the first daffodils to bloom. Loads more to come in different colors. Someone told me once that daffodils are a symbol of hope. I love that thought.

Tiny grape hyacinths that must have come from the heavens because we never planted any of these. The deer love them so I'm glad I got this shot before the deer come and munch them.

"These days the portion of Eden for which I am responsible is fairly modest...It is a small house in a small garden in a small neighborhood. But it is large enough...Large enough to hold everything dear."--from Digging In by Robert Benson