Easter Morning

We woke up to a beautiful sunny morning on Easter Sunday and the temp was already almost 60.  Evan bounded into our room happily waking us up to go look into his easter basket.  Among all the chocolates and candy, that crazy rabbit left my son a boomerang, and he was bouncing for joy.   Having bought some muffins the night before from a bakery, we took them out to the porch with our coffee to watch Evan give his new toy a throw....needless to say, it did not come back to him.  Evan ran around the yard about twenty times to retrieve the boomerang after every throw, and finally joined us to eat his chocolate chip muffin.  It was a nice start to Easter.
The sky is overcast today and the temps are staying cool.  I was hoping to get into the ground today and rip out more sod.  I have a lot of projects needing my attention, but I hate working in the cold dampness.  So, I took a few pictures instead.

<--  The hyacinths are growing right along.  This is one little mound of them, their buds swelling, waiting for the sunshine to open them up.  I can't get enough hyacinths, they are awesome for early spring fragrance.

<-- The tulips are also coming along.  The new bulbs that were put in during the fall are coming in a little more slowly, but they too, are showing themselves for the first time.  I can't wait to see all the different varieties in beautiful bloom.  Heck, I can't wait to see more sunshine in full bloom.  It is truly a wet spring.

Spring is just an anxious time of year.  As seen here in this picture, everything is still so empty and barely awake.  I know I mentioned the elevation in the last post being a bit of a down side for me.  I went into town yesterday (only 3 minutes away) and as soon as I go down the hill, I see hyacinths, daffodils, and tulips alive with color and blooms.  ...and mine ...well.... you see them, sweetly taking their time.  So one good thing is that once the spring blooms in town disappear, mine are just looking beautiful, and people wonder what I do to keep them lasting so long.  Do I smile and lie? .... no, actually I do not.  My flowers are on their own timing, never mine.
There are not very many rules that I follow when it comes to my garden.  Some people want to know the precise time to fertilize, the precise amount of watering per plant, the precise amount of mulch, the right plant to put next to your favorite rose bush, etc.  Sometimes, this is rather important, but not always.  There is no method to getting a beautiful garden.  So many of my own successes have been through good old trial and error.  I'm not afraid to learn as I go, and fix the mistakes I've made along my way.  One year a certain plant will look nice where you just placed it, but the following year, you realize it will be better somewhere else .... so move it.  (I will add in that transplanting should  be done with caution and some rules.  Early spring or Autumn are best times for moving most plants....avoid moving a plant while it is in bloom or about to bloom).  But as for design, style, etc.... I seldom know what I'm about to do until I'm doing.  My ideas evolve as I'm moving, picking up and finding rocks, stones, pebbles, and driftwood.  It is a constant piece of art that never seems to reach an end.  Even as I begin ripping sod in a new area for another bed, my mind will still be on my very first and main bed...... and what else to put in it to help fill it in more.....or what to divide to help fill in the new space, and hence creating a new empty space in the first .........  haha.  Yes, the garden is a busy place and will keep you working daily on it, therefore if you truly want a large, lush garden..... Here is the golden rule..... always plant your heart inside of it first.