Spring actually is here! I am basing this on the fact that not only do I have a garden full of blooming stuff, but I have wonderful, wonderful hayfever as well.
Here are some photos of my grape hyacinths with bees checking them out:
My tulips were a bit tardy this year, thanks to the cold winter – but they have managed to produce more buds and blooms than usual, thanks to the WET winter.
I also have some very pretty blooming weeds in my ‘lawn’ (*yes, it’s ALL weeds. Please don’t tell anyone*). There is a dandelion, an unidentified but lovely pink-flowering weed, and our hayfever-inducing favorite, mustard weed:
I usually only have one or two Aliums come up, but this year, I have a BUNCH, and most of them have buds:
My outdoor in-ground cacti seem to be doing very well. They are plumping up now that it is warmer, and some of them have some nice buds! Right now, all the buds I can see are on Echinocereus species (Hedgehog cactus, for you laypeople). Below is one of my Echinocereus triglochidiatus (claret cup) clumps, with a photo of a bud, and a bug that is MUCH too close to the bud:
Here are two of my Echinocereus viridiflorus v. viridiflorus. These two plants will be the first cacti of the spring to bloom.
…and finally, there is Echinocereus ‘Pinky’. He’s a hybrid, and is doing very well in my front flowerbed. He even put out a bud. I can’t wait to see what his flowers look like!
Opuntia basilaris v. aurea made it through the winter, and is trying to grow a LOT of new ears:
The new-ish trees in our yard (4 yellow buckeyes and 2 horse chestnuts) are not doing as well as I had hoped. This was a long, COLD winter, and they had only been in the ground for one year prior. So far, only 2 yellow buckeyes have leaves, and neither of the horse chestnuts do. Here is one of the yellow buckeyes.
Thanks for looking at my flowers!
Always a pleasure viewing your plants, Katie. I hope to start an outside Echinocereus bed this year.
Bill
Thanks, Bill. I love my outdoor cacti. There is no worry of mealies, no need for care over the winter, etc. I highly recommend having an Echinocereus bed. They do very well through the winter, plump right back up in the spring, and have gorgeous flowers!
Hey Kate,
Thems is good lookin’ flowers. I’ve not yet seen any bees or hummingbirds, but they’re probably just right around the corner getting their visas.
I think we’re still a few weeks away up here in Rose Hill for flowering. Down in Kamloops (about 1100 feet lower) there are tulips coming up. Anyway, it’s supposed to be 24C by Friday – ooh la la, it’s Springtime for Jeffy and Canady!
Good looking and very colorful Spring specimens. After the colorless cold months it’s nice to see what Cactus Kate has cooking up in her garden to show us. Really makes you want to get outside.
Garden tours are such fun! I love them all. It’s always amazing to see gorgeous tulips, daffodils and hyacinths rising in spring, especially when there are more than remembered from the previous year. Your spring garden has outdone itself!
Jeff – WOW! That’s pretty warm! That’s been about the same as our high temps here for the last 2 weeks. Happy spring, and I hope your flowers are plentiful!
Uncle Doug – It’s been beautiful here for the last couple of weeks. It DOES make one want to get outside. I have been trying to keep up with the weeds in the gardens, but I think I am falling behind.
Sonja (AKA ‘mom’) – There are a whole BUNCH of those hot-pink colored tulips this morning, too, but I didn’t take any photos of those.
hi Katie. Wonderful photos as usual. The only cacti that over winter here are the prickly pears that bloom wonderfully for one week My grape hyacinths are just about done but i have lots of daffodils in bloom and my 85 year old neighbor just gave me four more varieties that I have planted. Isn’t it amazing how different plants grow in different parts of our land and some tough ones grow in every state. I heard someone say that marigolds should have been our national flower as they can grow in all 50 states. do you have any?
yeah!!! and wow!!!! what gorgeous pics. glad to see spring is finally in your neck of the woods. thanks for sharing the spring beauty. now, the only thing more exciting is that i know that it is heading my way
. unfortunately, that also means work 
— but looking forward to time outside. enjoy your spring!
Hi Katie, I too am sooooo thrilled that spring has sprung! Last year Mike gave me a Wildflower Seed Mix that I casually distributed in Sept. Now, there are tiny little sprouts popping up everywhere… I love discovering the new additions to the yard. Thanks for sharing!
Peace, Love & Happiness, Magpie
I love the honey bee on your grape hyacinth. I’m glad the buckeyes are happy! The only flowers in my yard so far are weeds. Hooray for spring!!!!!!!!!
I gotta thank you, with all the gorgeous picts John is finally converted enough to let me plant a carpet of flowers (probably simple like camomile and a few others) at the base of our potted dwarf fruit trees. I’ll try and post a few picts in the next few weeks on the family blog to let people see how the poor babies survived the winter…now that they are definitely greening up that is.
Maybe that way you can all see how potted blueberries do as well now that they are definitely “reaching”…
Hi, all!
Lorraine – I used to have marigolds, and I decided that I wanted that bed to lay fallow for a year or so, so I let EVERYTHING die off, including marigolds. Now I wish I had them back!
Amber – I knew spring would eventually get there! Hope you enjoy it, and aren’t working TOO hard!
Maggie – NICE! Would love to see your wildflowers when they bloom! Happy spring!
Dana – Thanks! I always like the bees, too. They check me and the camera lens out a bit, but never attack, or threaten. I have LOTS of blooming weeds right now, too…that’s where the allergies come from! Where would we be without allergens?!
Rachel – Congrats! …and thanks for your compliments on my photos! I love my flowers. I can’t wait to see your little plants! Do your kids like the flowers too?
Katie, Nice photos. I really like that pale pink tulip.My yellow tulips are in full bloom now and my Lillies are just breaking dirt. This is such a beautiful time of year with the flowering trees and shrubs and the leaves on my oak tree are just coming in as well. Happy Spring!