April Smiles in the Nest

 April is such a happy month in the garden of Robin's Nest. It's a time when flowers pop up constantly, while the blooms start getting bigger and bolder than the early ones. 

The weather has been rainy and slightly cool, so trying to get the garden ready for planting has been a challenge. I've been grabbing small bits of time whenever I could, so when last weekend turned summery, we worked hard doing prep work. But for a gardener, yard work is actually enjoyable. The summery weather didn't last though, and today we got rained out from our usual Saturday yard work. Darn it! 

We're coming on the frost free date here in central Ohio. The "official" date is listed as May 15, but I generally plant the second weekend of May regardless. Because I buy so many different annuals for planting, it takes me awhile to gather everything I need, so I start buying plants before it's safe to actually plant them. Little by little, my sunny kitchen fills with plants! But meanwhile, the spring plants are outside blooming away, vying for my attention, which I gladly give. 

Sometimes I could swear that April is just a time for garden eye candy. 

The flowering trees are in glorious bloom in central Ohio. I have a few of these bloomers, but it just isn't enough. 

And then there are the tulips, the queens of my spring garden. I don't know why I am so crazy about tulips,  but they make my flower-loving heart sing the song of spring. I wish they would reliably return to my garden each spring, but since they don't, I have to replant every autumn. It's not an easy chore, but worth every moment, for me anyway. 

I was "hired" to make the two blankets below, so I didn't get to keep these. But as usual, I had fun making them. And I didn't catch but one sunset all month. In the spring, the sun sets in an awkward spot, and it's hard to catch. Soon it will swing around to my front porch, and I'll take more sunset shots again.

Thanks for stopping by Robin's Nest! I appreciate all of you. 

Welcome April!

If you ever chat with gardeners, you may find that we often carry on about how delightful the current month is in the garden. As each month arrives, it becomes our new favorite. Right now, April is my favorite month! But seriously, it is pretty hard to beat. Here in central Ohio, April is the month that flowers begin to arrive in earnest.

April is also a month of rapid changes in my garden. When I look back at my monthly photo file, I see we started out with just a few flowers and a faded lawn. But by month's end, the grass has transitioned to a rich, deep green, and new flowers appear almost daily. It's best not to miss a single day of checking for fresh blooms.

But it hasn't been all warmth and sunshine this month, that's for sure. However, there's one good thing about cool weather in the spring garden, it makes the bulb blooms last much longer.

Not all the April flowers come from bulbs, but I'd say most do. Still, I've seen hellebores, primrose, and brunnera all in bloom this month, and of course pansies and violets.

The blooming trees have been especially gorgeous this year, all over town. I've got the dreaded ornamental pear and my beloved redbud to show off myself. My crabapples have started to bloom, but they aren't doing well this year. I think they have a disease. Sure hope they can be saved.

But it's really all about the tulips this time of year. I dearly love tulips! Most of them I treat as annuals, but sometimes I get lucky and see repeat blooms.

Cooler weather has allowed me to enjoy extended bloom time this year. I'm delighted! I especially like these coral colored beauties, as they've been blooming for nearly two weeks. I don't often allow orange in my garden, but I'm glad I broke my rules for these. I intend to continue breaking the rules, as these have become a new favorite.

It's not that I have anything against orange, I actually love it. But my garden theme colors are pink, purple and yellow. That's why most of my tulip colors look more like this.

Tomorrow is May 1st, so soon I'll be saying that May is the best month in my garden. I'll have my containers all planted, the roses will bloom, bearded iris will arrive, and many other surprises await. But for now, April is my very favorite!