Just when the winter got to be too much last year, we went to Spring Alive! at the Zoo and saw green plants and beautiful flowers to warm my heart:

It’s always nice to stop and appreciate how cool the Zoo is:

Anyway, not long after that, the first signs of spring were visible in the yard: crocus poking up through the mulch:

Crocus in bloom:

My most anticipated spring happening was the growth of my allium bulbs. Â I believe I have started quite the fad amongst copycat neighbors who want in on the magic that is allium. Here’s the first appearance of my allium plants:
Around the same time, the daffodils and these cool tulips bloomed:
Soon the allium plants had produced quite a bit of greenery and the flower buds were finally discernible:

As the bud started to open, it was pretty creepy looking:

But then, it started to look a little more acceptable:

I actually planted 3 different varieties of Allium along the side here – two very similar looking purple varieties and a white variety. Â The white flowers were significantly behind the purples in development:

Once the white flowers caught up, the allium flowers were stunning:



The only problem with allium is that the bloom pretty early in May/June and are quickly spent. Â Bossman told me that once the flowers are spent, you can prolong the time you look like a crazy hillbilly by spray-painting the blooms (also note the beautiful Asiatic lilies):

I believe these yellow flowers are technically also allium:

Here’s a cool Zebra Primrose bloom:

Yellow columbine with woodland phlox in the background:
The backyard bed prior to mulching:

A cool little friend:

The back corner bed looked pretty good:

Cool toad lily:
Awesome multicolor coneflower:

Balloonflowers:

Balloonflowers in context:

The PeeGee Hydrangea looked awesome for the 3 minutes before the flowers were too heavy for the branches of the plant to hold them up:

We finally got patio furniture. Â It is great! (minus the fact that Kim convinced me that I needed to waterproof the cushions, which basically ruined them):

So lush:

The Jacob Cline monarda (beebalm) was crazy tall, colorful, and unique-looking:

I grew several elephant ears from the corm/tuber/bulb (whatever the appropriate word is), but I did buy this one pre-grown and it was worth it:

This year, I had ONE hydrangea bloom on all of my existing hydrangea plants (for those keeping track at home, this is ONE more than I have the past few years). Â It was on the plant next to the dryer vent, so thank you, dryer, for your heat lost to the environment that kept my one flower bud alive:
More yard stuff soon (I know you’re excited).