Spring Plants/Yard

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.  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.  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.  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.  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).  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).