A Lovely Spring, So Far

Lovely daffodils so sunny and bright!! These popped up
as soon as the snow melted.

Lynwood Gold Forsythia came into bloom and
so far gets better with each passing day -
 the blooms will soon be replaced with
a restful green that I love in the hot summer time.

Flowering Quince. This has been a slow grower but is
 stunning this year!

I planted a Variegated Privet at the same time as
the Flowering Quince - it really took off!

I love stone! I cleaned out this flower bed
that has Drift roses, Loropetalum fringe flower shrubs and
a few daylilies. I just added the stone to define
the bed.

Went Snapdragon shopping. I didn't
get any seeds sown this year. 

Purchased some tomato plants as well - Heirloom
varieties - Cherokee Purple and Rutgers. I'm
planting them in pots this year to see if I get a better
yield.
For last couple of years the tomatoes
didn't produce much. I've never
tried the Cherokee Purple. 

New azalea that I bought for the front yard.

Elaeagnus shrubs are still
progressing for my living fence. I
am still replacing a few at time
that didn't survive the heatwave we had in 2012.

The snapdragons are adding some
color to the garden. I think we are having
a late spring. Usually this time of
year the heirloom variety of iris are blooming.
I don't have buds on ANY of the iris yet.

Bridal Wreath Spirea Shrub. This is
new to the garden. My experimental
shade garden under the large
cedar tree had lots of
plant deaths. I moved all
the daylilies to a sunnier spot. All the
camellias died along with a few of the azaleas.
There are two remaining azaleas.

Added some Blue Delphinium here

Spanish Lavender

Thought maybe this new succulent might grow around the stone

Red Knockouts coming along - also a Redbud Tree blooming
across the road

A bit of whimsy on the well house

Put a few Snapdragons in this bed

New bird house I put on top of the clothes line.
I love bird houses

Succulents

My granddaughter went with me to the garden
center and this is what she picked out. I've never
really looked much at succulents - but this all looks quit nice
together. She did a good job of picking these out. Later she wants
to add some miniature cactus.
The plants are Flapjack Kalanchoe luciae and String of Buttons
 and the two on the bottom-
 we are not sure - they didn't
 come with labels, but after looking on the internet
I think Tricolor Stonecrop Sedum spurium 'Tricolor' 
and Blue carpet sedum. 

Update to last post - RV has been moved
out of the backyard!

I bought this shrub last spring (Loropetalum "Purple Diamond"). 
It survived the summer
and now it's in bloom. I love it.

Texas Mission Almond tree. My daughter and
son-in-law bought this tree for me at
Christmas time a year ago by mail-order. I didn't
even bother to photograph it last
year, as it looked like a small stick. It has
just bloomed and is looking more like a tree.

A Few New Additions

Dwarf Asiatic Lily "Tiny Bell"

Veronica "Red Fox"

Loropetalum "Purple Diamond"
I thought these shrubs make a
nice contrast with the beige color of the
house.