It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart. ~Rilke
Even though we have had light snow all day on this vernal equinox, the garden is unfolding into spring. Bloom started with the snowdrops at the end of January, followed by tommy crocus. Last week Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’ added its deep purple notes to the pink and purple flowers of hellebores. Forsythia began blooming yesterday, along with the delicate golden flowers of Lindera benzoin, the host plant for spicebush swallowtail butterflies. Every day brings another bloom, spring is truly here.
Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis)
Crocus tommasinianus
Forsythia
Spicebush (LIndera benzoin)
Pink hellebore
Purple hellebore
Hellebore ‘Onyx Odyssey’
Blush pink hellebore
Glory of the snow
Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’
Pink glory of the snow
Pulmonaria ‘Bertram Anderson’
Sedums and lemon thyme
composerinthegarden 
I had to read this one since you quoted Rilke, one of my very favorite poets. Lovely.
Thank you, Cynthia. I love Rilke too. I have a very interesting CD, Ancient Towers, where some of his poems are read by Meryl Streep and some are sung by jazz vocal group New York Voices. Here’s a link: https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Tower-Poetry-Rainer-Maria/dp/B000002M7P?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0
I look forward to listening, thank you kindly.
Beautiful delicate blossoms that you captured.
Thank you, Jean. We’re in a new bloom cycle; I hope to post about it in a few days. Thanks for stopping by!
Spring is a wonderful time isn’t it. Colourful and full of new life. You have captured some gorgeous photos. 🙂
Thank you, Otto; it has been very beautiful here this spring! I hope you are enjoying spring in your part of the world.
I do enjoy spring – and what’s left of winter as well. 🙂
I just found you Spring post…The flowers so tender and fresh really speak of spring renewal.
Forsythia has always seem seemed to be a herald of spring with it’s yellow flower on leafless branches.
Love the Rile quote too.
We are definitely in the “tender and fresh” stage of spring, Carol. It has been very mild weather here, and everything is blooming early. The birds are singing, bees buzzing – spring is wonderful! And Rilke is one of my favorite poets 🙂
Snowdrops – one of the true harbingers of Spring. Over here in the UK, Snowdrops are just about over, Forsythia is in flower but sadly no signs of Hellebores near me – we moved last autumn and I used to love those graceful blooms.
Mine are almost done too, Andy – I love seeing them. Mine bloomed at the end of January this year, which is a record here. Spring without hellebores would be difficult, they make such a great show.
I saw crocuses popping up in the Chicago area roughly two weeks ago, and daffodils are blooming in central Indiana. All of this seems about three weeks ahead of “normal” (if there is such a thing anymore).
It may be the “new normal” Kerry, but I don’t think so. When we moved here in 2001, we had a very mild winter – I was still digging garden beds in December! This is the first winter since then that is like that – I was still planting bulbs this year over Christmas break. Most of our other winters have ranged from dismal to a constant state of blizzards. As a gardener, I enjoy the occasional gift of a mild winter and early spring 🙂
Wasn’t there a winter–about four years ago, I want to say–that was record breaking in terms of warmth? I remember seeing bees–bees!–buzzing around blooming crocuses on the last day of January in Indiana.
Kerry, you are exactly right, there was that strange winter, but I wouldn’t consider it a mild winter. It jumped between extremes several times – a week of 70-80º temps and then a plunge to -0º with no snow or a foot of snow. It was very hard on plants, especially trees and shrubs; my forsythias started to bloom in January and then were knocked back hard and never bloomed in the spring. I think of a mild winter as one that has few extremes and higher than normal temps throughout the season, resulting in an early but fairly normal spring. That’s what we seem to be having this year and it is a joy. Hopefully, we won’t have a plunge into bitter temps late in spring!
. . .and I, for one, couldn’t be happier! I LOVE SPRING! So glad you and your garden are returning, because as you know, I am one of your biggest fans. Looking forward to more photos of the loveliness that I am sure is to come.
Me too, Eleanor. Let’s all say it together – I LOVE SPRING! You must be in the middle of spring in your warmer climate – I hope you are enjoying it in your new digs.
Life has been very busy for me but I’m hoping to post more regularly now that the days are growing longer. Thanks for your kind comments, as always.
An elegant foretaste of delights to follow.
Thank you, Tootlepedal. I hope you are starting to enjoy spring in your part of the world.
Nearly. 🙂
So sweet and tender and beautiful, Lynn! Not happening here, yet, but soon, I think. I love having a preview in your beautiful spaces. Thank you, and spring blessings to you and yours.
Thank you, Kitty. We are about 3 weeks early for bloom here, which is a delightful early end to winter. I hope you will be able to enjoy the bloom in your garden soon. Even a single crocus is enough to make me smile 🙂
How beautiful, Lynn! Spring is starting to party in your garden. 🙂
That’s a great way to put it, Robin, and what a lovely party it is!
We all rejoiced in the mild winter and now in early blooms. How lovely are the much awaited spring flowers! 🙂
I hope to find Lindera for our new garden; it is hard to find though.
We had the same conditions here, diversifolius, and it was “winter lite” for sure 🙂 I have previously bought Lindera from mail order sources but now some of our local native nurseries and the local Audubon Society plant sales are starting to carry it. I definitely have a much larger population of Spicebush Swallowtail butterflies since I’ve planted this; I have three more to add this spring.
Ah Lynne, these are lovely, pure expressions of that earliest Spring season I love so much. We’re farther along here, having had a very early start, but the happy thing is that the Pacific Northwest has a long Spring. None of that quick heating up that New York gets. I love the Iris reticulata! And you managed to give the hellebores a softness that I don’t usually see in them with these raindrop-sprinkled photos. And the little Scilla – they used to come up in my lawn. I miss that! You’ve done everything justice, and more. Thank you.
Thank you, Lynn. Spring has been early here too, and I’ve been enjoying it immensely. The color of the hellebores has been unusually clear and beautiful this year – what a welcome flower this time of year! Those aren’t raindrops but melted snow! We’re having a cold spell but it is supposed to warm up in a few days. A very mellow winter here for a change 🙂
March hasn’t been much of a lion, so time has allow to put a bit of a spring in the step. Then again, time is running out on a roar – but a smaller roar can still deliver damage …. however, I don’t think it will happen (the damage).
You’re right, Frank – March made a lovely lamb-like entrance – let’s hope it goes out that way too! We’ve had such a mild winter here; the blooms are all 2 to 3 weeks early but I’m not complaining 🙂