Sweet April Showers

 Sweet April showers

Do spring May flowers
 Thomas Tusser

 At last, all the snow melted. I was so tired of seeing the white stuff coming down each time I looked through the window ...

April 1st Snowfall

I much prefer seeing the beautiful white crocuses pictured in my lead photograph. It rained all this week, and I took the crocus photograph today, between showers. Although it is still very cold, I actually started the spring cleanup on Monday. It is too wet for planting, but OK for raking and tidying.

Last weekend, H.H. and I went to our first garden center this year. We attended a seminar, 'How to Open the Fishpond,' at Albanese Garden and Pond Specialists. After the workshop I went into the greenhouse. I didn't buy anything, but couldn't resist taking pictures of FLOWERS and GREEN STUFF. It's been a long winter.

The Greenhouse at Albanese.

There are some flowers in my shade garden, as the beautiful hellebores are in bloom ...

Helleborus 'Ivory Prince'

Other hellebores are still in bud. I am sorry I don't know the names of them ...

Helleborus

More Hellebore Buds.

On this day last year the temperature hit 90 degrees and my daffodils were in full bloom. You can see pictures and read about them here. Today, the temperature is in the 40s, and the daffodils are not quite ready to open ...

I am disappointed that I have no daffodil flowers, yet, as they were blooming in our church garden on Sunday. Although only a couple of miles away, our house is at a higher altitude, and the weather is often harsher here. My forsythia shrub is very late to flower and so are the scilla (grape hyacinths).

On our way home from church, we spotted skunk cabbage in the creek. We listened for the sound of peepers, but didn't hear them on Sunday. Today, for the first time we heard them at the pond on our road. In this part of America, the tiny frogs, spring peepers, are like the cuckoo in England -- a sign of spring that we are excited to hear!

Last year I planted several chartreuse colored heuchera in the shade garden. I chose them because the leaves brighten the dark, shady area. Today, I was happy to see how healthy they look.

Heuchera

In the kitchen garden the rhubarb is flourishing ...

Rhubarb

The chives are shooting up, and I already used some in my cooking ...

Chives

I pushed the straw back to check the strawberries that I planted last year. I believe they survived the winter well ...

Strawberry Frageria 'All star'

There is still plenty of bird activity at the feeder ...

Sparrow

The birds are pairing off and starting to build nests. I watched two wrens carrying nesting materials into one of H.H.'s birdhouses. I was sorry I couldn't get a picture of them. I photographed two crows in the pasture collecting horsehair and straw to line their nest ...

Crows

We are anxiously awaiting the return of the ruby-throated hummingbirds. I have been tracking their progress here. According to their progress map, they have reached this part of Pennsylvania, so I will put out feeders this weekend. I learned this, and so much more, from the Eastern Pennsylvania Phenology blog.

In spite of the rain and the cold temperatures, I put a spring wreath on the front door and a spring 'welcome' slate next to it. (I have wreaths and slates to mark each season.)

Our weather man tells us there is warmer weather on the way. I feel the spring season has finally begun. I hope you are experiencing lovely weather and beautiful flowers in your garden - if not now, but very soon!

Pamela x

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