Gardening and Gardens

Spring has finally sprung in my Long Island garden and all my hard work planting 200 bulbs last fall is finally paying off! Some of the bulbs are in full bloom, others are still sending up shoots. Each day there is something new to see and it's all very exciting to watch unfold. In the photo above, a group of Tete-a-Tete daffodils are happily mingling with purple hyacinth.  Clumps of crocus are all over the property - some deep purple, some white and some purple and white! And the lovely chinodoxa (Glory of the Snow), smiling happily upwards. This Lenten Rose is one of three plants I planted last year. The delicious pink hue of Helleborus 'Cotton Candy' brightens my day. Looking forward to more and more blooms and new growth as the month wears on. Hope you are enjoying your gardens were you are! Head on over to May Dreams Gardens blog for a look at what's blooming around the country today.

April showers bring May flowers... Everything here is just on the cusp of blooming and today's rain showers will no doubt help them along. Spring has definitely sprung and it's wonderful to see something new in bud every day. Here's what's blooming in my Long Island, NY garden this month: I planted this Helleborus "Cotton Candy" (Lenten Rose) last year, late in the season, along with the Chinodoxa bulbs. I am so happy to see them both blooming! The daffodils have started to bloom. I love the small heads of these type with the orange trumpets. And no matter how much clean up I do, I still find oak leaves everywhere! These white tulips are a few days away from bloom. Behind them, the Endless Summer Hydrangeas are starting to show signs of life.  New this year are these cheery Primrose. A blast of color in the cool, early spring days. More Chinodoxa, complete with rain drops! (Read more about these here ) I love spring - seeing all the ne...

100,000 bulbs, over 500 varieties in bloom. With beautifully landscaped grounds and so many things blooming, this garden reminded me of Keukenhof in Lisse, Holland. But it was actually the private home of my friend Deb Van Bourgondien on Long Island. Debbie is the executive vice president of Van Bourgondien and Sons, which sells bulbs via its Van Bourgondien catalog and website dutchbulbs.com . Every fall she plants more and more bulbs on her property - a task I'm sure her neighbors thank her for every spring. Pulling into the driveway I was met with a sea of yellow daffodils, beds of tulips and two enormous cedar trees. The side bed was anchored by two gorgeous Saucer Magnolia trees ( Magnolia x Soulangiana ) in full bloom. Because of all the different varieties, the bloom times were different. Each bed had some tulips or daffodils that were blooming, some that were still in bud and others that had just finished. Everywhere I walked, some...

Daffodils are popping up everywhere around town these days. Some are all yellow, others are white with yellow middles and still others are yellow with orange middles. Some have long, tubular trumpets, others have short, round trumpets. Some plants are tall and slender, others look like miniature versions. To me, all are beautiful. Many people wonder what the difference is between a daffodil and a narcissus. In a word... nothing. Daffodil is the common name for the plant, while Narcissus is the Latin/botanical name for the genus. Occasionally, I'll hear someone refer to this plant as a jonquil. But jonquil refers to a specific kind of narcissus and not a correct term for the group in general. True jonquils usually have several, very fragrant flower heads, to one stem.  Symbolizing rebirth and new beginnings, the daffodil is virtually synonymous with spring. I think the miniature varieties are so cute, especially when they are planted with the vibrant blue Scilla...

Signs of spring were spotted in a greenhouse display recently! Love the plant and color combinations here.

I looked out the window this morning and actually saw...the lawn! Yes, after about 2 months of snow cover, I can now see patches of grass. Mind you, it's still matted down and brown, but it's there! With temperatures flirting with 50 degrees, I was on a hunt to spot some signs of spring. Lo and behold, I found some. Yeah!  Two little daffodil sprouts More daffodils and tulips May 15 is considered the last-frost date here. So we still have a while to go, but at least the early spring bulbs are starting to emerge. It made me so happy to see these and now I simply can't wait for ALL the snow to disappear!