I'm Still Giddy

EVERY SINGLE DAY WHEN I walk the borders of my garden I see change. Plants are growing so fast, the evidence is unmistakable. It's such a delight to see fresh leaves inching their way upward. And if that's not enough, I'm also seeing surprises like seedlings from plants I allowed to go to seed. I've even spotted a few plants that I thought were goners. Just today I spotted my Phlox 'Becky Towe' making a comeback. I thought she died last year. And last weekend I found a little Rodgersia leaf on a plant that disappeared two years ago. 

My Spider Azalea is in full bloom now.

It wasn't long ago that I posted photos of my hanging straw flowers that survived the winter. They were full of buds.

One month ago. 

Check it out now.

Straw flower in full bloom. 

I enlisted the help of one of my daughters and we painstakingly removed all of the old, tattered leaves off my Loropetalum. I think once it leafs out and blooms it will look much prettier.

Look at all those buds.

I've noticed lots and lots of baby ferns in one section of my garden.
Aren't they pretty?

Here is the aforementioned Rodgersia leaf.
It's a little work of art. 

Thanks to many seedlings I've not got a whole bunch of
Aquilegia 'Woodside Strain.' I'm not thrilled with the dark purple flowers
but I love the foliage.

A few days ago, I noticed that my tulips looked like they'd been eaten off. Deer, I thought. But in almost 15 years, deer have only managed to get through the gate one time. I looked closer at the buds and realized that they weren't actually eaten but just have flat tops.

Tulip bulbs I planted late (January) caught up and are right on schedule.
They're beginning to bloom.

Below are my babies. They're getting so big.

Nala and Taz. 

And finally, I've mentioned this on Facebook and my writing blog. My book is coming along. I'm working on edits with my publisher and the cover is finished. It's getting exciting.

Happy gardening, everybody!