April Bloom Day Arrives Kicking and Screaming

Wow, what a winter!  Persistent cold, snow, ice right through March and into early April.  Did I say cold?  I was beginning to think I'd never get out in the garden.  Then this past week, that familiar whiff of spring started wafting across my patio.  Early mornings are noticeably more mild.  The bite of the wind seems to be missing a few teeth.  It's time to get excited about the garden again.  But this year I may struggle.

Yesterday, exactly one month shy of his fifteenth birthday, my long time buddy and garden helper Nick was diagnosed with canine diabetes.  Now instead perennial varieties, I am researching insulin varieties and familiarizing myself with terms like glucose curves.  To be honest, I would prefer not to have to know about these things.  I'm feeling apprehensive and overwhelmed but I am committed to doing whatever it takes to provide him the highest possible quality of life for whatever life he has left.

Time in the garden will be my escape.  In the past, Bloom Day has been important in the sense that it forces me to get out poke around and fawn over the fruits of my labor.  Last year I skipped most Bloom Days.  Come winter I regretted it when I had so few pictures to look back on for both planning and enjoyment.  In 2015 I vow to do better!

That being said, the pickens are slim.  Even the Hellebores have been reluctant to show their faces.

Usually Iris reticulata blooms in Mid March here and is done by now unlike Miss Survivor who appears to be here to stay.

 

 

Good old 'Arnold Promise' Witch hazel has been blooming since mid March, within a day of last year.  Too bad I can't seem to capture the effect with a camera.  At certain times of the day it glows.  You'll have to trust me on that I guess.

Chionadoxa has been a reliable bloomer on my front lawn and has also spread to the beds.

 

For those in milder climates this must look bleak.  Let's face it, it is bleak.  Fortunately it explodes relatively quick.  Within a week or two I'll be running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to stay ahead of the curve.  And with any luck I'll be ahead of the glucose curve as well.

 

 

With the addition of the two feral cats I trapped and spayed last fall, I'm now up to three cats.  Another two feral wanna bes have recently taken up residence in the shed window box, and the mother of all of them is ready to deliver her spring litter.  Time to borrow the have a heart traps again.  Through it all though, I think you'll agree that my Twerpster has remained the king and perfect garden accent.

Happy Bloom Day!  If you have a minute, head over to Carol's May Dreams Gardens and see what is blooming in gardens all over the world.

~Sue~