Buds and Blooms

It's almost difficult to keep up with the spurts of growth I'm seeing daily.  These past few days have brought sunshine and happily budding plants.

 

JANE MAGNOLIA

Magnolia liliflora

This is my only magnolia planted about 5 years ago as a decent sized balled and burlap.  'Jane' magnolia blooms a lovely pinkish bloom in spring a bit later than other magnolia varieties but hardy for my zone 4.
I'm lucky if I see 3 to 4 blossoms each year as the deer do a good job of 'pruning' her back on a regular basis.
Here a few buds have escaped the nibblers and, with any luck, will show off in a few weeks.  If you look close enough, you can make out the nibbled tip of the stem in the background.  Yummy.



One of my favorite shrubs is dwarf fothergilla.  I have 2 of them; one by the front walkway and the other in Whitney's garden out back.  This plant is a show stopper early spring when it bursts with fragrant white bottlebrush flowers that are so soft to the touch I find them irresistible.  These early buds are a promise of good things to come. 

Fothergilla gardenii

This particular photo is of the fothergilla in Whitney's garden.
The conifer on the right side of the photo is Swiss Stone Pine  'Pinus cembra'.



 Pulmonaria is the first perennial plant to bloom in the garden.  
I brought two little clumps that I dug up from the overgrown perennial display bed at the garden center where I worked probably 10 years ago and it now occupies the entire west side of the house.  

Pulmonaria 'Lungwart'

While I don't know which variety; this lovely shade loving plant shows off flowers that range in pinks and violets.  And who could resist those spots!
The plant has been used for centuries as a medicinal herb.   I just look at it and go gaga.




I took this photo of this tight yellow clump of daffodils in the front yard by the stone wall.
 I immediately imagined a race to the finish..

                        "And.... it's Daffy's Delight by a nose"