Early April

The warm and early spring is bringing many different plants into bloom at the same time.  This view shows the Viburnum x Burkwoodi Conoy in full bloom in the front, while the Viburnum x pragense is still in bud, directly behind and a bit to the left in the picture.  But if you know where to look, just to the left behind that, you would notice the new needles emerging on the Dawn Redwood as well as the slight bit of green new leaves on the tall wild cherry.  The Crape Myrtle has waiting a bit before putting out its leaves. 

Unfortunately you can also see, on the right side about 2/3rds up, the light blue paper covering a new house being built on the waterfront.  Like all new construction along the Bay, it stands on 10 foot stilts above the water level, with a two story house on top, so it really sticks up in the air like a sore thumb. 

Here is a close-up of that same viburnum.  When I was taking the picture in the late afternoon, it was swarming with bees, some of which are visible in the photo. This bush has grown to fill its location, and requires careful pruning to keep it within its boundaries.  Fortunately, it responds well to the regular and tight pruning needed, filling in the empty spaces with new growth, and replacing old growth that must be removed.  I could imagine a row of these being used for a dense and flowering hedge.  It would not allow strictly geometric shaping, since there are always new branches growing out, but would be perfect for an informal, irregular, evergreen border.

Looking back to the original picture, you will see a group of yellow daffodils blooming on the left side.  These are in their second year, and have nicely multiplied the number of flowers so they create quite a nice splash of color.  I hope they will be good for 2-3 more years before they will need to be dug up.  I liked them so much, here is a close-up.

Finally, we planted a variety of anemone bulbs, which are providing some nice alternative colors.  I will close with those photos for now.