Laura;

What;s blooming in your neck of the woods ;

In Orland Park-- the crocus are almost done, the crocuses that I planted in my lawn, have been done for 2 weeks already. The Siberian Squill have opened 3 days ago, I have some Daffies that are opening their beautiful yellow throats, the hyacinths are almost ready, buds on Azaleas, Rhodies are growing in size, Magnolia Soulagena
will be open in a day or 2. Yellow Forsythia's are ready to open, Pansies, Viola's , are starting to bloom, Virginia BlueBells are poking thier noses from the soil, copius amount of other rosettes are popping, thus it's a mad rush for the next 2 months of spring, I just love it, something new every day.

later

tadeusz.

Yesterday(Sunday) was one of the most beautiful days I've ever had the joy to experience. It would have been perfect had this day occurred when my gardens are in full bloom, but thats a nitpick.
I was out all day Sat and Sun. cleaning, transplanting, cutting grasses, and basically enjoying being in the garden. I've been getting my 4 year old son involved as well, hoping to cultivate a love for gardening.

Here in Joliet, my crocuses are pretty much done, my Daffs are on the verge of opening, tulips are up 6-8" all over the place, and the Scilla are in full bloom. Oddly enough, the Hyacinths seem slow to come up this year, just starting to pop a few days ago.
My Star Magnolia is looking good, though.
Spring is awesome, isn't it?

Agreed -- amazing day! My only complaint (aside from the one I stated in another post) is that there wasn't time for a bike ride.

I get such a kick out of seeing my clematises start to wake up in spring.

Outside yesterday and today myself too! Not much to cut back now. Left the groundcover roses alone because half of them are probably going to be SP'd to make way for a Don Juan bareroot that is coming in the mail soon...

Discovered that something is munching my tulip leaves that are coming up in the back which made me totally grumpy. Sprayed that with "Deer Away" and am crossing my fingers that some of them eventually bloom. Irises coming up and a few other things that the previous owner planted and I have no idea what they are beyond a single grape hyacinth. Nice surprise.

Potted a couple of California poppies that I brought back from there a few days ago. They look a little poopy from being in my tote bag, but hoping that they perk up in this great weather. (I'm from there, it's a little piece of home.)

Have to get out there tomorrow and really get cracking and move some large perennials. Bareroot roses coming in the next week or so, so I want to be ready when they get here. Hot composter to show up in the mail soon too. Can't find a single one around here but there's a ton of garden furniture in the garden centers. @@ I think that most of the folks here hang out in their yards as opposed to work on them. I'm sure that they're not going to know what hit them if my roses take off! LOL A whole neighborhood filled with large lawns, little green ball bushes and then...me! :D

There seems to be a similar situation in my neighborhood. People do get out. They just don't really garden much. Nothing but a sea of lawn and overgrown yews/junipers around here. Except for my house, of course, which has become somewhat of a spectacle. People always ask me if I do it for a living(I do, actually. I have a degree in Horticulture and work as a Landscape Estimator)I'd love to see some of my neighbors attempt even a 1/4 of what I do, but after 5 years I have come to the realization that I am alone in my love of gardening,at least in my neighborhood.

I have a degree in nursing, but only people, not plants! LOL

I come from a place where about half of the people in the neighborhood are out constantly puttering in their yards, so this is a bit of culture shock. Storebought topiaries on the porch and ChemLawn galore over here. @@

I've seen a couple of patches of bulbs, so perhaps there is hope for others around me, but I'm not holding my breath. Folks here have a fondness for deciduous blooming trees. I don't get the point of just a small spring show. Especially when the summer means plain green and then crappy brown leaves..and winter means stick farms. Fall color is happy too, but there is a lot of other things that one could plant to make the world a bit less...boring.

Do you have any pictures of your 'spectacle' that you'd like to share? I'd love to see it!

I do have some pictures from last summer and fall. I have yet to take any this spring, but I may do so over the next few days with my Magnolia and a couple other things in bloom. The pictures are a tad outdated, as I moved some things around in the fall and already this spring.

Here is a link that might be useful: My garden Pics

What wonderful pictures! I am waiting/hoping for something like that. Just moved down from interior Alaska and a nice big garden into an apartment building, but at least the maintenance superviser is a gardener at heart, too. We are tilling some spots to put in a garden. Yesterday was our first opportunity to start the raking before tilling. I'm planning raised beds. Maybe some year we will be able to buy our own place! I'm a farmer's daughter. The dafodils are just starting to bloom here today.

WOW! No wonder your neighbors are falling over! LOL
What a beautiful job!

Yes, please post more pictures of your spring loveliness when you have the time.

Both yesturday and the day before topped out at 80F in Chicago (cooler along the lake). It was so nice to finally get outside and get some planting and yard cleaning done! I can taste summer!

Back to reality; in the upper 40's.

It's a long way from summer.

Sure, yesterday was cool, but look what we have now. Three days of 60's and sunny. Can't beat that. I'm in no hurry for Summer. Spring is where it's at, my friends.

I'm agreeing with you again. Spring and summer are my favorite seasons. Cool but pleasant sweater weather.

Everything else makes me grumpy! LOL

hep!
my cricuses are almost bloomed out, my first tulip opened today and my crocuses seems to nowere near blooming, I haven't even seen stalks..
The japanese yoshino cherry tree is bloooming it's head off, standing in a HD bucket filled with ST with water...
My garden is a bit slower as it is in halfshade but I can swear the daylillies grew 3 inches on wednesday.
My shrubs, lilac and viburnum have a lot of little fuzzy leaves and looks like they are really ready to go for this season.
Hollyhocks have the coolest leaves..
Mine have been visible for a good while and have a light electric green to them..
In my experience, chicago seem to have very short springs and I hope too that it will stick around a bit longer this year.
It is nice today too, a bit frisky but still a perfect spring day.
Enjoy !
klk

This is my 3rd time in the 80s so far this spring! Once you go a little bit inland it sure warms up!
We have dropped 30F from this time yesturday, which was a balmy 75F.

It is supposed to be amazing again this weekend. I see more things coming to life that I planted last fall (my first fall with a yard). I can't believe they actually came back--probably aren't as fragile as I think they are; artemesia, coreopsis, salvia, Russian sage, Dolchica spirea. All are showing signs of life already.

I have questions about things I never got to . . . should I have cut the lavender & Russian sage down? Should I have cut the peonies all the way down to the ground, and if so, when? I left the stalks on them all winter and then cut them to 2 or 3 inches after the last big snow melted. Now they're coming up amid the stubble. With this spring actually behaving like spring, I really feel like I didn't get stuff done in time--things are growing despite me!!

Lavendar is typically evergreen and does not need to be cut back. Personally, I prefer to have new foliage, so I cut them back in early spring.
Russian Sage can actually be attracive in the winter landscape, depending upon what it is paired up with. Most folks cut it back at the end of the season, but it is perfectly alright to leave it go until spring.
Peonies I cut back in the fall, but there is no harm to leaving them up, outside of aesthetics.
Don't worry too much about things getting out of hand(or control). Ultimately, nature will do what it wants to do. Remember, we are messing with nature, not the other way around.