wow trailrunner! Thanks for sharing your season, it is fabulous :)

Beautiful! It makes me want to book a vacation to the south next March/ early April to gawk at both landscape and houses!

Just lov seeing the pics of a " back east" spring. Your setting is so lovely and charming! Hope your dh is healing fast. Thanks for sharing . Any dogwoods?

cat..hey..the forsythia is pretty much finished here..I keep meaning to put some in but my neighbors have some. Glad you liked the pics :)

thank you sasafras !

merrygardener..let me know when you are coming ...you can sit on the porch and have sweet tea and a chat !! thank you for looking.

martin...my dogwoods are SO old that their blooms are not all that great anymore . Most of the dogwood trees in this neighborhood are on their last legs and are falling over or splitting when we have storms. That is a dogwood where the 2 purple rockers are...I forgot to answer above..I painted them purple..they were pale yellow the original color when my neighbor gave them to me...also at the curb that is a dogwood by the front sidewalk and the one at the corner of the lot in picture 2 is a dogwood. Newer varieties are more resistant to disease and drought. Glad you enjoyed the pics . c

it all looks so amazing, truly beautiful !!!

Well, there's ice on everything. There goes the fruit!

I hear ya about not planting more. I ended up doing a cottage rose garden (have 3 waiting to be planted) and they just take care of themselves. I hope the drought is over though.

thank you mitch !

oh no oakley...I was afraid of that..I kept checking your weather. That is so sad...although the people in FL coat their citrus with water to form ice on purpose as it saves the fruit...so maybe the trees will still be OK..I sure hope so.

As to the drought...well they are predicting it to get worse..so I don't know...time will tell if the rain cont. or stops like last year.

Love seeing your house in springtime. Or anytime for that matter.

I look forward to seeing your roses! Thank you!

Wowser, TR! All of it is just gorgeous, and thank you for sharing the lovely views. You are so right, everything is very late this year. Our azaleas up here in North Bama are just budding and a few are finally opening. The redbuds are blooming, the dogwoods are budding, and the pollen is falling.

Sue...thank you for looking..you know how I love your place too ! That sweet porch ;)

Anele they are starting so stay tuned !

outsideplaying..please post pics of yours as they get to their peek...hope the storms tomorrow don't mess mine up too bad...but we sure need the rain. Thank you for the compliments. c

Your azaleas are gorgeous! I love your house too. You must be in the same zone but our soil is alkaline so we can't grow those here. I love to go see them though and yours are outstanding.

Here's our backyard cherry tree in full, happy bloom (those are dogwoods in front of it. As you can see, they're still sleeping....

And here is another favorite. They just started blooming today, violets!:

I'll post our azaleas once they bloom....

The daffodils are fading here, which can only mean one thing....tulips!

thank you marti !! I am in the same..although I believe that the zones are changing. We are getting more like 8 some years with the colder winters.

oh my pirula..that back yard is SO gorgeous ! Just stunning. Our violets are all in bloom too...I kinda have a love/hate with them :( They are tenacious !! Please keep posting pics of your pretties !! c

Thanks! They are tenacious, I want them to take over the weeds! Is there anything prettier though than finding a violet that has entrenched itself in a surprise location? Like the one that I just discovered growing under one of my front flower pots. So lovely.

You're right that zones are changing. We're officially zone 7 now.

was sweeping and cleaning up over the past few days and have found rose campion babies everywhere...several in the cracks in the sidewalk !! I was just out and said " hello" to all my violets :) I shall endeavor to live and let live. c

Here is a link that might be useful: rose campion

Thanks so much for sharing those beautiful pics! The crisp blue sky, vibrant pinks. bright green new growth and white trim create such an inviting landscape! Along with others we're in the midst of an early spring snow & ice storm so everything is coated white and heavy with ice. Your pics brightened my day! There's hope that things will change.

thank you hilltop ! I am so glad it was a breath of Spring for you. I am just up and checking the weather . It is going to be very bad tomorrow for many areas. I will up early and make sure to have everything put away and truck in the carport in case of hail. It is always something..you are right...change. c

I'll post pictures as soon as ours hit their stride, but I really don't have that many azaleas either. I haven't had much luck getting new ones established either, and some died after a late freeze and a couple of dry summers, despite irrigation (and DH turning off the wrong water supply before a vacation a few years back...grrrrr). We do have some nice native dogwood around though, and I hope they are as spectacular as they were last year.

I'll be watching :) Love to see what others are growing. We are holding on for the storm !! If you look at the radar is is a doozy ! c

So beautiful C! It's been so cold here the daffodils just came yesterday. First hint of color. My azaleas are still twigs.
Very late here and still no run of even seasonal warmth. But we've already got bugs.

hey roco...so glad to hear from you ! I wondered if you were getting the warm temps yet. My DB and SIL were out on the bikes on the Hudson Bike Path day before yesterday and he said it was 80 !! Same as here :) We are waiting for the storm to hit...only a couple more hours and it will be here. Hopefully the flowers won't be all gone. I hope you will post some pics of your pretties..I will have to check over on AM....thank you for looking ! c

Your azaleas are gorgeous, but what I REALLY love is getting to see all the exterior pictures of your great house. Love the porched and the little triangular roof sections over the bay window. And the pergola.

Just north of DC, we've had two days hit 90 degrees after a long cold spring, so everything is exploding into bloom at one time. I've got my cherry tree, my crab apple and my korean spice viburnum all blooming at once. Usually their blooms are staggered.

As soon as soil temps reach 64 degrees (2 or 3 weeks from now?), we'll have a gazillion cicadas!! I'm actually a little excited about that. We weren't in this house yet in 2004, the last time they came in force. I want to sit out on our screened porch and witness the crazy swarm just outside of the screens.

Whereas I will be holed up in my house for six weeks and if I have to run to the car, will no doubt do so screaming bloody murder in total fear. I missed the last two cicada biblical mating rituals, so this is going to be interesting.

Thank heavens the rains today are bringing normal Spring temperatures back to NOVA. It's been miserable, and the new sprouting baby plants need a drink.

arlosmom...thank you for looking and your sweet compliments. You know how much I love your home. Wish we were closer ! We love to listen to the cicadas. And we have tons when they do their thing ;) ( pirula you wouldn't like it at all :) ) ! We were having a holiday in North GA in 2007 and they had a huge number that year...they were all over everything on the deck of the cabin we rented just had to love them they were so strange and LOUD ! Please take pics arlosmom of your blooms !!

pirula I am so glad your posies got a drink . We lost power late for a couple hours and the yard and pool are full of debris...guess what I will be doing today :( . But the flowers sure needed the water. You have to take more pics too !! c

i will. the azaleas are starting to bud, and the bleeding hearts are waking up. I'll post pictures as soon as they're ready.

After my "downer" message about our snow I thought I would update. Little left in yard but still piles of about 2 feet where it was plowed. The rain is doing a job on it.

pirula..I can hardly wait ! I am so glad you will post.

Holly...melting...melting ....melting :) c

almost there... !

oh...busybee...tulip magnolia..they are SO pretty. I love them. A couple years they have bloomed way to early here and then we would have a late freeze. They are long done in our area. Pretty...

Beautiful busybee! I dream of a tulip magnolia. I might plant one this fall....

Look who's awake!!!

bleeding heart

Virginia bluebells:

And the shepherd's purse is coming along nicely too, won't bloom for awhile yet:

The azaleas aren't quite ready to show off, but very soon. I may be able to show the ones on the south side of the house later today, we'll see....

We had the most marvelous thunderstorm last night. Everything is so green and fragrant today. I love this time of year when there's still a chill in the air but the sun is bright, and not a mosquito in sight yet (wish I could say the same for the dandelions).

pirula...so pretty and they aren't things I have planted so wonderful to see them in your garden. I tried bleeding heart but it was 't happy in my garden . I have rose and roses and roses out now. The jasmine is almost ready to open and the honeysuckle is already really going.

I was able to swim 2 days this week !! The water was 74.3 !! It was chilly but I love it that way. Now we had the rain before you got it and the temp last night was 39 !! So no more swimming till the days warm again. It was 84 two days in a row. I planted flowers today and clean the shed. it is cool and lovely and fragrant here too. I can hardly wait to see more of your pretties ! c

Wel it's not really fair since I live in California and we basically get spring instead of winter here, but here are some of our blooms:

{{gwi:1668767}}

{{gwi:1668768}}

I'm really enjoying all of your beautiful spring garden shots. These really highlight the difference in climate zones and the varied pace at which spring is making its way to all of us. Annkh, oh my. I will stop complaining about how cold it is here in Seattle. At least I'll try.

Okay well this group of azaleas is actually on the North side of the house, not the South. Yes, I do get lost in the bathroom. These are always the first to bloom. The ones in the front are different colors, and I'll post more pics when they bloom, they're very close!

They look pretty inside too!

Very nice !! So pretty...mine are all done now. That big rain did them in so on to the roses and other things . Will have to post more pics :)

tinan..love all the purples and blues ! c

I've enjoyed all these beautiful pictures. But here in the Midwest, we are beginning to wonder if we'll ever see Spring. It snowed AGAIN overnight, with a blizzard for awhile this morning. I gotta tell ya, I'm really sick of this. Even all us hearty Norwegians have had enough! Our builder says he can't even begin to dig basements for at least another 2-3 weeks because of the frost still in the ground.

I'd be sick of it too Joyce, jeez. I thought our Spring was late (and it was)....

I agree on the purples, just lovely. I envy Cali their lack of bugs!

I can't wait to see your roses trailrunner. Mine are quite happily leafing and climbing. Won't bloom for a while yet. Then will come the annual battle with the aphids and the bloody Japanese beatles. Hmmmm, do cicadas eat beatles? Maybe this biblical plague won't be so bad afterall......

Oh! And do you have hydrangeas?? Will be great fun posting those as well. But then I'll suppose we'll need a "Summer 2013" thread?

"So beautiful! We are not that far along yet in New England :( "

Ditto-- such a treat to see your lovely pix and the other folks pix as well!
Had to put on a winter sweater dress and leggings this AM! I think we may go straight from winter to summer this year?

Thanks trailrunner - I love purple-blue flowers, and they tend to be heat tolerant low water use, too. I have some pinks and yellows too but the main path is mostly sages and lavenders.

Don't worry, spring will find its way to you all!

Well unfortunately, I had to take these in the rain (I shouldn't complain. I love the rain and we really needed it). But I'm afraid the rain may do in the blooms so it's now or never.

The front azaleas, finally blooming:

The Shepherd's Purse is blooming:

The Jacob's Ladder:

And perhaps the loveliest, sweetest flower of them all. The Lilly of the Valley has just begun to bloom:

And here's one in the backyard, with the one dogwood that remains blooming:

I am still weeks away from posting roses on the other thread, but they are starting to bud!

Trailrunner & Pirula, I love the deep bright red Azaleas! Trailrunner, all your blooming flowers are gorgeous! Where are you located to have such beautiful flowers? We are finally having our trees bloom in my townhouse complex but they bloom for about 2 weeks and then the flowers all fall off. I wish I took pictures when they were at their full bloom. Thanks for sharing.

Your azaleas are gorgeous

AnnkH & Joyce6333, So sorry that you both have snow and cold weather. In Northern NJ, flowers and trees are starting to bloom but we have days of cold and dampness still like today. I can't wait to put all my winter clothes away.

Pirula...beautiful !! I am so glad you got rain . We had it all around us and not a drop fell...will be like that all week. We can't get a break from the drought that has hovered over us since 2007. I sure hope that it doesn't get like it did last Summer ! Your Shepherd's purse looks like my Ginger. I have tried Jacob's Ladder in the past..it hates the heat here and the on again off again water situation.

Thank you lynn..I am in central AL. Roses are just full the best I can remember. Will get a pick of the jasmine in a day or so when it is really thick with blooms. It smells wonderful around the pool. c

Thank you! Oh I'd love to plant some jasmine. But I think here it would be an annual no? Some of the white blooms you see in that picture is not an azalea but a Daphne. And OMG the fragrance is intoxicating.... It has suffered so much. From Snowmageddon trampling it a few years back. It looks like some prehistoric thing, but I hope it will even out over the years. it's not going anywhere. It's few weeks of fragrance are well worth anything.

Oh I had 2 daphnes One white and one pink. Again it was a problem with fluctuations in the water. Also I tried to move one and they are very temperamental as far as their roots. So no more daphne ! I love their fragrance.

You can plant asiatic jasmine to zone 7...zero is the lowest temp so with a little care I bet you could have it. Mine is HUGE covers the whole pool wall . It is almost at peak...pics soon ! c

Oooooh! We're 7 and almost never get down to zero. Is it full sun though? As you may have guessed, I haven't got full sun anywhere....

Mine is on a North wall so gets full sun but it is a strong and amazing plant and would do well I think with less than that. For under 20.00 you can find out ! I will have to email you they won't let me post the link !! c

This is the front of our house last Thursday after a foot of new snow. Need I say more!

Trees are not budded out yet, but snow has melted and it is a gorgeous day. So maybe Spring has finally arrived.

Holy cow !! I hope the sun stays out and the buds begin to burst forth :) More pics please ! c