Morning coffee on the veranda is a calm and serene beginning to the day. Bird song fills the air, and fresh mountain air brushes past in a gentle cool breeze. I breathe deeply, and enjoy the dappled sunlight through the forest, shinrinyoku. Again, I reflect on gratitude, and the concept of shoganai – a situation over which one has no control that I explored in my post on Gratitude during my Japanese Inspired February series. Certainly that applies nowadays. On this Mother’s Day, I reflect on the memory of my mother, and the special relationship I have with my mother-in-law. For all you moms out there, have a wonderful day, and I hope you are able to connect with your families safely today. Now, enjoy a walk in our garden and see what is blooming, and who is visiting.
Robins have been showing up lately, sometimes in dozens. Spring is here.
Warmer days came this past week, and I was able to get outside to dig in the dirt a bit. I had previously done a bit of weeding and clean up, and My Sweet Babboo helped me put mulch down. The dusty miller and the dianthus are looking good, and I placed my little yard art rusty bicycle against the wall.
The burgundy irises are blooming, with more to come.
On a leaf, this lovely dragonfly with gossamer wings was resting a bit.
The later white iris blooms had a bit of lavendar on the bottom falls.
Late blooming azaleas opened up in gorgeous deep pink.
A lighter pink azalea blooms near the driveway.
Blackberry brambles have made it closer to the driveway, and are loaded with white flowers. Maybe I’ll get a few berries for a cobbler this year.
A female wild turkey has been coming around from time to time. I think George needs to find her and start courting.
Moving the planting bench up near the veranda makes it easier get the pots done. I planted what I had left to do. I’m not sure I’ll get the torenias for the hanging baskets this year. I did see a hummingbird this week, inspecting the geranium flowers.
I put the tomatoes in big pots earlier, with cages to keep them upright. They had a bit of transplant shock, as I had to wait so long to do this, but seem to be recovering and growing now.
I put my Doves Yard Art in with the pink dianthus again. I like the contrast of the dark and light.
Oliver is learning to sit up at the bird feeder pole. I am trying to teach him that if he comes up on the veranda, he will get chased off with the broom. But, if he sits nicely, he’ll get a tasty bite. He sits up like this when he sees me, putting his little paws together, so cute. “Please, may I have a morsel?”
Well, of course you can, you adorable little rascal.
Near where Oliver enjoys his snack, the clover are blooming in the rock lined trench that channels water away from the house on rainy days.
Out back, fallen trees from years past have allowed more sunlight to the forest floor. A flame azalea, wild in this part of the country, finally has enough sun to bloom.
Beautiful rich orange flowers catch the eye, glowing in the sunlight.
Another marvel, I noticed these new leaves this year, a carpet under the rhododendrons of large umbrella shaped leaves.
I had a closer look, and did a bit of research. These are May Apples, a wild plant that grows in wooded areas. The fruit is toxic unless it is fully ripe. I’ve not seen the fruit yet, so will be interested to watch it grow.
Looks like I’ll have some peaches this year. That is, if I get them before the bear does.
The lady slippers have matured and the stems got a lot taller. I still feel like these are a rare and precious gift of nature. So much beauty, and we are grateful to live here.
Maddeningly, overnight temps for the past two nights have been near freezing, so all the potted plants had to go back to the sunroom again. The cold is setting records, and I’ll be glad when it warms up for good.
What is blooming in your garden?
From My Carolina Home 
Love all the flowers and wild life. Thank you
I love seeing your gardens. Up here in Maine, we get one lovely day and then winter returns. So far, have only planted a few hardy herbs to replace those lost. I am seeing a few signs of spring–forsythia starting to bloom, tulips and daffodils up (despite our unpredictable weather) and finally am seeing some brave azaleas blossoming. Keep those pictures coming!
I enjoyed the pics of your garden. Here in the PNW it has been so gorgeous this spring. Today it will be in the mid 80’s !
Beautiful garden pictures. Your photos are really stunning. I love that you are matchmaking for George! I got one day out in the overgrown flower bed last week. My azaleas are not letting me down this mothers day. Be well my friend and thanks for taking us outside in the garden.
I need to put cages on my tomatoes that I have in pots I forgot to do so. I didn’t realize my Dusty Miller would come back from last year – I was bad with garden clean up last fall and thought it was an annual I was surprised when almost all of the plants I had survived the winter and growing again this spring. Have a great day
Hope the cold weather this morning isn’t a problem for your lovely garden. Thank you for sharing!
Thank You Carole for another lovely tour of your garden on this rather cold Mother’s Day morning…….I so enjoy these visits…..Dot In chilly Pa……😷🦋🌹
After snowing furiously yesterday morning, it turned bright and sunny by the afternoon. But when I opened the door to stick my nose out to test the temp, it was bitterly cold, so I quickly shut the slider. The weather reporter said the wind chill was in the 20s and 30s so we stayed inside again! Today it’s bright and sunny and supposed to be a bit warmer, so we’ll see…Here in New Hampshire our Forsythia have bloomed and the PJMs are going on now. Other things are coming up-the astilbe, hosta and Lady’s Mantle. I’m envious of your burgundy Iris and that beautiful spring backdrop in my favorite of your photos. Thanks for a lovely post.
What a beautiful walk that as through your gardens! It’s so nice to see everything coming to life again. That Flame azalea is gorgeous! Good luck with training that cute little squirrel.
A flame azalea! I have never seen one, but I love orange, so seeing that made my day! We haven’t planted anything here yet; we are still inching our way out of winter temps. Today we are having chillly temps with rain. Our garden centers are gearing up, and temps are to be in the high 70s next week. The lady slipper is our state flower, and it is protected here. Another little treasure we have in our area is called the trout lily and it is also protected. A tiny little flower that grows close to the woodland floor, it is a beautiful little thing. Enjoy your day, Carole!
We are in the middle of a move that was planned well before Covid 19 decided to invade. To say life is a bit upside down is an understatement! But our lily of the valley has really taken root this year!!! so whoever buys our house will get a nice, well established patch of lily of the valley!!!
Lovely photos! I’m jeLous, we had SNOW yesterday!
I sure enjoyed your photos of the lush green and beautiful blooms around you! Thanks for sharing them, Carole! I haven’t done much planting yet, but should be able to this coming week. Looking forward to that!
Thanks for sharing your first signs of spring. I knew you would spoil that squirrel! LOL
What a lovely way to start my mother’s day – a stroll through your garden and visit with Oliver. How cute, I need to start training my ‘Oliver’ he has no manner’s, lol but is now very use to me. He delights in a salt less cracker with peanut butter 🙂 in addition to his regular critter feed. Enjoy your day 🙂
Thank you for sharing your garden with us, esp love the flame azalea. I can’t garden due to knee problems, so enjoy seeing yours
Beautiful clear photos. Thanks for sharing . My first thought at your reading…Goodness no. too cold for coffee out side this morning. HEHE. Warm will return but it has been back to cool/cold for the last few days.
What a wonderful stroll. Thank you for taking us with you.
The fruit trees are just starting to leaf out, with this late frost, I hope the buds are still tight enough that they survive and we get some fruit this year. We have a peach tree shelters on the south side of the house, plums out front, honey berries instead of every green bushes in front of the house, as well as the dwarf cherry and the two apple trees in the garden out back. The older apple tree is finally doing well, so maybe we will get some apples this year. The honey crisp is going on three years so still too early for it. The irises are growing in spite of the cold and snow, so I am hoping for a bloom or two. I divided them all in early July last year so they had plenty of time to root. Next year should be the real show I think.
Thanks for those gorgeous photos, it is so encouraging to see springtime in bloom somewhere!
This is what I wish our spring was like this year. Enjoy
Good morning Carole
I enjoy seeing and reading about your garden and flowers. I’m a recent transplant from PA and I miss all my beautiful plants from the old place. I spent 8 years gathering and planting This is the first year I have done anything here. The seedlings in my flower boxes survived the cold last night. I’m trying to get red poppies started. My ground bed has iris, day lillies and oriental lillies. All were planted this Spring. We are on rented land so I have to keep down my desire to landscape and plant. Have a wonderful day
Priscilla
Your garden looks wonderful Carole.
Here in the suburbs we have had so many more deer, fox, and other critters hanging around on our trails and just right in the middle of the street.
I like this new way of life, certainly more stress free for me.
Your flowers are beautiful
I better go check on my seedlings. I covered them with towels last night. hehe
Great photos, thank you for some Spring.
Happy Mothers Day! I wanted to say that I enjoy your blog posts so much. I am a gardener too!
Beautiful pictures, thank you so much. I’m sorry for your cold temperatures, we in Texas are enjoying the break. I’m working on putting a quilt together. I made the blocks in Jan.
When you get a break, maybe you can make this into a book. A lovely picture story book about George needing a little nudge toward his lady, Oliver learning his manners (I keep seeing him in a little Eton Jacket in my mind) and a baby bear and all their little bird friends. The Garden is so lovely – a changing quilt of so many colors. Stunningly bright colors. Thanks you so much for sharing this with us.
Like you, I have dianthus and dusty miller…both faithful even during our blazing southern heat. Also planted some pincushion plants, new for me. They look just like their name. My faithful Shasta daisy has hung in there for another year and is blooming. I laughed this morning because I planted a new bright pink Shasta next to the old one and the comparison is like “hothouse” and “real life”….hahaha! The old one has more tenacity, even if it is smaller, it has endured several years in that spot. Kinda like life itself. Best wishes for the day! Bonnie C.
Hello Carole, Visiting your lovely garden was wonderful. I always enjoy any post when you share information and pictures of flowers, plants and wildlife. The past two days we have experienced 90 plus degree weather after months of very cold weather. It was fabulous, yet shocking to everyone’s systems at the same time. Again, thank you for sharing all the beauty around you that is just natural and all of the splendor that you help to add also! I enjoy and learn constantly from you! Have a fantastic day!
Your garden is so beautiful, and with spring beginning, all that new growth and even some surprises is heartwarming. Oliver, love his name, very apt, and although we do miss our large garden and peaceful 3 acres, know we are, like you, so fortunate to stay safe and well.
Your flowers are absolutely beautiful! I’m not able to garden any more, but I still appreciate the beauty of the colorful blooms. I love seeing Oliver and your turkey visitors too! We see rabbits in the neighborhood, and once in awhile a coyote might wander through, but that is rare. Each of our three children sent me a beautiful arrangement for Mother’s Day! Feels like spring inside!
Thank you for the look around your garden Carole, the azaleas and iris and beautiful. Oliver is very cute and learns quickly!! 😁 I hope the weather settles soon for you.
Lovely garden photos, and turkeys and squirrels too! Wonder if you will get little Turkey babies some time soon? That would be exciting.
I enjoy flame azaleas because they are native here. Yours are gorgeous.
Spectacular garden and I love the flame azaleas!
Thankyou for the tour of your lovely garden. It’s so good to see the blossoms appearing after the cold has shuffled off. I love seeing your wildlife friends too. The flame Azaleas are so beautiful. :))
In Missouri May Apples mean morel mushrooms are out.
It is always a pleasure to take a stroll in your garden.
It’s lovely to look around your garden. Normally in May we sit out in the garden alot but so far this month it has been much too wet to do that.
My azalea and red bud have finished for this year and my dogwood tree has only a few flowers left. I have burgundy and yellow irises blooming right now. The weigela (sp?) is full of buds, and one of my clematis is blooming beautifully. Looking forward to more flowers later …. when the weather warms up here in the Midwest too!
I love the wild azaleas this time of year, haven’t seen a flame azalea yet but some lovely pink ones are starting to bloom. Hopefully the weather calms down soon, I am running out of space inside for all my plants that should already be in the ground! Such pretty wildlife in your area, the rhododendron must be amazing when it’s in full bloom!
Your May garden is delightful Carole. I love the flame native azalea. We had record breaking frost two nights in a row.