Spring garden

We interrupt this blog for a special garden message – or maybe it’s time to stop blogging about travel and get back to the garden now that spring is here.

We’ve had a long, cool spring without more than a couple days in the eighties, so nothing has been cooked to death.  In fact, I still have daffodils in bloom, a new to me species called ‘Pay Day.’  Yellow with a touch of white and very welcome even this late in the season.  Here’s a picture thanks to Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, where I think I bought it.

Earlier this week, just in time for Garden Day, we had a deluge of up to four inches of rain.  I’ve never seen the Rappahannock so high – from the Chatham bridge, you could almost reach out and touch it.  Here’s a photo from the Free Lance-Star.

Now it’s sunny, breezy and magnificent, perfect gardening weather.

So much is in bloom, in fact, that I compiled a list.  Geranium maculatum ‘espresso’, False Solomon’s seal, small white allium, a gray blooming bulb that I can’t identify, hellebores, mazus reptans, bluebells, tulips (going by), blue columbine and wild columbine (which has gotten huge), sweet woodruff, tiarella, euphorbia, vinca, sorrel, Star of Bethlehem, dandelions, Viburnum ‘Shasta’ which looks lovely backed with the neighbor’s pale pink dogwood, bleeding hearts both red and white, ‘Sherwood’s Purple’ phlox which has gone to town under the oak tree, Delaware white azalea, garlic mustard, geranium macrorrhizum, bugleweed, lily of the valley, pink azalea, coral bells, ‘Sun Dial’ narcissus, pansies, lily of the valley ((one lone one) and baptisia australis.  Whew!

I’ve planted black radishes, Yaya carrots, cilantro, and tatsoi from seed, and so far the radishes and tatsoi are coming up.  I totally missed the window for peas and sweet peas and will vow to plant the latter this fall.