Spring shows up for Seventh Day May

Yellow twig dogwood in a pool of naturalized chionodoxa and daffodils.

A year ago on May 7, we had snow. This year, although spring has been slow to unwind, May 7 proved to be pretty darn nice.

Bulbs dominate now, with a few early-blooming perennials thrown in for good measure. The weather has cooperated enough that the tulips and daffodils are able to put on a good show.

See what's happening around our homestead in the slide show in the sidebar.

Daffodil mystery

Where did these daffodils come from?

You can just make them out from the kitchen window. A couple of pale spots in the debris of stems and leaves covered by snow just a few weeks ago. I don't remember planting daffodils there. There across the bridge and a few feet off the path to the stream. There among the green shoots of the wild grasses shooting toward the sun.

But there they are.  

 Raindrops glisten on the petals.

I remember planting daffodils on the back hill and along the path that runs parallel to the ditch. And under the birch tree this side of the ditch. Several clumps have performed reliably over the years. A few others have disappeared. And these few -- well, they seem to have moved themselves and settled in. And they look as beautiful there as they do anywhere.

Silly Dog checks out a clump of daffodils along the path.

Easter

 A ground-level view of chionodoxa at the end of the driveway.

Sunshine. Blue sky. Warm. Light breeze. First long day in the garden this spring.

Chionodoxa in bloom. As is a tiny species crocus, C. olivieri balansae 'Zwanenburg.' Red-winged blackbirds. Grouse drumming. And frogs calling tonight -- just audible above the swoosh of the stream.

Dirt under the fingernails. Mud on the jeans. And mud on the silly dog.

Rebirth. Resurrection.

Dakota is happy the snow is gone, too.

Crocus olivieri balansae 'Zwanenburg' near the pond.

Two steps forward, one step back

Around here, April showers often are April snows. No problem. The snow soon will be gone and the crocus should be just fine.

Above: The crocus berm Tuesday.

Right: The crocus berm today.

Seventh Day April -- with crocus!

BECAUSE OF CIRCUMSTANCES beyond my control, The Seventh Day bled over into The Eighth Day this month. The pace of spring is quickening around here. We still have piles of snow, but we also have the first crocus in bloom. And the tips of tulips, daffodils and chives rising above the earth. Transformation is under way. 

The Seventh Day Project: April 2011 has been posted -- see it in sidebar at right.

It's not just about the plants ... or the sculpture

 This is Henry Moore's "Oval with Points."

We encountered a bit of serendipity last summer when we visited the Denver Botanic Gardens. It just happened that the public garden was hosting "Moore in the Gardens," an exhibition of the sculpture of Henry Moore, when we were there in August. Talk about a two-fer -- we went there to see the plants and got to see amazing sculpture, too.

Apparently, we weren't the only ones who were impressed. Westword recently named the "Moore in the Gardens" event the best sculpture show in Denver.

I love visiting public gardens whether or not there are important art pieces there. Public gardens provide a major dose of inspiration. Even though the ideas may be on a grand scale, they often can be adapted for smaller, home gardens. And this visit was no exception.

The Hotel Sillydog

Do you think the deer are getting a little too comfortable around here? This one apparently was just waking up from a snooze in the backyard about 6:45 a.m. a couple of days ago.