Early Spring Flowers in the Garden

Flowers nearly exploded into bloom in March in the garden! These photos were taken over a 3-week period in the order I've posted them below. Although I haven't had a chance to do a full post on them until now, a number of flowers were featured in Simple Elegance for St. Patrick's Day and Bunnies and Blossoms.

The camellias were at their height in the first week of March.

Camellia sasanqua

The last of the hyacinths made their appearance.

Hyacinthus orientalis

Clumps of daffodils continued to put on a show. If you plant early-, middle- and late-blooming varieties, you can extend their cheerful bloom period for two months or more.

Narcissus sp.

I'm grateful they spread so easily and aren't considered tasty by deer and other critters!

This camellia has been providing lovely flowers since January. When Miss J was small, she would pluck the flowers and place them in cereal bowls in the kitchen. Some of my favorite bouquets ever!

Camellia japonica

I can't pass the living room windows without smiling at the view.

The scent of the hyacinths drifting over the garden is heavenly.

Hyacinthus orientalis

The loropetalum have masses of flowers on shrubs reaching 8 feet tall. I neglected to prune them before they produced buds so they look a bit wilder than usual. I planted them along the street and in the backyard, where they've held their own against the dogs.

Loropetalum chinense

Such intriguing flowers!

Finches built a nest in one of the front porch lanterns – so we stopped turning on the lights at night. I think it must have gotten too hot inside the glass during the day though, because we haven't seen them in the last week or so.

We have two Japanese cherry trees in the front garden. Individual flowers are barely edged with pink, but en masse create clouds of pink.

Prunus serrulata

I've gotten some questions about the fallen leaves you see in some of the photos. We have large trees which dependably create a carpet of leaves. I rake them into the garden beds where they begin to decompose and create nature's gift to gardeners — mulch. As the daffodil leaves turn yellow, I cover the leaves with a thin layer of pine needles for a more aesthetic look.