Dinner at Eight: Spring's Stunning Colors Transform My Garden

After an unusually dry winter punctuated by days of ice and temperatures in the single digits, spring has exploded with color during warm, sunny days! I'm excited to share with you today all the colors in my garden as spring progressed!

Bloom times for camellia shrubs can range from fall (for my light pink Camellia sasanqua) to spring, depending on the species and variety. The last two of the Camellia japonica in my garden burst into color in early March. Covered in red flowers, this blooms next to our side door.

Nestled under the dogwoods in the front yard is a deep pink variety of camellia that has been going strong for more than 25 years.

The stars of the late winter/early spring garden are definitely the daffodils (Narcissus spp.), whose cheerful flowers brighten overcast days. They spread reliably and are bypassed by deer and rabbits. I have several types, primarily with yellow flowers or in combination with white.

But I especially love this all-white cultivar 'Thalia', smaller than most and the last to bloom in April.

For a brief moment I'm able to enjoy hyacinths in the garden before they're completely decimated by deer.

Overnight it seems, the two flowering cherry trees (Prunus serrulata) that border the street erupt in pink clouds,

closely followed by the wild dogwood (Cornus florida) trees that remained with the oak trees when our house was built. The showy white "petals" are actually bracts (modified leaves) that surround tiny clusters of the true yellow flowers.

Then comes the azaleas (Rhododendron spp.)! They're a staple of Southern landscapes and dominate my front yard in shades of pink or white. I had one native azalea that was deciduous, but it was unfortunately clobbered when a very large dead tulip tree ( Liriodendron tulipifera) next to it had to be removed. I'm going to miss that tree, especially its large yellow flowers with orange centers that look like tulips.

These cultivars are 'Coral Bells' and 'Snow'.

I love azaleas, with their varied sizes, colors and flower shapes! An added plus is that they are evergreen.

This cultivar is 'George Taber'.

My only regret is that I can't plant any in our back yard because azaleas are highly toxic for dogs. If you'd like to read about my quest for pup-safe ornamental plants see Puppy Challenges in the Garden.

Of course color isn't confined to flowers! At the front corners of the house are two Japanese maples (Acer palmatum, named for their hand-shaped leaves), whose leaves are a beautiful maroon red.

Blanketing the shady parts of the front garden are Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum', or variegated Solomon's seal. Hanging beneath the striped leaves are dainty white flowers. It has spread happily, even moving into the paths where there's shredded pine bark instead of the pinestraw that covers most of the garden.

Just a couple of days ago, the first tall bearded iris (Iris germanica) bloomed in a gorgeous shade of amethyst. I don't know the varietal name, having retrieved them from the house my husband inherited before he sold it. I love irises of all types but since they are both sun-loving and toxic to dogs, they are planted only in the front yard.

A welcome sight at the back of the driveway is a lovely vining clematis (Clematis spp.) whose cultivar name I've forgotten. It grows in a large ceramic pot that has been moved throughout the yard. Since it is also toxic to dogs, it now resides outside Finn's fence.

For now, there isn't much color in the back yard, other than the emerging green leaves of the oaks and hickories. A lovely exception is the maroon of the Japanese maple —this one happens to stay dark red all through the summer. Along with a pretty green Japanese maple, they overlook the middle and lower patios where they get sufficient sun.