Azaleas (Blogging from A to Z Challenge)

Some of our azaleas are starting to bloom.

They tend to bloom anywhere from late March to late April. 

Some years, we’ve definitely had more blooms by April 1^st, and some years, they’re just barely starting to bloom around this time. 

I love azaleas, so it always makes me very happy when they bloom.

So what about you?  Do you like azaleas?  Are they in bloom where you are?  

Flowers

For my F post, I thought I’d show you some of the flowers that are currently blooming in our yard.

The timing of the blooms seems to vary quite a bit from year to year.  Some years, the azaleas are in full bloom by now.  This year, they’re just beginning to bloom right now. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, we’ll have a lot more flowers. 

The daffodils are always some of the first to bloom and are almost finished for the year.  There’s one little cluster still holding on.

And there’s one pink tulip in full bloom.

The scilla, transplanted from GrandMommy’s yard, is blooming.  She’s the one who taught me to garden, so it always makes me happy when these come back.  Her flower legacy lives on.

I’m not sure what this one is called.  It’s a bush in the front yard.  I think the tiny flowers are so pretty.

What’s blooming where you are? 

We Have More Blooms

I think it’s finally safe to say that the warm weather is here to stay.  The days have consistently been sunny and warm, and it seems like something new blooms every day.  I love this time of year!  Here’s what’s blooming now:

The lavender petunia I bought at the plant sale at the community college.  It has more than doubled in size and blooms.

One of the snapdragons from last year.  These don't usually come back for me, so I'm pretty excited to see it making a return.  And I love the coral color.

The azalea bush on the side of the house.  Most of the azalea blooms are withering now, but this one is always a late bloomer, so it's going strong right now.

And a closeup of the azaleas.

This rosebush.  We bought it on clearance a few years ago.  It was sad and sickly, and we weren't sure it would make it.  It was puny for a year, but now it's doing well.

And a closeup of a rose.

There were several bushes planted in front of our house when we bought it.  I didn't care for most of them, so have been slowly replacing them with bushes I do like, which basically means flowering bushes.  This yellow rose bush is one of the replacements.  I like yellow roses, and I think the yellow looks nice in front of the blue house.  It was pretty small when I bought it, one gallon I think.  It makes me happy to see it growing.

And a closeup of a yellow rose.

Can you guess what my favorite season is?  What about you?  Do you love spring?  Are the flowers blooming where you are?

Signs of Spring

For the purposes of this post, we’re just going to ignore today.  We’re not going to talk about the fact that it’s cold and windy, or the fact that it has rained all day long.  We’re going to pretend we’re not under a flood watch. 

Instead, we’re going to talk about Saturday, when it was sunny, warm, and gorgeous.  We spent almost the entire day in the yard.  We cut grass, trimmed bushes and vines, dug up the raised beds, and planted kale.  It’s still a little early to plant most things, but the kale seeds are planted, and the raised beds are ready for the other vegetables we’ll be planting in a few more weeks. 

The azaleas are in full bloom, and absolutely gorgeous.  The hammock is up and ready to be enjoyed.  Definite signs of spring! 

Azaleas

The azaleas are blooming!  Now that the azaleas are in bloom it’s stating to look like Spring is really here.  Spring is my favorite season, so it makes me especially happy when things start blooming.

Azaleas thrive in the southeast, so we have a lot of them in our yard, and are considering adding more.  I’d like to find a yellow azalea bush.  We have white, and various shades of pink - pale pink all the way to hot pink, but no yellow.  Yet.

I just love azaleas.  I think they’re so pretty, and they’re some of the first really colorful bushes to bloom here.  I love that there are so many different varieties of azaleas, and that the flowers are different sizes and colors.

According to Wikipedia, azaleas were first cultivated outside of greenhouses in Charleston, South Carolina.  Since South Carolina is my home state it makes me especially happy to have so many azalea bushes in bloom.

So what about you?  Do you like azaleas?  Are they in bloom where you are?