We all know the saying, “April showers bring May flowers”, but this year I feel we should twist it around a bit and say, “March showers have brought April flowers.” What a wacky beginning to spring we have had. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for rain whenever we get it and I definitely know we will be pining for it come summertime, so I plan to enjoy the benefits while I can. The best part of the recent wet weather has been the push of the blooms to develop into full on flowers this early in spring. Look around you, you can’t take more than five steps without being greeted by some cheery color, whether it’s a “Hot Lips” salvia blowing you kisses from its bright, pink and white flowers, a Mountain Laurel’s blooms perfuming the air with its delicious grape Kool-aid scent, or a brilliant, blue blanket of bluebonnets laid out for you. It’s like the whole world has become a colorful Easter basket filled with flowers in every hue of a rainbow’s spectrum. This Easter, why don’t you treat yourself to some spectacular color that will last way longer than the ears of a chocolate bunny. Choose from spring bloomers, summer flourishers, and fall welcomers. Get a combination of these and you will never lack for color in your garden.
(Ask the Easter Bunny to bring you something that lasts longer than chocolate, and won’t melt!)
The colors that present themselves this time of the year are practically blinding in their intensity. Today’s blog is just a fun chance to show off a little of the season’s beauty. When told I can only pick out a few favorite plants of the spring season to add to my garden, I can rarely rise to the task. I have my reasons, some rational and some not so rational. For one, I work at a garden nursery. Ever try to diet and work at a donut shop? It’s the same thing here. For two, there is an overwhelming selection to choose from and I can’t seem to understand the term ” a few” when it comes to picking out spring plants. For three, new varieties make their way into the nursery every spring and it’s not my fault if I had my favorites picked out already and in waltzed a “Sunbini” (the cutest, tiniest, zinnia ever) so I had to make an allowance for it and add it to my collection. For four, I really think I may hear the other plants cry out in rejection when I place them back on the table after the painstaking process of choosing which plant I might be able to live without. And for five, did I mention I work at a garden nursery? So, needless to say, I can get myself into a lot of trouble with he who wearily watches the opening of my trunk to see what has sprung from the nursery this time around. It might be time to stop when I have to say, “I don’t have a square to spare”, but until that time, bring it on! I ruthlessly only picked “a few” of some plants that caught my eye walking through the nursery, and believe me, I had to put blinders on. The following species were chosen because they look as though they were made to be nestled into a bright colored Easter basket. Treat yourself to some goodies that won’t give you a toothache! Pick one or two, and then maybe an extra “few”, I won’t tell. Be sure to check out The Featured Plants page too, for this week’s highlighted plants for the weekend sale.
(There’s those darn, teeny, tiny Sunbinis I was talking about. How could I resist?)
(Polka dot plants, or Hypoestes, look like little speckled Easter eggs. Perfect for the season.)
(One of my favorite part shade plants, the vanilla-scented Heliotrope. The scent is better than candy, and no calories!)
(Dwarf Kangaroo Paw. The name itself should get ya, if the happy, pink, “flower-feet” don’t.)
(Dreamland zinnia, planted in masses, make you feel like you are on the colorful pages of a Dr.Seuss book.)
(Martha Washington geraniums. Geraniums on a more elegant level.)
(With Torenia, or Wishbone flower, who says you can’t have vibrant color in the shade?)
(Bougainvillea, for perfect hanging baskets all through summer. They love to be root-bound in full on heat!)
(I had to put Fuchsia in here. My daughter once mistakenly thought she saw a real fairy when she saw this bloom.)
(Another beauty for your shady spots, Columbine is a true standout.)
(For me, it doesn’t get much better than the simplicity of the Shasta daisy. Crisp, clean, and white. He loves me, he loves me not.)
(The big, bold flower of the Pink Lemonade hibiscus….you could almost drink it up!)
As beautiful as all these spring bloomers are, it pains me to not even have tapped into the tip of the mountain that is available to you. These were a “few” that caught my eye this year, and we all know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so come, behold, and let us see what you’ve chosen for your Easter basket. No plants were hurt during the taking of photographs or the writing of this blog, as the author has made sure she has apologized to each and every plant that was not chosen to be featured this time around. The author is tired.
Happy Easter from the Happy Gardener-Lisa Mulroy
