Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Thursday, April 28, 2011

April Blooms in our Yard

I have talked about our Crocuses,  Hyacinths,  Daffodils and Tulips... Now --we have lots of Irises and Azaleas blooming.. They are beautiful and I'll share some pictures of them soon.  BUT--today,  I want to share some of the other colors in our yard.. Above is a picture of our PINK DOGWOOD tree with the gorgeous BLUE sky in the background....

Speaking of blue skies,  we need some here.  We had TERRIBLE storms yesterday with tons of wind/rain/lightning/thunder and storm, tornado and flood warnings off and on all day..  This is the first time since we moved to Fairfield Glade that the tornado warning sirens blared TWICE.   But--we were okay,  which is better than many people in the path of these storms.  God be with EVERYONE who was affected by these horrible storms yesterday.





I've talked about our Pansies being so gorgeous this year.  WELL---the HOSTAS are beautiful also.  I have several different varieties ---so here is a pretty one which I'm sharing today.  This one begins almost white --and then turns green, as it grows and ages.





We have been trying to find good ground cover for our big rock bed  (on the lower side of our home) for several years.  Here's a picture showing color in this bed now  (Phlox,  Candy Tuft and Dianthus).




This is a close up of some of our pretty PHLOX. I love the different pink colors.




It has taken some time but the CANDY TUFT is finally beginning to spread.  This is a pretty ground cover,  if you are looking for something with some color.  Question:  How much are you supposed to cut back the Candy Tuft after they bloom????  Mine are getting too 'leggy'.... Thanks!




George got a great macro of one of the CANDY TUFT blossoms.  Isn't this a neat little flower?  It's amazing to see some of our beautiful flowers close up!  Sometimes, we just don't notice how much detail there is.




A friend of mine gave me a cutting of  DIANTHUS several years ago.  She called them "Pinks" ---so I didn't know their 'real' name until recently.  This is another ground cover which spreads nicely.




Finally,  here is another macro picture which George took for me.  This is a close up of the DIANTHUS...  Isn't it pretty?

Well---there's good and bad about having TONS of rain.. The good is that the yard and all of the flowers LOVE it... But--that includes all of the weeds also!!!! ha ha

The bad is that,  with the high winds and heavy rains,  our Irises and Azaleas look as if they have been beaten with a stick....  Glad I got some pictures BEFORE the storms hit.... (We got 3 inches of rain yesterday!)

Hope you are SAFE wherever you live.  As I've said several times,  Mother Nature needs to take a 'happy pill'!!!!

Hugs,

48 comments:

Unknown said...

WOW! I;m first to comment today! I have been thinking about you and all my southern friends with those terrible storms going through last night. Glad you made it to the other side of the rainbow! To give some perspective, it's snowing on our eagles!

Beautiful flowers! I'm getting so many ideas for what I want to see around my house once some outside work is done! LOVE the color and delicate blooms!

Stay safe down there!

Ginny Hartzler said...

Yes, it's 5:15 and we never went to bed. We got the same thing that you had, ours was all overnight. The local weathermen all advised people to not go to bed, instead to stay up with the local channel on. Several tornados came through here a few hours ago, thousands are without power! We are so blessed again!!!! I wish we had sirens like you. Love the dianthus, never saw any before!! The candy tuft is amazing close up!!! It looks like a double or even triple bloom!!!

Beth said...

Three major storms headed our way this past week either broke up before they got to us or they bi-passed us. Whew!
So glad you and George faired well.

Those flowers are incredible, Betsy. That last macro photo--it looks like the flower is puckering up to give you a big kiss. :)

Tracy said...

Oh my goodness, have you been on my mind since yesterday watching the horrible storms pass through your area...I'm glad to hear you are okay and poor Mildred who never slept. This has been a wicked spring for oh so many.
And then the rainbow comes through with the beautiful photos of your flowers which shows the complete contrast!
God is good...and those flowers are His promise that life goes on in spite of the storms.
Many of those are my favorites from Ohio; the pink phlox, the dianthus; love them!!!
time to get coffee and wake myself up but I wanted to check in...
love and hugs...

Tracy said...

oppps, I meant Ginny never went to bed...

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed the pretty flowers in your yard on this post and the waterfalls in Dahlonega in your last post. Dahlonega was in the path of the terrible storms yesterday. I love the smell of the Dianthus; reminds me of cloves!

Ruth Hiebert said...

Betsy,I think I have said this before,but your yard looks like a park.I have once again enjoyed my walk through the yard,looking at so many of the beautiful flowers.I feel very sad about all the terrible storms which are happening. Thankfully you are still safe and that is good.Have a good day.

amelia said...

We have had terrible storms as well the last two days but nothing as deadly as what's been happening in the south. How awful. I'm glad you're OK and I hope your lovely garden was spared too much damage.

RoeH said...

It's like winter was never there. Although winter can be beautiful also. Interesting how each season has it's own different beauty. My least favorite season in summer. But then I live in AZ.

Darla said...

Well I'm sitting here waiting on the storms to blow through here. Apparently we are not supposed to have it as bad as some
of the others. Thank you Jesus! Your flowers are just beautiful Betsy. I divided some of my creeping phlox last year and spread it around, it has done nicely. I have never trimmed my candytuft, maybe I should as I am not afraid of using clippers at all. I would suggest you trim the candytuft by a third or so if you want it to stay low. I believe the shoots with the blooms reach for the sun and when it's finished blooming shortens itself some.

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

Beautiful...love pink dogwood!!!
I've never cut Candytuft back...didn't know you were supposed to...ignorance is bliss sometimes...
Maybe our storms have subsided now...Have a beautiful day!!!

Betty Manousos said...

Betsy your yard looks amazing!
beautiful series of photos.

i was captured under the spell of those flower pictures.

hugs

From the Kitchen said...

I've been watching the weather and hoping for the best for you. It's just terrible. We've had lots of rain but only one tornado threat. I feel guilty complaining!! Keep safe.

Your yard is lovely. I can almost smell the flowers.

Best,
Bonnie

Catherine said...

Betsy ~ you flew by spring and jumped right into summer! How beautiful! Hopefully your wonderful flowers will come back just fine after all the rain. Hostas are my favourite!
xo Catherine

Janice K said...

So glad you have be spared through last nights storms. Your yard looks so beautiful. You must have really good soil the way everything seems to grow so profusely.

Big Dude said...

Your place looks great Betsy and glad to here you survived the storms ok.

MadSnapper said...

I love the brilliant colors of all your flowers and trees, but the green of the Hostas is my favorite. i love green leaves, and these are beautiful. so glad you are safe and i echo your wishes that all our blogger friends are safe also.

Lady Di Tn said...

Amen to that last statement. My beautiful Iris also took the same beating as yours yesterday. It was HEAVY RAIN. I only ventured out once to take our neighbor some of my stress cooking. I wonder if others, cook when the weather is baddddd? Peace

Hidden Haven Homestead said...

Our dogwoods have lost all their blooms but yours is beautiful! Love the different ground covers you have and now I have a idea how to handle a bare spot! So happy to hear the storms didn't cause any harm or damage for you. They are just now arriving here and am praying they aren't as bad as the tornados on the 16th of April

CottonLady said...

Betsy, I hurried to your blog this a.m. to see if you had electricity,I was very concerned for you after seeing all the devastation on the news! I am so thankful you and George are o.k. and not hit by the storms. Sounds like they were too close though.
You flowers are beautiful, yes the rain does help them.
We are still in droughth mode here, but don't need the storms that have been coming with the rain.
Stay safe, my friend, blessings!
CottonLady

Small City Scenes said...

You have so much blooming in you yard. It looks beautiful. I know the rains beat everything down--here too. Only not much is blooming yet. My Hostas are just poking their pointy heads out of the ground.

My thoughts go to all in, near and around all the bad storms. MB

Cheryl @ TFD said...

Good morning, Betsy. I'm so glad you are safe after such awful weather in your area. Your rock garden is so pretty. The macro photos are wonderful. I've never had candy tuft but after seeing your photos, must try it. Stay safe!

Out on the prairie said...

I am glad to hear you are safe, the storms really moved through your part of the nation.Lovely blooms, I have never grown the candytuft.

Loren said...

Your flowers are stunning! We have had some bad weather and alot of flooding here! Today is the first day we have seen the sun in FOREVER!!

I have a new neighbor that moved in and she loves to plant and is helping me and showing me the ropes! I can't even tell you how this excites me!!! Maybe I can show pics like you :) I am hoping to get pics up of our new landscaping soon.

Karin said...

Been thinking a lot about my blogger friends in the area of all the storms. It breaks my heart to hear and see all the losses. Thankful that you two are fine and enjoying your gorgeous garden. May God be merciful and stay the storms!

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

I was thinking about you when I heard about the big storms down your way yesterday. Glad to hear that you weren't too much affected by them.

I do love looking at macro pictures of flowers because you're so right about how we don't often look at the amazing detail in them. You and George have such a beautiful yard.

Tabor said...

Waiting for a major storm front to push through here and hoping it does not spawn any tornadoes. I hear thunder but you garden is perfect.

Diane said...

The devastation is horrible. You're right there in the bad part, too. Your flowers are so pretty and spring is there. Here, the flowers are at least a month late. Diane

Anonymous said...

Your gardens look lovely. I'm happy that you and George came through the storms okay. I am way behind in reading and commenting on blog posts. I haven't read many blog posts in at least a week! I don't know if I will ever catch up. I suspect it will be a while before I upload another blog post. The times they are a-changing, into busy times! We spent the Easter holiday in Virginia. We had a lovely time with friends, whom we will see again in July when they are up this way. We enjoyed our 4-night stay in an oceanfront accommodation. The weather was great for most of our stay. Friday was unseasonably cold; Saturday and Sunday was unseasonably warm! We loved both unseasonable type weather because it was better weather than back home!

Tabor said...

Ye, we escaped...but if you go to my post today...you will see this storm did its damage.

happyone said...

I love rock gardens and your are so pretty. Beautiful pictures.

Kelly said...

Your yard is like a nature preserve, Betsy! Glad you survived last night's tornados...so many were hurt...

Busy Bee Suz said...

The south is getting beat up by some bad storms! So sad.
We have had a lot of fires in our area....we need some nice/gentle rain.
your yard is just picture perfect...so colorful and sweet!

Connie said...

I'm glad to hear all is well with you there today, Betsy. Your blooms are all beautiful! I love the color of your phlox.

Kirigalpoththa said...

Hi Betsy,
Lovely folwers!

Sorry, I was away from blogging for the last few weeks and could not visit your blog nor update my blog for sometime.

But I will be back with my usual posts soon :)

Shug said...

Oh so pretty....A huge mixture of all kinds of blooming things..
We finally got some rain this week....also had a few tornados around...nothing like alambama, but several homes just a few miles away were destroyed...
Mother Nature is certainly stirring this Spring...
Love all the photos
shug

PCovi said...

I can smell your "pinks" from here!! Kinda spicy ;)
Your yard looks so pretty.

Anonymous said...

Happy you and George are safe! The photos are wonderful, great macros that George took! My mother called Dianthus "pinks"...I'd wondered what Dianthus were now I know...thanks!

Ann said...

Everything looks so pretty. The pink dogwood is awesome. Hostas have always been a favorite of mine but for some reason they don't seem to grow well in my yard. I have one plant now but last summer it wasn't looking very good. Hopefully it will do better this year.

Rose said...

I love your rock bed! And Love that dianthus, also!

SquirrelQueen said...

Reading through your comments and so many have been/are being affect by all the stormy weather. Right now ours is quite normal in comparison.

Your yard is beautiful Betsy, you are way ahead of us in the blooming department. :)

Lola said...

Your flowers are lovely.
I'm so glad you all are safe. Trying to check on all to make sure they are safe.

mudderbear said...

Hey, glad to hear you are okay. We are worried about you with those storms. You probably got those 3inches of rain in about 5 minutes, eh? The photos are just beautiful. I'm so glad to see them everyday. Take care and be careful.
love, Rosalie

carolina nana said...

Your flowers a lovely. Have you ever smelled those dianthus? I have some and they have a wonderful fragrance.
We are the lucky ones without tornado damage and I agree it is so sad to see all the damage and loss of life from these storms. Prayers go out to all those folks.
You have a blessed tomorrow
Marilyn

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

praise God you are save. We hear from our radio and watch our TV. I thought, more people die than in the Christchurch earthquake.

Mary said...

So pretty! You are surrounded by beauty! So gorgeous! I wish I could hire you and George to come and make sense out of my yard and gardens :-)

Janie said...

3 inches of rain! That must have drowned all the plants. Glad the tornadoes didn't come your way.
Your flowers were looking lovely before the storm. I'm sure they'll all perk up again with a few days of sunshine.

KathyA said...

Your blooming friends are just lovely and that beach IS GORGEOUS!!!!