Spring has arrived

Spring arrived a couple of weeks ago. The pastures started to green
up and Bradford pears and daffodils started blooming everywhere.

I don't have any Bradford pears, but it seems like everyone else does. Actually that's not true. Now that other cultivars have been released that are compatible with Bradford Pears, those trees produce a lot of fruit. I can't tell you how many pear seedlings I have seen pop up on my farm in recent years.

Here on the farm redbuds and daffodils are the first harbingers of
spring. All this past week the redbuds were getting more purple every day.

Narcissus pseudonarcissus, also known as Lent lily, is the earliest daffodil to bloom here.

The daffodils are shining, even through the detritus of last year's garden.

I was inspired to do some clearing. The birds are still using the old stuff for cover but many of them -- the song sparrows, the white-throated sparrows, the juncos, the hermit thrushes -- will be moving on soon and there's still plenty of cover elsewhere.

The daffodils in the front are 'Trevinthian', a fragrant jonquil that blooms for a very long time.

The daffodils in the back are from DH's grandmother's garden.

'Trevinthian' by the front sidewalk

A tiny little 'Tete a Tete' daffodil

and crocus in the old back yard.

The only way I can grow crocus is in sunken pots mulched with gravel.
Still, they were eaten by deer as they were starting to fade.

Spring starflower (Ipheion uniflorum). So far these are mostly blooming at the edges of the beds now; it's nearly impossible to not pull the short slender leaves while pulling chickweed.

Blue speedwell

The serviceberry that was covered in flowers last year doesn't have nearly as many flowers this year.

Unfortunately we're expecting a low in the mid 20s tonight. I hope the wisteria buds will be spared. We didn't get to see it bloom last year because a) I had cut it back too far the previous summer and b) it would have been frozen anyway even if I hadn't done that.