Buds and Leaves

Leaves and buds are a big part of spring, so I thought I'd post these pictures before Bloom Day.

In addition to the flowers, a beautiful aspect of spring is the new green leaves.


Parsley Hawthorn

I love the dappled pattern the shadows of leaves make on tree trunks.

Highbush blueberry

The downy silver leaves of Serviceberry almost look like Pussy Willow catkins as they emerge.

First Breath of Spring, with its last flowers.

Buds of wild crabapple

White Piedmont azalea

Pink Piedmont azalea. The buds look to me like the heads and necks of swan or geese.

Baptisia australis

Amsonia tabernaemontana

Iris 'Crimson King'

Sweet Betsy

Dwarf Crested Iris

Azaleas

The azaleas are starting to bloom, always a special time of year. I have only two types Asian evergreen azaleas, Encore 'Amethyst' and a late-blooming shell pink and white azalea from my husband's grandmother's garden. The rest are natives.

Encore 'Amethyst' is supposed to be the most cold-hardy of the Encores, a group of azaleas not known for their cold-hardiness. 'Amethyst' has survived temps down to zero with little damage and no snow cover, so I have been pleasantly surprised by its performance.

Piedmont azalea is a tall, suckering native azalea with fragrant pink or white flowers. Or at least it's supposed to sucker, although they have not yet. The buds are almost as beautiful as the flowers. The evergreen azaleas definitely pack a wow factor, but I love the grace of the flowers of the native azaleas and softer colors even more. Many species are sweetly fragrant, much like Dianthus, cotton candy with a hint of clove.

White Piedmont azalea

Female black phase Tiger Swallowtail feeding on the flowers.

Easter Lilies

In the South Atamasco Lilies (Zephyranthes atamasco) are often known as Easter Lilies. These lilies are low-growing, often only a few inches tall, with large flowers for their height. They can form large colonies and like a lot of moisture. An Atamasco Lily bloom is a thing of pristine beauty.

This clump of Easter Lilies is growing in one of our floodway fields.

Wishing you a Happy Easter!