Hyacinth and Daffodil Combination

Hyacinthus orientalis 'Aiolos' and Narcissus 'Jenny' combine here with some new blue foliage of ornamental grass Festuca 'Elijah Blue'.

Here is a pretty combination from our Driveway Garden this spring. Hyacinthus orientalis 'Aiolos' and Narcissus 'Jenny' combine to echo each others coloring, cream and yellow. This combo is even better with some blue foliage from Festuca 'Elijah Blue'.

See more of the Driveway Garden on our map.

Color for the Weekend

The Hill Garden with Tulip 'Apricot Impression'

Tulip 'Apricot Impression' in the Hill Garden

Tulip 'Apricot Impression' in the Hill Garden

Cherry Corner Garden in April

Pink Cherry blossom in Cherry Corner today.

Though it has been a bit cold at night, our days have been beautiful this week. And the plants have certainly responded to the weather!

Here are a few photos of our Cherry Corner garden (so called for the weeping cherry tree that is its center piece). I snapped them in the afternoon light sometime between watching the kids ride their bikes on the driveway, an afternoon homeschool session, writing a meal plan for next week, lying down for a wee rest, getting out pancakes to warm for dinner, and going grocery shopping until my mini van overflowed...  because we had no more food and were reduced to eating leftover pancakes for dinner!

The garden is such a reminder to me of the Lord's peace, and a greater Beauty, in the midst of a busy life. I hope it can be a reminder for you today as well.

Muscari 'Ocean Magic' and Anemone blanda 'White Splendour'

Muscari aucheri 'Ocean Magic', Anemone blanda 'White Splendour' and Sedum 'Acre' in our curb strip this weekend.

 I just had to share this pretty combination from our curb strip this week! The spring woodland windflower, Anemone blanda 'White Splendour', is a beautiful flower to plant to add with daffodils or under tulips for your spring displays. (See A. 'White Spendour' with Tulipa 'Prinses Irene' last year in our garden.) 

Or it really draws out the white tips in the grape hyacinth, Muscari aucheri 'Ocean Magic'. Add a covering of Sedum 'Acre' underneath these tiny beauties for best effect!

Tulips for April

Tulipa 'Persian Pearl' in our garden this week.

Spring is in overdrive here in Pennsylvania. I took another walk around our garden today and I already see so much change from Monday tour for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day! The weather has been sunny and in the 60's, and we just had a few nice days of saturating rain last week.  The plants are zooming ahead to catch up to their normal April schedule, which was delayed this year.

These two tulips are sure to add some color to your April days! They are both very early bloomers, do well in containers, and have perennialized well here in well drained planting medium.

Gardening in Pennsylvania ~ April 2013 GGBD

Blooms for April along the front of our house at Gilmore Gardens.

Spring seems to have finally arrived here in western Pennsylvania, zone 5. Temperatures will be in the 60's this week (18 C) and the sun is shining.... and I have the sunburn to prove it! oops.

Yellow is the theme color this week with the forsythias and daffodils in full bloom. And our pet bunny, Bella, is enjoying the fresh new dandelion greens that I am pulling out from the lawns and borders. (Hint: Now is the time to get a jump on those weeds!)

Scilla siberica ~ Color for the Weekend ~

Scilla siberica in our Back Woodland has been growing in numbers. They have reseeded around this little rock garden at the base of our maple tree. Violet come up here for May.

Hellebores in the Shade Path Garden

Pink and spotted Hellebores orientalis hybrid in our Shade Path this week.

I was out with an umbrella yesterday afternoon to get a few photos of the Lenten Roses (Hellebores) blooming in our Pennsylvania,  zone 5 garden. These may be nothing new to the blogging world, but they are are real and beautiful to us!

Mulching fun with the kids!

Mulching season, Spring 2013

Do you have this much fun with your mulching?!?

I think it is the *GIANT* pile of compost that really gets them excited. Spring is here and here is something they can finally just dig in to - any way, any how. And, boy, it does seems limitless... especially to the kids. :)

Color for the Weekend

Iris reticulata 'Katherine Hodgkin' in our Shade Path garden this weekend.

A few years ago I fell in love with these spring gems, the rock irises. I planted 50 in our shade garden last year and they have come up again this year! Here it is with the evergreen Christmas fern, Polystichum acrostichoides.

Tips for Applying Mulch

Mushroom compost at "Gilmore Garden Center."

We will have 3 yards of mushroom compost delivered this week. When I begin filling my first wheelbarrow full, I will think about the mulching techniques I have learned from many and various gardeners over the past 10 years...

Chanticleer House in Spring

My visit to Chanticleer House & Gardens in April.

Welcome to the end of my Chanticleer series! It has been nice to finally post these photos from my visit last April with my garden blogging friends, Pam and Carolyn. Chanticleer is a beautiful garden throughout, and it was a very enjoyable visit. Keep and eye open for roosters statues (like on the pillar above), as chanticleer is french for rooster.

If you are interested in reading more about Chanticleer, I recommend looking at their book that was new out last year, Chanticleer: A Pleasure Garden by Adrian Higgins. For me, the real thrill of this book was the beautiful garden photography by Rob Cardillo. His photos cover many seasons of the romantic garden, and there is a bit of information for the plant and garden history lovers as well.

So here we are, at Chanticleer house...