Blooming in and out

Sorry for my unplanned hiatus over the last couple of weeks.  Life has been very busy!

As Spring approaches. more blooms are appearing - inside my greenhouse and outdoors.  I've gotten a couple of Gerbera daisy plants as gifts over the last 3 years or so.  Usually they were blooming when I received them, but I could never coax another bloom out of them.  For some reason, I've had trouble with them drying out and wilting, only to be revived again when I noticed and gave them a healthy watering.  But I never could keep them happy long enough to bloom - until now!

My first ever "earned" Gerbera daisy bloom

This Gerbera daisy just bloomed last week and still looks great.  Gerbera blooms seem to last quite a while.

The spring Crocus have broken through.

In the corner garden, Daffodil, Tulip and Crocus stems have risen.  Only the purple crocus are blooming so far, but soon they will be joined by the orange crocus and the Daffodils.  It might be closer to May before we see Tulip blooms.

Buds on our Quince bush

Our Quince bush is covered in buds again and will be opening up any day now.  It is a sight to behold.  We'll probably be taking cuttings every couple of days to bring inside and enjoy at our dining table.

Autumn Crocus

This year I discovered that there are some Crocus species which come up in the Autumn.  I ordered some of these, shortly after hearing about them, and got them in the ground immediately.

I don't spend nearly as much time looking at the garden in the Fall, when the leaves are covering the flowerbeds and it's dark by the time I get home from work, but I am happy to have these drops of color out in the garden at this time of the year for when I happen to look.

One of the first blooms of our fall Crocus, surrounded by Oxalis and Gaillardias.  I believe I took this picture in early to mid-November.

Other new bulbs include pink-centered Daffodils and a mixture of pink Tulips to complement our red and white front yard display.

Crocuses Emerge

Before I say anything else, I should note that this is my 50th post! :)

Our corner garden is sprouting.  A week or two ago I raked some leaves over the flowerbed to give it a little insulation.  This week I gently raked some of the leaves aside with my hands and noticed there were blooms underneath!

A couple of Crocus blooms in the corner garden

I planted these crocus bulbs about 3 years ago after creating this flower bed.  I really like the purple blooms with their orange centers.

Group of Crocus blooms

The daffodils will be blooming next - probably in a week or two.

Daffodil stems and Crocus bloom