I am so in love with this time of year. 
When we moved here there were about three of these allium.
Every year I let them go to seed so that I can save seeds for friends. 
And every year they are so abundant that I don't get all the seeds off and they spread all over. I can't bear to rip them out and so we have loads. Dare I say too many?
These ones are in the back of the house and you can see all their heads about to burst into bloom.
The vinca (periwinkle) that I brought from my parents' place is blooming, I am hoping that this spreads all over in the front shady side garden.
The ferns are unfurling all over. I like using them for a background to bouquets.
Some tulips that I planted last year when my neighbour gave me some extra bulbs. And of course.....
we have a few of these. I have actually done a pretty good job of keeping up with controlling them the last few years. Every few days we have an "off with their heads" race and pick all the flower heads off before they go to seed. I know that dandelions have many virtues and I do eat the leaves sometimes but I don't really want too many of these around.
I especially love all the old wooden spools.
Almost the entire weekend has been spent in the garden. When I wasn't in the veg garden I was in the flower gardens. It is quite possible that I spent far too much time potting up baby plants to give away but I would rather do that than see them tossed in the compost. I still have a large pile of mulch sitting in the driveway but things are looking pretty good around here. On Friday the boys and I were mulching the side shade garden when I found this. I've no idea where it came from and I don't recall it being there last year. It is so pretty, I just love the speckles. 
My neighbour brought me some double lilacs, she brings me some each year because she knows that I love them too.
There are lots of firsts in the garden just now, I found the first of our California poppies in bloom, pretty soon there will be thousands of these. They are prolific spreaders and act as a bit of a ground cover here.
Here is the first daisy in bloom. We have loads of these and it is one of my favourite flowers to bring in as a cut flower. They are so simple and fresh looking.
And up top is a picture of our first columbine in bloom, I think that is the one that you gave me last year, Samantha.
These flowers hold some special memories for me from my childhood. They take me back to the year my family moved into a tiny little house with a yard dominated by rows of these shrubs....
I spent many an hour gathering armloads of these pretty blooms to fill empty milk cartons which I had tacked to my bedroom walls in order to make my room a butterfly sanctuary. It was magical when my room was filled with the colour and scent of the lilacs, my bedroom window open so that the butterflies flew in and out. What I can't remember, is if I asked permission first or just went with the idea... I do remember how surprised my mom was when I invited her in to show her what I'd done.
We can't help admiring the apple blossoms, they look as though they are blushing - so delicate.
The Kerria is in bloom now too. I brought this back from my childhood home, along with many other plants, when my folks sold the property It is pictured here with some silver dollar plants which have seeded themselves here and there (and everywhere) throughout the yard.
This is not from my garden, a generous friend shared this with us. She has incredible long asparagus beds that very much made me wish that I had planted some in my own garden. In all my years of living I have never eaten raw asparagus, I was quite surprised to learn that it tastes of raw peas. When I was talking to my mom yesterday ( a huge asparagus fan) she asked me if I had ever tasted it raw, it seems she had her first taste of it raw last week and also thought it tasted like raw peas. I thought it was quite funny that we both had never had it raw and then both did in the same week.
Last night I cooked what was left after our snacking and then put it all on one plate to serve it. The boys said that they were full from the rest of dinner so I started feasting right off the plate, fully intending to leave some for hubby (no, really). He thought that his share was still in the pot on the stove and went to get some. I heard him mutter sarcastically, "Thanks so much." Then he helped himself to the one spear that was (accidentally) left in the pot, thinking that that was all that I had left him. I can see how he might have thought that, after all we were having it with hollandaise and it was incredibly delicious.
