Japanese spurge

Finally, the gardens are beginning to boast convincing signs that they are awakening to spring. The garden beds and borders are still fairly bleak looking, with vast stretches of soil awaiting the appearance of what lays beneath to remember to show themselves. But here and there are signals that the slumbering perennials will deign to colour our world.

Snakehead fritillary

In the rock garden, periwinkles which began blooming tentatively weeks ago are now showing their true colours, partnering with forget-me-nots whose blues are reminiscent of the sky on wonderful spring days uninterrupted by cloud, like today. 

Periwinkles

It will, in fact, be a scorcher by all indications. Just as well my husband finished painting the deck after the laborious work that preceded it, to remove years of water-resistant stain. It now looks like a new deck.

Bleeding Heart

Our emerging tulips are certainly nothing to be excited about; they're modest in numbers, size, productivity and colour. But the Bergenia planted here and there have  already raised their colourful stalks of bright pink flowers.

Bergenia

 And the magnolia trees, the larger one at the front of the house and the more modest-sized one in the back trying in vain to catch up with the front one are beginning to open their blowsy magenta blossoms.

Magnolia flower bud

Japanese spurge is now in flower, and so are the bleeding hearts, perennials that love to reproduce themselves without any intervention on the gardener's part. The snakehead fritillary is also in bloom, though they have almost been engulfed in the rock garden by the prolific, spreading red-leafed heuchera.

Snakehead fritillary