Blooming trees

Daffodils are the first sign of spring around our beautiful garden. But considering those seem to pop up even when the temperature doesn't get above 40, I look up to get our first sign of warmer weather to come. And it comes from our blossoming trees.

You may know that this week is the National Cherry Blossom Festival here in Washington. But why head down to the mall when we have a lovely Cherry Blossom right in our own backyard? It was hard for me to get a decent photo on such a gray evening, but you get the idea - lots of puffy whiteness all over.

The other bright spot now is the even showier Tulip Magnolia. It bursts into lush pink blooms that last for a few weeks in early spring. Contrast that with our "regular" Magnolia tree that brings forth its white flowers in late summer. This particular shot of the Tulip Magnolia is looking through the middle - it's really quite a sight!

Tucked underneath this tree is a little Camellia bush. It's not very showy, but it does produce at least one red bloom at a time from mid-winter through early spring. Here's her latest:

In the square plot this year we decided to forgo any vegetables this year, getting out of the squirrel feeding business. Instead we bought a bunch of bulbs at Eastern Market which went down in the fall. Scott cleverly covered it all with chicken wire to protect them in the early stages. To help as a squirrel deterrent and for a splash of color, we bought some Marigolds this past weekend to fill in the square. Looking good so far. Can't wait to see all the Tulips, Hyacinth and Narcissus come in very soon!