Spring Has Sprung!

I've been terribly remiss about keeping up the journal but have just had other things to keep me occupied these last few months.  I thought it was about time that I caught up, so this will cover a lot of ground.  This past winter, if you can even call it that, was very mild.  Other than a snowstorm for Halloween, there was no snow to speak of though there was a good deal of rain.  Spring came at least a month early, with temperatures hitting the 80s on a few days!  The garden woke up a good six weeks earlier than usual and the spring blooms were quite beautiful.  I'll be posting lots of photos to the web site as I've shot a few hundred since things started to grow.  The What's New page will direct you to them.  On 20 March (!) I had the first rosebud.  As ever, it was on Louise Odier.  But, as is so often the case, she wasn't the first to open a blossom.  That honor was taken by both Double Delight and Zephirine Drouhin this year; they both opened up a single bloom on 19 April.  With both the first bud and the first blooms, they were a good month earlier than usual this year.  For the last few months, we've been in something of a drought after the wet winter, but that ended today with an all-day soaking rain that is expected to intensify tonight.  It was much needed; I actually had the sprinkler system turned on last week.  Here are photos of the first rosebud and the first blooms of 2012.  (Click on a photo to enlarge it.) First is the bud on Louise Odier.

2012 Louise Odier

Next is Double Delight.

2012 Double Delight

Finally, here's Zephirine Drouhin.

2012 Zephirine Drouhin

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