Back in April

I'm posting backwards, sorry. Anyways, the weather this year is absolutely strange. April and May was quite chilly, usually, it's so warm by April and hot in May. Nonetheless, spring was certainly springing by April. Here's a look at what was in bloom in April.

 In the picture, Japanese maple, snapdragons, lilac, clematis, bleeding heart, hellebores and Japanese rose. The lilacs bloomed beautifully this year. The bleeding hearts usually grow very large, but for some reason it didn't do so well this year, especially the pink. 

The dogwood blooms prolificly each year, thankfully. They're absolutely beautiful.

The Dahlia's have started blooming and they are blooming like crazy! Above is an arrangement with Japanese maple, white bleeding hearts, snowbells, dahlias and hellebores. I meant to write the name of the Dahlia, but I forgot...

If planted in the ground, Dahlias should be removed from the ground when frost blackens the foliage. Cut the stems back and with a spade, carefully dig around the tubers. Lift the tubers, gently knocking off the excess soil. Trim the stem low. Place the tubers in an airy place, away from direct sun, for about a week. Then in a shallow box, cover the Dahlia tubers with equal parts dry soil, peat, and sand, make sure the stems are exposed. Dahlia's should be stores in a room temperature of about 40 degrees. Make sure you check up on the Dahlias every once in a while and discard any that look moldy or soft.

 

Ferns are also growing fast. I love ferns, they're such a delight aren't they? That's it for now.