My first Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day of 2019!

It’s been a wet, cold spring. We’ve had few days above 60, many days in the 40s and low 50s with clouds and rain and even a little snow yesterday. So we’re off to a slow start.

Though the rain barrel is off to a quick start.

I planted peas (not pre-soaked) on 29 April and finally a few poked their heads above the soil on 11 May, almost two weeks later.

I’m going to plant arugula seeds this week, but the rest of the direct-sown items, plus some cherry tomato plants from a friend — which are two feet tall, have flowers, and are attempting an escape through the top of the laundry room window — will be waiting until early June to go in.

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Here’s what happening in my zone 4b-5a New Hampshire garden this month.

The back border and backyard, featuring chippie, bleeding hearts, ‘Ludwig Spaeth’ lilac in bud, white violet, dandelions and violets in lawn, flower buds of Crimson Fans (Mukdenia rossi ‘Karasuba’), comfrey foliage, tulip in bud, chives in bud, lawn violets, and white daffodils:

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The shade garden, side garden, sunroom border, and rock wall, featuring yellow trillium foliage, the white bud of a twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla), ginger, blue cohosh flowers and leaves, violet, daffodil, a colony of violets, Euphorbia epithymodies ‘First Blush’, variegated solomons seal, tiny white nodding fritillaria, tiny red hazelnut flower, and muscari:

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Fruit Guild, featuring peach tree buds, sensitive fern, closed coltsfoot flowers, Calluna vulgaris (heather) flowers, Equisetum arvense (common horsetail) spore cone, epimedium (spp) flower, and more equisetum:

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Front yard, featuring a wood frog (Lithobates sylvatica), I think, disturbed by my weeding, hellebore (Helleborus x hybridus ‘Royal Heritage Seres’), tiny yellow-fringed purple fritillaria, hairy pasque flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) bud, Lathrys vernus (spring pea bush) and yesterday’s snow, same spring pea another day, daffodil, flower of same hellebore plant, and flowers on Pieris japonica (andromeda) :

Here’s to Spring!

Now I understand how each drop of rain must be
destined for its spot on the earth, how each shard of
sunlight must have a shadow to brighten
[…] You have to
doubt what you believe and believe what you doubt.
You have to work each long furrow of the heart whose
seeds will surprise you like the hidden stars of daylight. — Richard Jackson, from “Nicodemus’s Dream”

Featured image is Centaurea montana in the front yard, which has spread nicely in clumps to other parts of the yard.

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.