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Tuesday, April 15, 2014

I Love Spring!


Sunday was our prettiest day yet.  I don’t know what the temperature was, but at midday it was too hot to sit on the sunny deck so we ate our lunch in the shade at the picnic table.  I worked in the garden all day, transplanting, trimming, weeding, and just generally soaking up the sunshine.  Oh, my gosh, it felt so good!

Pictured below is my earliest blooming azalea.  It’s young and small and has struggled against clumsy canine odds to establish itself, but it’s a survivor and one day will fill its spot with glorious blooms.

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This next photo is one of the prettiest and most beloved sights in the garden.

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I don’t know why LuLu likes this particular azalea so much, but she always nestles herself there in its branches.  Maybe because she knows it makes such a pretty picture?  This azalea is full grown, large enough to handle LuLu’s attention.  It’s the second azalea to bloom, but the yellow deciduous is popping out with color, too.  Several others are in various stages of bud, which will assure azalea blooms well throughout the spring.  I’m so excited to be gardening again in the pretty sunshine!  It’s time to start filling up the pots, I think.  Have a beautiful day!

21 comments:

  1. Gorgeous pictures but LuLu is the prettiest of them, she's so beautiful!

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  2. Oh what beauties - the azalea and LuLu. She looks so pretty sitting amongst the flowers. Well I am envious of your beautiful gardens and weather. We woke up this morning with 2-3 inches of fresh snow. We worked in the gardens on the weekend, (we had temps in the low 70's) removing all the dead hosta leaves etc from the fall, new growth was popping through the ground and now snow!(todays temp - 0!) what a change in temperature. I hope it doesn't put the plants into shock and stunt them from growing.
    Thanks for sharing such 'pretty' pictures. Have a beautiful day as well!

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  3. How pretty! I'd love using that top photo on my blog header! It's exactly what our yard looks like for about 4-5 days unless we have a freeze. LOL so pretty! hugs, de

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  4. So pretty and I'm so jealous! I've tried for a few years to grow azaleas and they don't like the spot where I want them to grow. I've lost them both times I've planted them. Sad. That is a gorgeous photo of Lulu among the blooms to be.

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  5. I love Spring too! Your flowers are beautiful.

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  6. Beautiful photos. Loving that Spring has finally arrived.

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  7. I can't believe you have flowers already! Part of my yard is still covered by snow & the rest is mostly brown yet! Of course, it's only 26 degrees right now. I'd like to just trade yards with you (complete with doggies) and sit in the shade with Lulu and admire "my" flowers! ha ha

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  8. Beautiful blooms and gorgeous dog. They both put big smiles on my face.

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  9. I'm reminded of our forever friendship every day I work in our gardens Leslie. Every start I have gotten from you has been divided and transplanted and some many times :-) We are having a glorious Spring this year. We need to tour each other's gardens. TFS your azaleas and Lulu my friend.

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  10. Azaleas are so beautiful on the West side! We do have some here, but they are nondescript at best. Lulu and the hot pink azalea go well together.

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  11. Francie in MontrealApril 15, 2014 at 11:46 AM

    My goodness... we just got rid of the snow, although Mother Nature promised another 2-4 cm tonight. Sigh. I've often wondered what life is like in paradise. Enjoying your Garden and Goldens gives me a taste of it. Incredibly beautiful blooms. And Lulu - what can I say, that hasn't been said. She's precious.

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  12. Gardening is not my "thing" but your weather would surely be awesome! It's only in the low thirties here right now! At least our snow is gone! Great pictures.

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  13. Leslie, so glad you got to garden in the sun. We have snow flying here in Ohio again! Argh! Your sweet Lulu is beautiful with the azalea. Your life looks picture perfect! You made me smile again today with your blog in spite of the snow we have here. Blessings, Sue

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  14. We had a couple days of lovely weather and then yesterday we were hit with cold temps, even frost last night, we are about 20 degrees below normal... it is going to slowly climb back up. My Azalea that I planted last year out front didn't make it back this year, all I have is branches, no buds, Greg is wondering if it started to and was hit by frost, think we are going to pull it and try something a bit harder there. I so enjoy your beautiful pictures and love how Lulu knows how to pose for pictures ;)

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  15. Your azaleas are beautiful! I don't blame Lulu for wanting to rest there. Lovely photo of her!

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  16. Lovely photo of Lulu. Leslie, your pink azaleas are close to the ones you coloured on that pretty, pretty card you made, or do I have my colours all wrong. Beautiful photos. I wish I was a gardener. I love gardens.

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  17. Great pictures of your azaleas and of course Lulu - she looks very comfortable among them! I hope ours survive as we had cold temps last night - 15 degrees and woke up to the ground covered with snow. Everything was starting to bud so nicely - at least Joe didn't start his garden yet - we learned our lesson last year! Please send some warm weather our way!!

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  18. Very fun pictures of your azaleas and of course Lulu, she is certainly enjoying the lovely azaleas.

    Hugs Diane

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  19. Your garden is beautiful and makes me hopeful that Spring will come to NY soon!

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  20. Leslie, not sure how else to reach you, but just wanted to let you know that for some reason I"m not able anymore to access your Running With Scissors blog. I keep getting a timed out message. Sorry, I love looking at your work.

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