Spring is here:
because the birches are finally putting on leaves;
because there are fat flower buds on the Cirsium rivulare and only two of them were blackened by frost;
because even the dragon’s digging has failed to prevent the artichoke from coming beautifully back;
because you can keep tulips going from year to year, happily;
because the lawn is covered in speedwells, and they pinged right back after it had its first cut – and because this is finally happening:
Eureka!
(‘Hooray, hooray, the first of May / outdoor cough, splutter begins today.’ Despite the leaves etc, if you tried any outdoor cough, splutter round here today you’d get frostbitten bits. Still some way to go, but we are – at last – getting there.)
Beangenie 
These first emergences are wonderful, aren’t they Kate? Wowzer moments indeed!
Every year they get me, and I take about 5,000,000 shots. Thank heavens for digital photography!
The magic of spring, beautiful.
Isn’t it? And at last! (PS: those verbascums are showing signs of sprouting nicely…)
(Fab, mine are back up too!)
If they’re as good as they were last year, I’ll be well chuffed…. fingers crossed for yours as well!
Wonderful. Have spent a couple of hours in the garden the last couple of evenings. Only the midges sending me in!
It’s lovely, isn’t it? Trying to shake off the feeling that next week we’ll be back in fleeces (and that includes the garden)…
Always so exciting to see seedlings emerging – a good reason to shout from the rooftops, dance too and generally make merry Kate 🙂
I’m saving that reaction for when I have more than two cerinthes (that’s known as a HINT, you lazy little cerinthes…)
I do so love watching the leaves unfurl, and I do miss my birch trees. And is there anything better than the sight of a new seedling germinating?
Quite – I could sit in the greenhouse and watch, sometimes… beans are particularly satisfying!
Wowzer indeed! Spring is well and truly in your garden I see. I’ve just noticed I have some seedling appear in a border, don’t have a clue what they are as they are underneath a Rhododendron, so I’m waiting in anticipation!
Stuff is now coming up all over here – and I’m afraid a sizeable number are weeds. Fingers crossed that yours are not!
Happy May Day! It was a holiday here and was a nice day, not too hot and a bit overcast but perfect for gardening. Christina
Happy May Day too! Lovely day here but no holiday – until Monday, that is. Lots of gardening to do!
Wow, your meadow certainly is something to shout about, it’s wonderful, now wonder you’re pleased with it. Its an amazing time of year when everything seems to be sprouting at once, lush growth everywhere!
And it all seems crammed into an ever-tighter schedule, this year, too – as though everything was trying to cram the growing in before the weather deteriorates… hope I’m wrong!
Just love the meadow ! Very lovely ! This Spring is going to fizz like a firework once it finally gets going !
Thanks – and right now it’s humming and fluttering and teeming (that’s the ants, boo) with life, which is exactly what I wanted. Well, except the ants…