Spring seems to be taking its sweet time about arriving in Central Illinois, but that hasn’t stopped die-hard gardeners from dreaming.
Do-it-yourself stores like Home Depot, big box stores like Walmart, and even some grocery stores are doing their best to capitalize on that fact.
Witness some of these beauties I saw this morning while browsing at Wally World:
What says “Spring” louder than potted Daffodils?
Deep red pansies are ready for planting.
Sunny yellow mums and monkey-faced pansies.
Deer resistant, drought tolerant Pink Dianthus makes for a beautiful garden flower.
Fragrant sweet Alyssum makes an ideal border or ground cover.
Aster, birth flower for September, means Love, Faith, Wisdom, and symbolizes Valor.
Fast-growing pansies do best in full sun.
Hyacinths like these pink and purple ones, are grown from bulbs and are strongly fragrant.
When your Easter lily has finished blooming, plant its bulb outdoors in a sunny spot so it can rebloom next year.
Musings by an ND Domer's Mom 
So pretty. I love Daffodils such a happy flower. I didn’t know that about Easter Lilies. We don’t have a lot of sun but I will find a spot for our Lily! I have small pots Hyacinths in our windows. I love the smell! We are enjoying a rainy day. I don’t mind, the temps are mild and I managed to read and nap. Hope you’ve enjoyed the day.
Even after reading that an Easter Lily can re-bloom, the skeptic in me has some doubts. I mean, the things grow in the Pacific Northwest, an entirely different climate than we have in Illinois. Oh, well, I guess it’s worth a try — probably better (and more hopeful!) than tossing it out with the trash. Let us know if it works for you!
Breathtaking flowers. Can’t decide which are my favorite but I’m leaning toward pansies. They look so delicate and poised. Like ballerinas!
I like the pansies, too, Monica, but my favorite spring flower is the Hyacinth. So beautiful, so sweet-smelling! And when I see them shoot up out of the ground, I just KNOW winter is behind me and warmer days are ahead!
Faaaaaaaaaaabulous shots of the Spring flowers, Debbie!
This post totally made me smile! Don’t you love all the bright and happy color that spring brings?
“What says “Spring” louder than potted Daffodils?”
You said it! And also, for me, pansies. In fact, I was outside practically all day today because the weather was just stunning, taking photos of flowers and trees, all starting to bloom.
Can you believe it was 81 degrees here today? And the air was dry and windy, so it felt wonderful!
Thanks for sharing, dear lady. Have a super-duper week!
X
Eighty-one degrees? Already?? How splendid, Ron — you’re so fortunate to be able to get outside, take pictures, and enjoy Spring!
Yesterday was a bit windy, but this evening, we might get an inch of SNOW! Can you believe that? This really has been the winter-that-won’t-go-away, hasn’t it?
Have a fabulous week!
Those are gorgeous flowers! The Pink Dianthus caught my eye because of the deer resistant factor – the elk have managed to destroy 90% of everything we planted over the last year!
I like Dianthus, too, Janna. It seems almost wasteful to plant annuals and know that they only last one season; however, we’ve had lots of luck getting Dianthus to come back in succeeding years. And its blue-green foliage is quite striking,too!
Eye candy!! I couldn’t wait for your spring collection of photos! Thanks!
Bless you, Tanya! I only wish we’d had warm enough weather for these to be growing in the ground, rather than waiting for somebody to buy and plant them. But as beautiful as they are, they won’t wait on the shelves long, will they?!
I made it a gardening day on Saturday. I worked my butt off…oh, but I have thirty four new plants to enjoy now through the summer!
Oh, my golly, Suzi, that’s just GREAT! I hope you’ve blogged about them, for I just know they’ll put on a fabulous show for you! Congrats on getting the work out of the way — now you can sit on your deck and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Yeah, the time is coming for me to go back outside and work!
Gardening can be back-breaking work, Professor, so take it easy and don’t try to do too much all at once. Perhaps the pooch will “help”?? Mine loves to hang close by, but fortunately, he’s NOT a digger!!
Yeah, the pooches are always there. They don’t dig either!
Good pups!! Who wants a back yard that looks like gophers live there?!
this was a pretty peek at springtime. Thanks Debbie. It has definitely arrived here in Oregon. Hopefully soon where you are too.
Oh, you already have Spring?? That’s just such a beautiful season, Barb, and I know you’re going to love it. We will, too, when it finally gets here (though we’re bracing for a bit of SNOW this evening — NOOOOOOO!)
I just had to smile at all those pansies. They’re a winter flower for us, and their time is almost over. They thrive in our cooler temps, like snapdragons and cyclamen. Petunias and geraniums will do well now, but the geraniums I had for about four years survived only because I brought them into the air conditioning in the summer!
This is going to be my year for a basket of bougainvillea. Now that the painting is done around here, I’m eager to spiff things up.
I’m glad you enjoyed these pansies — I like how happy they look, especially the ones with the monkey faces. Yes, I remember they were a winter flower in Gulfport, too, but that only made me long the more for spring.
Bougainvillea should do well for you, with your climate. It grows prolifically in Gulfport and makes a gorgeous flower. I’m sure you know to plant it in direct sun to encourage blooming!