"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." — Audrey Hepburn
A Northern Cardinal in an Eastern Redbud
Above: White bleeding hearts; Below: Royal Star Magnolia, May Apples, Virginia Bluebells, Striped Squill, White Violets
Above: “Bertine” (our Tina crab tree (above); Below: Windflowers (Anemone sylvestris)
Above: Great white trillium; Below: Easter red bud, prairie trillium, heirloom peonies, Tina crab tree
Above: Sweet Woodruff ground cover
“If all flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty and the fields would no longer be decked out with little wildflowers.” - Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
Door County stretches a mere 40 miles from Sturgeon Bay north to Ellison Bay, yet each park features very different terrain and vegetation.
We enjoyed ferns, lilacs, columbine and wild strawberry blossoms in Potawatomie State Park in Sturgeon Bay
Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek and Ephraim was blooming with trillium, columbine, and forget-me-nots.
Ellison Bay Bluff County Park had a lovely variety of forget-me-nots, yellow violets, star flowers, and merrybells.
We were a little early for lady slippers. We spotted lots of their distinctive foliage, but I only found one brave blossom starting to emerge.
Cherry blossoms were in peak season throughout the peninsula.
I can never decide whether I prefer spring or fall in Door County. I’m so luck that I never have to choose.
“Happiness? The color of it must be spring green.” - Frances Mayes
Springtime in my garden features some of my favorite perenniels and wildflowers.
The white trillium are my favorite.
More native Wisconsin wildflowers: May apples, hepatica, ferns, and red trillium (above) blood root and violets below
Virginia blue bells
White bleeding hearts (abore) and lilies of the valley (below)
The first bearded iris of the season
“Bertine” (Tina crab apple tree) in bloom - IYKYK
Windflowers, candy tuft, white hostas (above) and pink peonies (below)
“Come with me into the woods where spring is advancing, as it does, no matter what, not being singular or particular, but one of the forever gifts, and certainly visible.” ― Mary Oliver,
« Un joli brin de muguet pour le bonheur toute l'année! » - Proverbe français
“Have you ever looked at the bud of a magnolia flower? It’s a tight little pod that stays closed up for a long time on the end of its branch until one day, out of nowhere, it finally bursts open into this gigantic, gorgeous, fragrant flower that’s ten times bigger than the bud itself. It’s impossible to imagine that such a big beautiful thing could pop out of that tiny little bud. But it does.” ― Joanna Gaines, The Magnolia Story
When Piper was a puppy and we lived in Okauchee, we had a Royal Star magnolia bush off the deck outside our bedroom window. I often say that I don’t really miss that house, but I do miss our landscaping. The magnolia blossoms only lasted a few days in early spring, but it remains a favorite memory. Piper really liked them too!
Since we moved to Delafield, we have been working hard to update our landscaping. We have a lot of big, old trees that provide a lot of shade. Magnolias love sun and warmth so we didn’t think we’d be able to have one here. Last spring we lost a tree off the deck outside our bedroom window. We took a chance and planted a Morning Star magnolia. We enjoyed its green leaves all summer and its fuzzy little pods all winter. Last week, we were blessed with unseasonably warm weather — temperatures in the 70s and 80s and lots of sunshine. By the end of the week, our magnolia was blooming profusely! Today, it is raining and the petals are falling. Tomorrow, it is going to snow. That’s spring in Wisconsin. At least I have some lovely images to enjoy until our magnolia blooms again next year.
I think Piper still loves magnolias too.
