Azalea Blooms

I am so excited to be out and working in our flower gardens.  The smaller kids and I have been weeding, clipping and adding mulch to the beds.  Oh, and then there is my favorite yard chore, picking up Sweet Gum balls.  If you've never had the pleasure of owning one of these trees, just know that they drop thousands of golf ball sized seed balls that are covered in spikes.

On the beautiful side of garden life, the azaleas are in bloom.  They will only last a few weeks, but during that time they put on quite a show.

This is my favorite color.

And of course, the clover is blooming...

Can you have enough hydrangeas in your yard?  I cannot!  And they are all leafing out.  Hydrangea tip - never cut them back severely, as they bloom on old wood.

Love this...so perfect...and the spores are visible.

And on the veggie side of things...

The kids have started watermelon, cucumber and carrot seeds.  I am not hopeful about the carrots as they do not generally grow well here, but they wanted to try.

So what's turning green in your yard?  Have you started any seeds?  Do you grow azaleas or hydrangeas?  And has anyone ever lived with the pain of a Sweet Gum Tree in your yard?

To see what other gardeners are up to click on this image.