In the Garden: April
“April, come she will
When streams are ripe and swelled with rain”
April arrived with all the promise of the bulbs and rhizomes we planted last fall. But before our basket overflowed with each daily harvest, we enjoyed the quiet beauty of more narcissus, as well as native flowers Virginia bluebells and woodland phlox. Blue flowers are magical little garden treasures and I love how we have them in abundance in mid-spring. I still haven’t figured out how to photograph our bluebell path in a way that really does it justice…making it a goal for next year!
Virginia Bluebell and Woodland Phlox on April 13, 2022
We planted over eight hundred specialty tulips in November…that’s a lot for us! Most of them went toward our Easter Centerpiece Workshop with Spanish Street Farmacy. They were just the most joyful flowers! We made a fun tulip reel (featuring one of our very favorite songs) on Instagram—if you haven’t seen it, check it out here.
‘Amazing Parrot’, pink variety unknown, ‘Black Hero’, ‘Dream Touch’ tulips on April 13, 2022
A flatlay of the last true flush of narcissus. I am not 100% happy with the way I planted these bulbs—I made the mistake of mixing up the bulbs, which didn’t really do them justice as they bloomed. Next spring I plan on gently transplanting them for more of a visual impact.
‘Bell Song’, ‘Bridal Crown’, ‘Fortissimo’, ‘Replete Pink’, ‘White Lion Double’ narcissus on April 28, 2022
Our first bearded iris bloomed at the close of the month. We added over seventy bearded iris rhizomes last September. It was quite the investment, but I have a feeling it will be worth it! We followed the Floret Flowers guide and sourced them from Schreiner’s Iris Gardens in Salem, Oregon. Ironically the one pictured wasn’t on the guide, but I added it to my order anyway—I adore the creamy color! Filling the gap between tulips and peonies, bearded iris are arriving right on time for Mother’s Day weekend. How exciting it will be when these beds really fill out in the coming years.
‘Smitten Kitten’ bearded iris on April 28, 2022