On a recent sunny day (there are not many lately) Lucy and I took a walk in the back garden. Since the herbs that survived Winter had a generous head start with the mild March we had, they are ahead in their bloom by about 4 weeks. French onion chives are very hardy in zone 6 and these are no exception.

The charming little pink/lavender flowers remind me of field clover. The bees really like them too.

 I had already harvested each plant before the bloom in the last month or so and they have re-grown and set blossoms. 

Are these the happiest little blooms or what? 

Another hardy contender in the herb bed is the thyme. This plant is about 4 years old and has over-Wintered every year since it was planted. Surviving cold, ice, snow, freezing rain etc., it is now blooming as well. The bees are busy and looking at me oddly for intruding on their work.   

Sweet little blossoms only last a day or so and then the plant starts spreading more roots. When I planted this it was just a single stem. It has been divided every year since.

 The rhododendron bushes have fared well as well. Full luscious blooms are visible from my back windows and brighten the day,

On occasion, the 'trimmer' around here gets carried away and few blooming stalks survive. This year we were lucky. 

These Allium bulbs have been around since the last century. Also a big draw for stinging insects, I snapped the pictures on the move and got out of there.   

Note the tiny, itty-bitty green centers on each bloom. The single bloom itself is only about 1/4 inch in diameter.

A couple rows of sprouting garlic were planted in March. They survived and the critters don't like them. We will see.

As our surroundings awake this Spring, I am reminded of many things. Not the least of which is the process of preparing, planting and tending our gardens. Mine is now quite modest and that suits our current lifestyle. Soon the early Farmers Markets will open and the abundance of nature will warm our hearts and souls. Cannot wait!