Home is located in Odessa Township, Ionia County, Michigan. Spring came late this year, or maybe it was that winter just didn’t want to leave. We’ve had an unusually high amount of rain so far. Warm weather has everything that grows shifting into overdrive. Here’s a look at what’s happening these days.

The young leaves have appeared on the maple trees. While we usually associate those colors with fall, they also appear in the spring. We’ll walk toward the house and the formal gardens (as we call them) in the walk-out area.

The phlox have finally taken off after a few years of very slow growth. These white phlox look almost as good as a bride on her wedding day.

More phlox on the other side. These have a nice purple tinge to them.

Closer to the driveway, the tulips reign supreme. The hostas are growing and will be in their glory when the tulip blossoms are gone. The daffodil blossoms are looking very sad. In the back, the purple of myrtle blossoms still grace their part of the garden.

Leaving the garden area, we approach the barn. There in the grass is a large patch of violets. When I was a youngster this was one of our favorite lawn flowers. We’d pick some in early May and take them to mother as a gift. I still think of mom when I see violets growing in the lawn. I won’t mow this area until the violets have ceased blooming.

Unlike the tulips in the formal garden, these are yellow with a touch of red. I find them to be stunning in their beauty. Every year we remove flowers from this area beside the barn and move them into one of the flower beds. Some of them continue to elude us as this one has.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our flower gardens. Please come back and visit again. You are always welcome.