It really must be spring.  There is no place better than Oregon in the springtime.  Spring arrives and departs here slowly, with spring-like weather lasting from March through the first of July. Really.  By the end of June we're all longing for those consistently warm summer days, but along the way the parade of blooms is jaw dropping and non- stop.  Well, let me tell you that the parade has begun!

I just completed a tour of our front yard.  Even on this rainy day it made me happy.  The ferns, which we cut back months ago, have finally come alive, sticking up their heads and unfurling their delicate green tendrils.  In one area of the yard they are surrounded by a sea of lily-of-the-valley plants.  I definitely have a love/hate relationship with lily-of-the-valley.  They are so beautiful, and smell so delightful, but, oh, do they love to take over the garden.  Kind of pushy for my tastes.  I fight them every year.  One year I put an add on Craigslist, offering them free to anyone who would come and dig them up.  I had gardeners digging around in my lily patch for over a week.  That tamed them for a while, but can't say that I really got control.

I am thankful to the previous owners of our house for having the foresight to plant the yard full of flowering shrubs.  Sure, we have modified their vision; we've removed a number of plants, done a lot of pruning, and have added some of our own favorites, but the original  plants beautifully form the backbone of our landscape design.  There is no denying that spring is the time when this yard comes into its own.  Currently the daphne is in full fragrant bloom and the old, giant mollis azaleas are beginning to put forth some blossoms.  I can't wait to see what comes next.

Reyn has continued to work on cleaning up the backyard and garden.  He has spent the past week adding gravel to our paths and laying bark mulch around the garden edges where it had thinned out - mostly due to marauding deer cruising through the yard.  We have just installed the last gate and now think that we are completely deer proof.  If we can only remember to close the gates.

A couple of years ago we planted rhododendrons around the perimeter of the back yard.  Our hope was that they would eventually form a beautiful flowering hedge around the yard.  The plants have grown and are now nearly touching.  They are just now coming into bloom.  It looks like the gaps between the plants will be mostly filled in by next spring. Our deer fence runs just behind the rhodys and seems to disappear as the trees behind it leaf out. We've had such a good time planning, putting in lots of hard work, and now watching as this yard comes together, one piece at a time.  Now all we need is good weather.