Post your spring photos - whenever you have spring!

Tiarella 'Spring Symphony' blooming now.

This bed is fully shaded in summer, but in winter/spring the walnut tree in the middle is bare, so the plants get a sunlight boost when they need it most! I'm surprised the 'Tropicanna' canna threw out some blooms - normally I cut them down in Feb and they don't return until late May. This time I was late, just cut them back two days ago. Lots of new smaller leaves coming up, but these two were actually flowering. The weather's been pretty good this spring, although we could use some more rain, so I think everything's about 3 weeks ahead of schedule so far.

My favorite shady bed combination - bearded iris and hellebore.

Probably should have posted this second instead of the iris/hellebore photo - this is the back of the bed in my first photo. A truly gaudy combination of orange nasturtiums and pink coleonema! But the nasturtiums don't last long, and the splash of colors is actually refreshing after too many dreary wet days.

This variegated erysimum manages to hang on despite a rough time in the winter in another shaded bed. The arum leaves are lovely but the flowers are quite ugly.

This fragrant dwarf rhodie is lanky and unattractive - but the flowers open to a yellow-throated white, and are as fragrant as Easter lilies! They are almost as pretty when still buds, a beautiful shaded pink:

Another bearded iris, with the Oxalis siliquosa in full winter technicolor behind it. O. siliquosa really shows the beautiful copper-pink tones in winter - in summer it pretty much goes yellow-chartreuse. The variegated alstroemeria leaves are attractive, but the plant is in too much shade to ever bloom well. I really should move it.

One of my favorite plants, a 'Jack Frost' brunnera bought at ridiculous expense, is beginning to disappear under an aggressive palm that I need to cut back. But the brunnera has put up its delicate spikes of tiny sky-blue flowers - hard to capture with my ancient digital camera, this was the best shot I could get. A white calla is lying on the ground next to it.

Beautiful! I'm so impressed that you've been able to plant so much under a walnut and have it grow so well. I've had trouble with brunneras disappearing too and wonder if they need the cold to keep going. I've had trouble growing Hexastylis (or Asarum). Another magic touch you have. Mine has just languished.

Here's a hellbore - I've posted this somewhere else but it's pretty enough to post twice. :-)

wow very beautiful ladies....some day we will be growing here again also... I do have some crocuses in blossom... nice to see them!!!

It's wonderful to see what is going on in other places. Here in zone 5, I'm loving the crocuses!!!

We don't get crocus here so yours is looking very lovely. Here's a kurume azalea. They are really spectacular when they are blooming.

The hellebore, azalea, tiarella - all gorgeous! Here's another crocus.

Well, for a ton of color ini my mostly shady yard, I just can't beat my azaleas. :)
Deb

And, with the azaleas, comes the Carolina Jessamine.
:)

beautiful photo frances. And Deb, your mature azaleas and jessamine are stunning. How old are the azaleas?

The jessamine is beautiful; does it smell, too? (Thanks, Doss - it's hard to miss when the flower itself is so perfect. I guess its a good thing that crocus are blooming by themselves - it makes me appreciate each one. If they were with a slew of other things I might not notice how gorgeous they are individually. )

Frances: The crocus are so beautiful. I love seeing them because they don't grow well here. Too mild, I think. Oh, and yes, the jessamine smells heavenly. To me it's like vanilla.

Doss: Those azaleas are about 10 years old. Some are 3-5' taller than I am. I can't reach far enough to prune them. :)

Deb

Crocus don't grow well here either unless they come prechilled and you grow them as annuals. That one that you posted is particularly vibrant Frances.

What fortune to be able to be in the shade of an azalea Deb.

Here's another kurume azalea. It's about 18 inches tall and is 10 years old.

Doss: I always believed that good things come in small packages. :) That kurume is a wonderful color!

Oh my, all the photos are glorious! Doss, your kurume azaleas are gorgeous - I finally sprang for an Encore azalea by mail because I couldn't find what I wanted locally. HD had them but wouldn't differentiate them by color, and I desperately wanted a red one!

Turns out it's more a red with a hint of orange but it fades to dark pink. But does seem to be pretty vigorous. It looks pretty good considering it arrived half-dead (I was very unhappy with Park Seeds about the order). It's already bloomed twice in two months. Heavy feeder, though! I tried to include the tag but it's not very readable: variety is "Autumn Embers".

Looks like you were able to bring it back to life pretty well jkom. I had a friend get some from Parks and the same thing happened. Beautiful!

georgeous!!!! I have a shady yard also and should look into the azaleas!

jkom: I have Autumn Embers and Autumn Sunset and both have been good bloomers for me. They seem to need alot of water the first year, moreso than some "regular" azaleas. Otherwise, they've bloomed nicely for me in close to full shade.
Deb

I have a flowering quince in a semi-shady part of the back yard, that is the first thing to bloom every year.

Quinces are so pretty and they take more shade than it would seem.

Beautiful pics everyone! Thanks so much for sharing spring in your "neck of the woods" :)

My spring bulbs are gone by, but the azaelas are budded. I've got some jacks up and a few other jacks almost opened...

This one is 'Jack Frost'

:)

Gorgeous -

Beautiful I don't grow any of those.

Jody, wow, what a cool plant! I'll have to check into growing those Jacks!

Doss, I wish my azaleas would grow like yours. My front yard is deep shade, so mine are spindly and something keeps eating the leaves off them and my rhododendrons.

Thanks everyone

doss do arisaema's grow in CA or is it too warm?

I love them, when I was a kid we had all kinds of wild species ones in our woods. I've got two other ones but hope to keep expanding the collection.

Heronswood nursery says that they can grow into zone 9 - but sometimes that's just wrong. I've never seen anyone grow one here. That doesn't mean that it doesn't happen though.

Azalea "Autumn Embers" is in bloom now. This one is on an east wall and only sees sun until noon at latest.
Deb

Beautiful Deb. Jody, I checked Plant Delights Nursery site and some of the arisaemas only go up to zone 7 but some of them are listed as zone 9. Sounds as if you are right that a lot of them need more cold than we have here. I've been trying to grow toad lilies and brunneras and I think that it's a problem for them here too.

Beautiful Deb!

Wow doss! And here I have always been so envious of those in warmer zones... guess it's true what they say, "the grass is always greener"...

Some of my azaleas a couple of weeks ago...

A few more...

And a few more.

Sure are beautiful lussah

Here's a shade garden. The red bloomers on the left are azaleas and the purple ones to the left are viola odorata.