Spring Has Arrived - A Photo Blog

I was driving to work yesterday and realized - Spring has finally arrived up here in the frozen north. The trees are looking bushy, showing off their first leaves and buds of the season, and some flowering bushes are suddenly filled with color that hadn't been there as early as the day before. It's as if the curtain was raised on the new season and now our clock is ticking toward mid-summer instead of the shortest day of the year. Yippee! I need photos of flowering plants to celebrate.

I have one of these and just love it. The buds are out on it now, and
it will bloom shortly. It's running about two-three weeks ahead
of normal schedule because we had such a mild winter. 

I saw several smaller versions of this bush yesterday as I was
driving to work. It's such a thrill to see flowers and blooms once more. 

Soon the lilacs will be in bloom. I adore the scent of lilacs and
the variety of colors that bloom. We have them lining some
of the freeways here in the Twin Cities and it's always a joy
to see the bright color along the roadway, especially when
stuck in traffic. 

Our snowball bush can get out of control easily but when it is
trimmed, will have a full bloom of white snowballs to remind
us of the winter just passed. 

We have a crab apple tree in our backyard that blooms with this
color, and many of the local businesses also feature flowering
crab apple trees in their green space because they are easy
care and very hardy. They are spectacular in the spring. 

The apple trees will bloom shortly also. Minnesota is a state that
grows a lot of different types of apples and the trees are
spectacular and varied. I don't have an apple tree, but my
sister-in-law had one for many years - so pretty. 

So there you have it - spring has finally come and I didn't even have to shovel often. In fact, I don't think we pulled the slow blower out of the garage more than two times all winter! It was nice, mild, and short - my idea of a perfect winter. Here's hoping your spring (or autumn) are filled with color and joy. Happy Tuesday!