Trees Sing for Joy

"Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in truth."  Psalm 96:12-13

Declare His Glory

 

 "Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples." Psalm 96:1-2

 

The Earth Rejoices

"Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;"

Psalm 96:12

Spring Is Here!

Spring has burst at the seams here in central Illinois.  Normally at this time in March we are cursing the cold, wind and rain.  I don't know where those got to, but it is absolutely beautiful around here right now.  Everything is months ahead of schedule due to our mild winter.

I took a bike ride around my neighborhood to capture some Spring!  I'll share some more throughout the week.

The transformation that my alium made in just three days was incredible! 

It looks so pretty in front of the bridal veil bush.  I really need to plant some more of these this fall.

Pairing Spring Bulbs with Perennials

When the tulips are blooming in the spring, it is a great time to look around at your neighbors yards to see what else is blooming that could be paired with the tulips.  This tulip bed in my front yard is looking very lonely, so I headed out on a walk to decide what else I wanted to plant to go along with them.

I hit the jackpot with three of my favorite spring ground covers!

 Creeping Phlox

 Baskets of Gold Alyssum

Candy Tuft

I decided on just the creeping phlox and candy tuft to accompany my tulips.  Of course they are always small when they first go in, but I suspect they will spread quite quickly out there on the north sunny side of the house.

Just remember when you are wondering what is in bloom at any particular time of the year, talk a walk and spy on the neighbors gardens!  Then head straight to your local garden center and ask for the same thing!

Did You Know This Tree?

Did you correctly identify this tree from the Spring Trees post the other day? 

Marci got it correct.  It is a flowering pear!  They smell so sweet!

Spring Trees are in Full Bloom

One of my favorite times of the year is this small window in the Spring when all the flowering trees are in bloom!  My neighborhood is full of beauty and I couldn't be happier!  They always bloom just before the tulips and daffodils are ready, so it feels like our first preview of warmer weather to come.

I took a tour of my neighborhood to capture some of that beauty for you today and to provide some names of trees in case you wanted to plant one of those in your own yard.

 Forsythia: Well, this is really a bush, but it deserves to be highlighted here.  This is a very old variety that has been around forever.  They are such a cheery reminder that warmer weather is just around the corner.

Their blazing yellow is unmistakable.

 Magnolia: This tree is one of my absolute favorites.  They are like tulips growing on a tree!  The trees themselves always have a very unique trunk shape, which adds great interest to your yard as well.

This tree is in a friend's yard and it is so gorgeous!

 Redbud:  Although these blooms have not quite opened up yet, when they do, it is such a great pop of purple to your yard!  I love Red Buds because they are not a huge tree and can be used in smaller yards.  They also have very unique trunk attributes that create fun in your yard.  They can be great climbing trees for the kids because they sometimes have lower branches!

Don't you just love the trunk structure?

Now it's your turn.  Can you identify this white flowering tree?  It smells sweet as honey!  I'll give you the answer on Monday!