THE FIRST FLOWER of spring has sprung in my Minnesota front yard. It is the crocus, beautiful to behold because it symbolizes, for me, the end of winter.
New life.
Hope for warm, sunshine-drenched days and the promise of summer.
Bouquets of colorful zinnias. Sweet perfume of peonies. Hydrangea mopheads leaning to kiss the earth. Geraniums mixed with fragrant alyssum in patio pots.
As the tight purple petals of the crocus open to the warmth of an April day, my gardener’s eyes open, too, to a new season of possibilities.
Copyright 2011 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Good to know that you have crocuses in bloom. That means only 4 – 6 more weeks of winter to go for us in Minot… Nice photos!
Beautiful flowers! Unfortunately, here in Wisconsin the snow banks are still melting. Hopefully today’s rain will help. Forecast is for low 50 mid week.
Bev, here I thought all of the snow in Wisconsin was probably gone. I’ll need to check in with my eastern Wisconsin daughter.
Neil, I figured you still had plenty of snow in Minot. Missouri is likely sounding better every day, huh?
Yesterday was gloriously warm in Faribault. I read 68 degrees on one bank sign Sunday afternoon. It was shirt sleeve weather for sure.
Glad you both enjoyed the photos.
Nice pictures Audrey! I don’t have any blooming yet but colder here. Lake is starting to open up a bit but may be another week. Rhubarb is up a couple of inches as are the tulips.
Thanks, Virgil.
I’ll have to check on my rhubarb and see if it’s poking through the soil. This is the first year we should be able to harvest from the plants we transplanted two years ago. If I don’t have enough rhubarb, I know who to call.
Tulips are pushing through the soil here too.
Wow! Those colors are amazing. You never cease to amaze me with your pictures. Each one is better than the last.
We have some iris’ coming up. They smell like grape kool-aid. My friend Michele sent us some bulbs a couple years ago. She got them from an old neighbor who grew them in a Victory Garden!! We do love them.
That is a way cool story about the Victory Garden.
As for my photos, thank you. I “doctored” the first two a bit with some photo editing (brightness and contrast) to really make them pop. That made them look almost like paintings. I did nothing with third image.
Great photos! We plant crocus bulbs on grave sites of loved ones where cemetery rules prohibit flowers. They spring up before the grass needs mowing and then can be mown over to await a chance to bloom the following spring. Bending the rules a bit doesn’t seem to hurt a thing. They don’t hurt the sod, and we can visit the gravesite when they are in bloom and enjoy the beauty.
This is a grand idea, Gordon. I like your bending of the rules to show your respect to loved ones.
Oh my goodness, those are so beautiful! Mine are just barely coming up through the ground, so no color for me yet. I can’t wait!!! 😀
Thank you so much for finding me and following my blog. What a nice group of gals I’ve fallen into!
And now my daffodils are about ready to bloom!
Your blog will be on my list of must-reads. I enjoy your humor, your positive outlook on life, your openness… So many gems in what you write.