Dandelions

Often times dandelions are already everywhere by mid-May. Often times lilacs are in full bloom by the end of May when schools end. Often times apple trees are blooming all May long. Despite our "heatwave" in March, spring is actually quite late this year, due to the weeks of cold and rainy weather after that first warm spell. Occasional warm days have been quite, well, occasional. Thus, dandelions are taking over our yard only now. Apple trees are only starting to bloom. Lilacs only have small flower buds. Still, summer's knocking on the door.

Apple blossoms and other flowers

I was away for a couple days and when I returned this evening, the apple trees had finally started to bloom, a little bit anyway. The other one is on a sabbatical this year, so there's only a few flowers here and there, but the other one will bear a whole lot of apples!

The lilacs between our and the neighbor's yards have buds, as do some of the lilies of the valley in the forest behind our yard. Next to them grow stellaria holosteas (great stitchworts) with their delicate little flowers.

The last of our tulips are growing in the forest, a group of three and one stray one. They are tall! At least 50cm tall beautiful ones.

Bushes in our garden

We've got a couple of quite big currently blooming berry bushes in our yard. The other one I have identified as red currant, the other one is gooseberry. I am thrilled :) Both make excellent jelly, red currant makes real good whipped cream of wheat, and gooseberries I have loved since I was a kid. I love our yard!

We also have a small patch of rhubarb growing in our yard. Last week I cut some and made some real good rhubarb pie to take to my grandmother for her birthday.

Flower in the neighborhood

Hackberry is nicely blooming, it's sweet scent floating in the air. Forget-me-nots are growing along the edge of the sidewalk. Primroses have popped up in our backyard flowerbed.

Those fabulous tulips

Those red tulips have been floweriing absolutely beautifully on our backyard for some time now. In the sun they open up big like wine goblets. Unfortunately, everything comes to an end at some point, even tulips. Many of them have started to wilt and the rest of them look like they soon will, too. They're still quite fabulous though!

Many of the seeds we planted way back when are groing nicely already, like radishes and sunflowers. Some not at all yet, like basil, eg.

Apple blossoms still have not opened. I'm a bit impatient, I know ;) Oh, and we'll get some strawberries too :)

Maple

Tiny green maple leaves look so delicate and cute, still wrinkeled newbies. 

Squirrel in the blooming maple

All them squirrels in the trees next to our backyard are driving our dogs absolutely crazy. Mostly the squirrels seem to stay in the huge fir trees, but today a couple of them were scurrying up and down the blooming maple right at the edge of our yard.

Our apple trees are getting ready to blossom. Every day I wonder if maybe today... 

Bergenia and wood sorrel

In our yard, the bergenia is in full bloom. And in the woods, the wood sorrels are competing for space with the wood anemonies.

Cherry blossoms

I would love to have a cherry tree (or two or...) in my yard. For now I need to consent to taking pics of other people's cherry trees. There is a couple lovely ones, in full bloom, just down the road. There I walked, with the dogs and my phone, this time.

The forest behind us is in constant change now. The hepatica are starting to vanish, a whole lot of lilies in the valley are pushing curled up leaves through the ground. Soon we'll have a forest of them lilies of the valley there. I don't mind, I like them!

In our own yard, I find new stuff every day. Today, I noticed some strawberries growing next to the ramp to the garage. Also, som purple and white flowers I don't know the name of are spreading around the tulips.

The strange tulip

Spotted a strange tulip on our yard. It was otherwise red, like all of the rest of them are, but one petal was half-yellow.

Birches and our garden

Birches are turning green. The ultimate sign of spring for me! Some are already very green, other types of birches are only getting there, some aren't even remotely green yet. The birches in our neighbor's yard are of the first type, those two latter ones can be found in our yard. 

In our yard, the flowers continue to bloom, tulips are the size of tea cups, and the apple trees are pushing out green and the surprise-berry-bushes have leaves. I found a ladybug snuggled in the nook of a twig on the other tree. A couple of pheasants came for a visit.

Our little starts of a garden have started to sprout, at least some of the stuff we planted. Broccoli, sunflowers, radishes, a cucumber or two, marigolds, chives at least. The nights have still been too cold for basil, parsley, dill, peppers et al.

We live inside the city limits of Helsinki, but we really don't live IN the CITY. I'm loving it!

Apple tree buds

The buds on our apple trees are slowly opening. I'm really looking forward to having blooming apple trees right in my own yard! It's a first for me! Still, the thing I'd love even more would be a couple of cherry trees. They are already in full bloom. I just saw one the other day, but had no opportunity to stop to take pics. 

Red and yellow

Today some of our tulips were happily bathing in the sun, flowers fully opened, while others are still only buds. We also have some primroses growing in our yard.