Pella Tulip Time!

Spring is here, and we decided to enjoy the day down in Pella for their annual Dutch festival called Pella Tulip Time. If you're ever in Iowa in early May, be sure to check out this fun & inexpensive event. I blogged about the day trip here, but here is our day in pictures:

Planter Gardening

Our HOA replaced our front lawn with a xeriscape. Because the climate is so dry in Colorado, it's impossible to maintain a lush lawn without daily watering. Many people have replaced their front lawns with xeriscaping, which is basically done with decorative patterns of rocks and drought-resistant shrubs and plants. Xeriscaping always looks very naked when it's first placed, but, when it grows in, it can be quite beautiful. It takes time to get used to it, but people are starting to appreciate it more because it's so much better for our state and our scarce water resources. You can see some examples of xeriscapes here.

Well, ours is so new that the plants haven't fully grown in yet, and it looks bare. I added a few planters of flowers and borrowed a bench from my mother-in-law to help fill the space. I filled my oak barrel planter with petunias and snapdragons, and then I bought an already-filled planter from the Home Depot to fill the corner by our stoop. It makes a big difference, and hopefully it will be more appealing to potential buyers! This is their first impression of our home, after all.

Here's my little garden helper:

Spring Time at Tamarac

Ode to spring.

While perhaps not always a fan of warm weather, sometimes even I appreciate stepping outside and feeling the sun on my skin.

Yes, indeedy, once again our lively planet is tipping toward the sun. I'll probably be cranky and overheated come July, but, for now, I feel quite pleased listening to the ducks in the morning and watching the trees bud.

I'm excited to plant some flowers in some pots that I don't have yet for the balcony. I've helped my mom with her planters and Grandma's planters in the past, but I've never had my own (I've never had any reason to!). I'm going to have such a good time picking out bright, colorful flowers!

I'm hoping to take my mom out to Lowe's Mother's Day weekend. She and I can both go nuts, and we can plant together (preferably at her house so she can have the mess ;-) ).

Attached to this post is a picture of the courtyard below my balcony. It's where I take Bailey to pee every day. As a matter of fact, I snapped this exact picture when she stopped to do her doody. The cherry trees are so pretty! Check out the geese, too. We're fortunate to have lots of geese and even more (typically dozens) of ducks!