I was up before daylight this morning, but the cardinals were already singing. Shep and I went out to enjoy the foggy quiet of the garden, but one after another, the wrens, woodpeckers, chickadees, and thrashers joined in song. Not to be outdone, the neighborhood rooster also made his presence known. No sounds of silence here.

The birds, flowers, and, thankfully, the weather all say it’s still spring on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. April’s flowers are fading, and May’s are getting started, but I want to show some of the blooms I’ve been enjoying this month.

I took the top photo this foggy morning to show a back corner with several things blooming. I hope you can see English dogwood, dwarf gardenias, ligustrum, what’s left of the Frosted Orange azaleas, and oakleaf hydrangeas.

I have English dogwood shrubs in two places. The one that gets more sun has been spectacular. We used to have native dogwood trees in the woods behind our house, but the blight killed them all. I miss seeing them, but this shrub has its own similar beauty.

Klein’s hardy daisy gardenia is a dwarf shrub that blooms before the common gardenia. I enjoy their white blooms before they start to fade to yellow.

This Louisiana iris bloomed earlier in the month. It doesn’t last long, but the mauve color is a joy to behold.

Perennial hardy begonias are blooming again. In my opinion, they can volunteer anywhere in my garden they choose. The pink blossoms are not particularly significant, but the heart-shaped foliage resembles caladiums.

I’ll abide by the “rule of six” today, but so much more is happening in the garden. The heat hasn’t caused the winter annuals to die back yet. I still have pansies, dianthus, violas, and snapdragons in the beds closer to the house. The daylilies are blooming now, and Easter lily buds are almost ready to open. My caladiums are reappearing, as are some surprising annuals from last summer. Other perennials are coming up with the promise of more color later on.

And finally, I’m anticipating fresh, ripe blueberries in about a month.

Just look around you—spring offers such glorious sights and scents, sometimes even in our own backyards. But God’s imagination is on display wherever you live.

May many blessings be yours this week!