Garden update: the creeping phlox has started blooming. It seems that I have four varieties in flower at the moment. Most of them appear in the plot next to the garage, however, the image in the center square is from the little circle around the tree. The yellow ground cover that I planted near the roses has come into bloom (alyssum x compacta), but the saxifraga (supposed to be tiny white blooms) didn't winter very well and is struggling. In the lower corner photos, you can see that my columbines are very happy. I have many more red and pink volunteers, and scattered between most things is an outcropping of the cute blue forget-me-nots. Love spring. Nearly all the tulips are gone, the late breaking daffodils are here, and the very tops of the gladiolas have broken ground. Mom's transplanted irises are doing well, and I expect them to have buds in two weeks or less. The roses are much bushier than last year, but the carnations haven't budded yet. It's only the end of April, I know, but I'm determined not to plant anything new this year.