Happy first of May! There is a specific kind of energy that arrives with this month. It’s that long-awaited payoff for enduring the muddy and gray transition of early spring. We’ve all heard the rhyme—April showers bring May flowers—but if your garden is currently looking more “frosty” than “floral,” you aren’t alone.

For many of us in cooler growing zones, May 1 doesn’t always look like a walk through a botanical garden. It’s often a game of “will it or won’t it” with the overnight lows—and in my case, the “will it” occurred when our creek overflowed.

A few weeks ago, our property suffered some unfortunate flooding; however, I’m looking forward and hopeful that it won’t continue to “dampen” my spirits for the upcoming gardening season.

Anyway, while the tulips and daffodils are the hardy pioneers at this point in the spring season, the real stars of the show usually need a little more convincing to wake up. If your garden feels a bit behind schedule due to the recent chill, don’t worry—the roots are doing the heavy lifting underground, just waiting for that consistent sunshine.

I recently spent a weekend admiring some cherry blossoms, which are starting to bloom in hardiness zone 6. They reminded me of a trip I made in 2014 to Washington, DC during peak cherry blossom season. Here are a few cheery photos from that trip:

And James, my new rose addition (see previous post), has currently nestled into her new home. That is, I found a fittingly giant pot. Until next time, Happy May 1 (and a happy birthday to my friend, Danielle).