It's beginning to look a lot like.....

It's the time of year I love!  My girls will tell you I am on Peony watch.  Peonies are my favorite flowers and not native to Texas.  In 1995 we made a trip to Virginia to visit our dear friends and while there I found some plants in the garden shop of Monticello.  I brought them home and have been smitten ever since. 

 The pink points above start poking their heads out sometime in March, but I won't see blooms until May.  But I can be found out on the driveway checking their progress every afternoon.  Below is what they will look like as the heads pop open.

Just a couple of weeks ago The Golfer replaced the wall around them. Thank goodness I have no before pics because it was in sad condition.  We had some friends who had given us great stone a few years ago, so he spent the afternoon buliding it up for me.  The wind here almost always comes form the west and these little babies take a beating in the spring.  I hate the look of the rings that go around them, not to mention I would need 12!  So, the wall really acts as a wind break of sorts. 

The colors are a variety.  Some a magenta pink, others lighter pink, and them white.

About the same thime, the Lady Banks Rose burst into bloom.  This bush is just mind boggling.  This profusion of yellow puffs just shines!  I always end up cutting some of the branches and bringing them inside.  They just lift the spirits!

This is the first year for the flowering Quince but it is a winner.  Peach blossoms on very strong stems. 

And who would have thought that Gerbera Daises would be perennials?  This is the second year they have returned and I am amazed.

There is much more waking up in the garden, but I will leave you with that.