Pretending it's Spring!

Okay, no excuses about why I haven't blogged in 2 months.  ☺ 
The sun has been peeking out today and it reminded me of what it's like here when it's not pouring rain or foggy for weeks on end.  It felt like spring, and it was so nice to soak up a little sun.  It's also perfect weather for working in the garden.  You know it's been a productive time outside when every single thing you were wearing is covered in mud.
My original plan was to clean up the raised beds in our front yard, that never happened.  Instead I moved several shrubs around and have ended up with two that have no homes.  Hopefully one of my friends will want them.  The spaces where some of the shrubs were are now open for new plants later on.  I've decided that this is going to be a year of rearranging the garden.  I'm always moving something, but there are years that I don't do quite as much.  I have several plants that are just in the wrong spot, either too big, or just don't look right.  Can't wait to start digging!
While I was outside I was amazed at how much is already starting to grow.  Snowdrops are up and blooming, Hellebores are very close to blooming, lots of tulip and daffodils are starting to break through.  Bleeding Hearts have brand new growth showing, leaf buds on Flowering Currants are getting much bigger and best of all the Sarcococcas are blooming and making the yard smell delicious!

 A recent visitor to our pond a few days ago.  This Great Blue Heron sat in this tree for about 15 minutes before flying off.  Luckily he didn't get any fish, but he almost hit our window, his wing actually did but he seemed uninjured.

 The little shed garden has lots going on in it.  Can you spot Tina Fey looking for bugs?   She scratched up the garden nice and pretty!

 The shed garden from the other direction.

 I'm so proud of myself for starting to plant more around the pond that is evergreen.  It actually still looks pretty there.

 I can't say just how happy I am that the pine tree is gone.  I don't miss it for a second and every time I untangle the remaining pine needles from plants I think about how this is the last time I'll be doing that.

 The chickens were stretched out all over the deck soaking in the sun.

 More looking for something good to eat.

 Speaking of digging things up, I dug out a Camellia that had been where the Pieris is now.  It had been there for years, only bloomed on the bottom, was yellow and grew horizontally for some reason.  I had the Pieris in a container that it was too big for.  I think it will be perfect here.

 In the front bed I moved out a rose (into the backyard) and a Deutzia that never did anything.  I had a large fuchsia that was too close to the edge of this bed so I moved it to where the others plants had been.  Wish the Hydrangeas looked better than they do in the winter.

 I moved a Spirea that was much too big for this spot, and moved a Weigela (a small variety that I can't remember the name of) into it's place.

 It looks so fresh there now.  While I was digging I dug up several cherry tree sprouts that had gotten pretty big.

This area just needed a change.  I dug up another Spirea that was just getting too big.  There are several plants here that I want to move.

There was a theme to my digging today. They were all shrubs that had gotten too big.  I've learned the lesson over the years that those tags on those tiny little plants at the nursery are correct.  That one gallon plant will get to be 6 feet high and wide, or whatever it says.  

We're supposed to have another nice day tomorrow, and this time I will get those front raised beds cleaned out, hopefully...

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.