May Flowers

The old saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers."  While I was away in Mexico for most of the month of April, Ohio certainly had its share of rain (and snow!).  When I returned in early May, my yard was a swamp.  Fortunately, a couple of days later, the rain stopped, and we enjoyed a week of sunshine and rising temperatures.  The last six days I have been able to devote between three and five hours of work in my garden.  Saturday we are supposed to get rain, but as long as it is not torrential, we could use a nice, moderate shower at this point.

The flowers in my garden have started to bloom.

The flower for the birth month of May is the lily of the valley.  My mother's birthday was in May, and she loved those flowers.  Right on schedule, the lilies of the valley in my garden are blooming.

The ground cover, sweet woodruff is also in bloom.

I did a little research on sweet woodruff, and discovered that it was popular, particularly in Germany, as a flavoring for wine, brandy, jellies, ice cream and herbal tea.  It was banned from consumption in Germany in 1974 when studies found it to be toxic to rats and mice, even though it has not found to be harmful to humans.

My columbines have buds, and this plant, close to the house, is already blooming

The azaleas have begun to flower, and, almost overnight, this bush has burst into full bloom.