Spring In South Jersey

We've been experiencing some oxiborious weather here in South Jersey this Spring.  I remember this time last year it was still very cold and rainy and nothing was blooming yet.  What a difference a year makes!

The tree scape in my backyard doesn't normally look like this until the beginning of May.  It's been like this for a couple weeks now.

We used to have landscaping going all around the perimeter of our patio.  But the patio is huge and I didn't want to have to maintain it.  So Mr. Bliss spent a good portion of last Saturday sodding it for me.  Isn't he the sweetest?  Now when I look out the back door I'm not constantly reminded of all the weeding that needs to be done.  The patio stays alot neater this way too!

The birds are chatting away every second of the day, and I just love it.  You see that chair back by the trees?  That was where my youngest daughter Amy sat for almost an hour the other day talking back to the birds.  They would sing and she would whistle back!  It was so sweet.  I stood there from the back door watching her, she didn't know it, but it was such a precious sight.  Amy loves birdwatching.  More on that later!

We did keep some small beds around the patio for pizzazz!

The walkway that leads to the front.

Daylillies look the prettiest when they are first blooming I think.  Same with Hostas.

I love accenting my landscape with rocks.  You'll see them in almost all of my larger flower beds.  I pull them from local creeks.

My climbing Hydrangea.  It's so big and full and lush, but still no blooms!  Is this normal?  It's been 4 years people!

Can't forget our feathered friends!  They have lots of places to eat and sleep and take a bath in my yard.

They've even lived on my front porch!

And sometimes in the wreath on the front door!  Has this ever happened to you??

I just love them to death.  So sweet.  All of God's creatures are amazing.

A little arrangement on my patio table.  It's fake, but who can tell right!  Ha!  Eventually I'll get me some real flowers in there, but it's still a little too early for these parts.

This is about the only color I have right now.  Azaleas in different colors are all over my yard.  I just love them when they bloom in clusters and they are so hardy.

Moving to the side of my home.

More azaleas in purple.  These have been here since we moved in 11 years ago and I just prune them every year.  Mr. Bliss needs to power wash the siding!

This is the other side of my home, where I planted some perrenials that my parents gave me.  My mom and dad were both blessed with a green thumb and passed some of that on to me I guess.
See, more rocks.  I told you!

A close-up of my perrenials.

These black-eyed susans are my favorite!  They were a new addition last year, and they spread like wildfire!

Can't remember the name of this one, but it's beautiful in bloom.

Another rock, hehe.

My prized Weeping Cherry.  She just lost most of her blooms.  They are scattered all over the lawn now.  Ooops!  And the neighbor's lawn too!

When she blooms, the view from Amy's room is spectacular!  Amy's room is pink so to look out the window and see such a beautiful tree with all pink blooms is so cool!

More Hostas and a Euonymous.

Is that another rock???

A beautiful tree Mr. Bliss and I got at auction a few years ago. Not sure what it is.

I picked out and planted all of the landscaping myself.  Yep!  What you see in the front here I did when Amy was just 2 months old.  I parked her baby carraige on the porch, pulled out each and every meazly shrub the builder planted and piled/tamped a ton of topsoil all by myself.  Mr. Bliss was in the back yard that day building a swingset and he knows that I love to landscape.  Oh, I also drove to the nursery, picked out each and every shrub and tree and lugged it into the car myself.  Did I mention I just had a baby?  Ha!  Good times....
The shrubs are a bit overgrown on the left now.  I usually cut them down.  Also, between the rocks and the shrubs are where I plant my impatiens.  I'll post them later this Summer.

Hope you enjoyed your tour of my yard.  I'm linking up to Outdoor Wednesday for the first time hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.  Be sure to check out Susan's wonderful blog for more outdoor ideas and photos.

Have a "Bliss"ful day everyone!

xoxo,
Kim