It seems like it's taken longer than usual for the flowers to bloom this spring. But in the last week, the Siberian irises and the rhododendron have bloomed, and they are lovely.
I picked a bouquet of irises for my dining room table and surrounded it with hosta leaves.
The fun thing about irises is that there are buds all along the stem that continue to open, even as other blooms start to fade. Do you see the bud just to the right of the flower?

My rhododendron doesn't seem to have as many flowers as usual this year, but it still is beautiful. I love the color.
We also have special visitors every day ~ the goldfinches. I sure enjoy watching these little birds.


I don't like the grackles, however. This is the first time I've seen one on the finch feeder. Usually they visit the regular bird feeder. I have noticed that since we got a squirrel-proof feeder, the grackles can no longer perch on it without it closing, so they don't seem to visit as much as they used to. And that's fine with me!
Are there lots of flowers blooming in your garden? Or maybe you have just a container or two of flowers sitting on a porch, patio, or step. No matter how many flowers you grow, I'm sure you enjoy them.