The front planters held on pretty well through the winter. I boosted them with a few more pentas, as they did the best last year, to replace the coleus which did not do well, despite daily watering. And yes, Hester, that big, pink, monster cane begonia came from you! It will get some attention from me today. It is so pretty and has so much potential if I will just give it a little more love.

I have Crown of Thorns in pots all over - so easily rooted from cuttings. All of these came from cuttings. Here are some on the front porch and there are also some more in the planter in the first photo above. Thinking about giving these a hard cut-back to get some fullness. It always takes a brave pair of clippers to do that, though:

The Nun's Orchids were outstanding this year. Well, compared to last. Those stems will be rooted today. We've got that down now, don't we Morningloree? And there is my vinca hanging basket. Will be a few more weeks before it looks like "anything", lol.

Crinum Ellen Bosanquet has put up her first flowers with many more scapes right behind:

A newly purchased Lantana 'Anne Marie'. It a dwarf variety and supposed to be smaller and better-behaved. It has been since potted up:

Salvia greggii x Karwinskii 'Riverside sage':

Broms under the magnolia tree (better placement than under the oak - at least I can pick the leaves out). Photos taken after the rain last week which makes all broms look like they're ready for the prom:

Gary, here is the bed with the bird's nest fern. There are actually three in there - all in pots, in the photo. I put all three in the ground yesterday. Notice the pink polkadot all over in there - all freeeeeee:

And this angle shows one of the Abyssinian bananas which is in the same bed. Redbud trees and dogwood trees all came as tiny 6" seedlings from Mom's:

Have lots of space I need to fill in here. I lost tons of salvias this past winter but that is a story for another day:

Brugs are coming back from the roots. An Easter lily gift from Mom last year is getting ready to bust out its blooms. The Canary Island Date Palm, which I purchased as a wee mini thing for $6.99 a million years ago, is in the back and starting to look like "something":

Here's the same bed from the other side:

A broad view across it all (holding my breath):

Starting to realize a mistake, here. I was sure this was Xanadu when I bought it. It had such cute tiny leaves:

The cuttings nursery is underway. Have to put something new in that big, empty, used-to-be-salvia bed:

Purple martins have returned and are so busy-busy-busy with nest-building:

SJN, here's a photo of the smallest of my Abyssinian bananas for you. Most of the brown spots will be filled with caladium when they finish coming up.

Have a great weekend in the yard, all my gardening friends!

Carol in Jacksonville