Springing a Surprise

My garden has been full of surprises this year. We moved into our new house in November when the garden was settling in for winter, all bare branches and withered plants, the beds choked with leaves. We had no idea what would emerge in spring. 

First came the daffodils, several different varieties, popping up in random spots all over the yard. “She loved flowers but she just stuck them anywhere,” said a neighbor darkly about the previous owner. Well, perhaps that adds to the charm. Certainly to the surprises.

Next came the clumps of grape hyacinth and candytuft painting a blue and white palette across the side yard. 

They were soon joined by flowering shrubs and trees – azaleas, cherry trees, and dogwoods.

And the miracle of a favorite flower I’d never grown before, bleeding heart. Peeking out of one side another as yet unidentified plant, an example of the haphazard garden design.

Threaded throughout are pretty ground covers – vinca, creeping jenny, and Irish lace.

I’ve had fun using a plant identification app for things I don’t recognize, like this tree about to burst out into white flowers – a cockspur hawthorn according to PlantNet.

Irises, rose bushes, crepe myrtles, and some yet to be identified plants show hints of summer blooms to come.

But a far greater spring surprise was in store for us, something completely unexpected. I decided to brighten up our front porch with a colorful wreath. When it arrived I was impressed with how real the fake flowers look. I proudly hung it on my door.

I was not the only one fooled by the lifelike flowers. The birds were immediately attracted to them, hovering around the wreath and flapping away in a seeming panic whenever disturbed. One day I opened the door and saw through the back of the screen that the birds had built a nest hidden away behind the flowers! We marveled at this close up view of the perfect, carefully formed structure. But, we thought, the disruptive opening and closing of the door – the screen door has a tendency to slam – would surely cause the birds to abandon this nest for a more peaceful location.

We were wrong. A few days later I opened the door to see an egg in the nest, a beautiful blue robin’s egg. We began using the kitchen door into the garage instead of the front door and I put up a warning sign beneath the wreath so visitors won’t disturb the nest. But we couldn’t resist opening the door a crack to take a peek from time to time and show off the new residents to our family. On Easter Sunday we saw that there are now three eggs in the nest. From my study window opening to the porch I can observe the comings and goings of the robin parents. The eggs are scheduled to hatch in just a few days. We don’t want to disturb the chicks but we’re strategizing ways to sneak a photo when the time comes. From my vantage point at the study window will I be lucky enough to see a chick take its first flight? That would be the biggest spring surprise of all.