The Freshness of Spring

There is new growth everywhere in the garden in the spring.
Fresh, clean and taut new growth.  The dog tooth violets are now blooming next to the somewhat fading flowers of the hellebores.  Here is where the difference shows. 
In age, the flowers of the hellebore, which were once very dark maroon, are fading to a muted mauve and looking a bit blowsy like Aunt Shirley in her Easter dress. The dog tooth violets just look perky and youthful. 
The epimediums are flowering with abandon this spring.  They deserve a bit more attention as a perennial.  They look good with flowers and without.  The new growth of leaves borne on wiry stems dances with every breeze. The dark tinge of bronze on the leaf edge just adds to this little workhorse's charm.  Dry shade?  Epimedium doesn't care it just carries on like the fearless honey badger. 
The brunnera is sending up its unforgettably blue flowers.  They are small but they are intense. 
Prunus x 'Hally Jolivette' is blooming. It blooms for quite a long time as the flower buds open in stages. It has fine texture and work quite nicely as a backdrop for the coarsness of the staghorn sumac. Can you see the stag, or should I say stags?
While the Practically Perfect Pink Rhododendron has faded, the PJM is in full bloom.  This purple is difficult to place in a foundation planting as the color is painful when paired with brick, red or the bright yellow of forsythia (my opinion), but against the backdrop of the pine forest I find it quite beautiful. The end of the day comes quickly when the garden needs the attentions of the gardener for the seemingly endless chores of spring cleaning, edging, weeding, mulching  and, hopefully, just enjoying. I wonder how many blooms I have missed seeing today.