I just put out one of our hummingbird feeders yesterday, and today our first little hummingbird showed up!  Carol, the owner of Birdhouse on the Greenway, said that the males are the first to arrive followed by the females in another week or two.  Enjoying the ruby throats of those little guys.  

Itoh Paeonia 'First Arrival' is living up to her name with being our first peony to bloom this season.

Finally!!  My first blooms from our Calycanthus raulstonii "Hartlage Wine' after years of having the deer ravage the plant and break the branches down to the ground.  Grr!  Last fall I decided to try to protect the plant by putting some fencing around it (which doesn't always keep the deer out as we gave found) and EUREKA the deer left it alone!  The blooms are just stunning!

Calycanthus raulstonii 'Hartlage Wine'

 

We are getting a lot of activity at our nesting boxes from our nuthatches and bluebirds, so I am checking the boxes for eggs.  

Nate and Nan, our brown headed nuthatches, have four eggs!

Bert and Bonnie, our bluebirds, have five eggs!

As I walk the garden in these early spring days, I am remembering our friend and mentor, Dr. Larry Mellichamp, who so kindly shared some of his favorite plants from his garden which are in bloom on this day.

Trillium decumbens (Trailing Wakerobin)

Arisaema sikokianum (Japanese Cobra Lily)

Trillium rugelii (Southern Nodding Trillium)

Trillium stamineum (Hellicopter Toadshade)

Calanthe (Kron Hybrid)

Calanthe sieboldii

Trillium flexipas (Bent Trillium)

I had such a thrill to have this migratory bird visit us at MapleWalk ... a Baltimore Oriole!!!  I have put out a grape jelly feeder during the winter for the past two years, and never had any interest ... UNTIL THIS YEAR!!  The Baltimore Oriole has brought his partner to visit the grape jelly feeder, AND we've had a pair of Orchard Orioles visit as well.  I have been beside myself with delight!!  I feed mealworms to our bluebirds and the Oriole has decided he likes those worms as well, so it is quite a site to see Bluebirds, Orioles, Cardinals, and wrens show up when I ring our wind chime to announce it's mealworm time.

 

Baltimore Oriole at the jelly feeder. 

Bluebirds at the mealworm feeder.

 Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Snow Globe' is so wonderfully fragrant, not to mention the beautiful blooms.

 The camellia parade continues ...

Camellia japonica 'Tama Bambino'

Camellia japonica 'Nuccio's Pearl'

Camellia japonica 'Happy Harlequin'

 We're at it AGAIN!!  Tom and I made a road trip to Cline's Nursery in Shelby to purchase some more treasures for MapleWalk.  We left with a car full!!

There are more plants on the floor board and under my feet!

If you part the leaves of Asarum splendens (Chinese Wild Ginger) and look down into the base of the plant, you may find the cup-shaped, purplish brown flowers.  Asarum splendens is semi-evergreen, and a relatively quick spreader by rhizomes to form an attractive ground cover for shade.  It is best grown in moist, humusy, rich, well-drained soil in part sun to part shade.  The term splendens means "splendid,' possibly in reference to the showy leaf variegation.

Flower of Asarum splendens
Note the little slug who has found a hiding place inside the flower.

The variegated foliage of Asarum splendens

 Don't we all love our hellebores?  How can we not?!

Helleborus 'Apricot Blush'

Such a clear, pure white is found in
Helleborus 'Mrs. Betty Ranicar'

'

Helleborus 'Amber Gem'

Helleborus 'Cotton Candy'

Helleborus 'Black Diamond'

 Helleborus 'Jade Tiger'

Check out Tom's Valentine's gift to me ... a brand new red hand truck!! I am already putting it to work transporting yard debris to the street.  Tom's a man after my own heart!  Better than a box of chocolates?  Hmm, not sure!