April Leaves Bring May Flowers
Of course you also need rain, but it’s the fresh green leaves of April that herald the flowers of May.
For some this tender new foliage is barely noticeable, certainly unremarkable. However, to me their appearance is a moment of cheerful drama. For example, the blue-green leaves of Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) which are among the earliest to emerge.
Then there are the spotted leaves of Red Trillium (Trillium recurvatum).
The bright green of White Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis var. alba).
Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa L.) buds hint at the color of the fruit that will come in mid-Summer. Unlike Black Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), this fruit is poisonous to people.
Peony foliage is much looked forward to but also rather strange. This Peony reminds me of the Dr. Seuss characters Thing One and Thing Two, but with green hair instead of blue.
See what I mean?
And I cannot resist the grassy leaves of Narcissi that are about to bloom.
For more April foliage, follow the link to Foliage Follow-Up, hosted by Pam at Digging. Do you have a favorite when it comes to the leaves of April?
gardeninacity 
Few things get me as excited as the Virginia Bluebell leaves appearing, but I also love when the buds show pink tips. Columbine leaves are well up by now. The wild geraniums (now moving well beyond the starts I got from you several years ago) have come out in the last few days. The poppies showed themselves in March, and are now well into preparing to show off their stuff (no buds yet, though). Every day there is something new going on. What fun this time of year is, and especially this year with a good measure of rain and some nice warm days.
The early columbine leaves are some of the best.
Great post and awesome photos as usual! Great to have spring once again!
I agree!
Hello Jason our Lamprocapnos is nearly flowering, but you’re not too far behind, once the green leaves start appearing they grow spectacularly quickly from frill to flower in a matter of weeks. It’s amazing how quickly it all happens – blink and you miss it.
They’ve grown with amazing speed even since the photo was taken.
I notice you used the new name for Bleeding Heart… 😉 I also love to see the foliage of peonies, and the first signs of the Sedums which appear before anything else. And Pulmonaria leaves are especially pretty too.
When it comes to botanical names, ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do and feel silly.
So much to loot forward too. I am still in cleaning mode since very little is yet to bloom. I looked over last year’s images from April and May, and I still have quite a wait. But we are a bit ahead of last year at least.
Last year was perhaps the latest spring I have ever experienced.
I totally got what you meant! After a whole season of expectation, here they come the new leaves and sprouts with their bright colours! I love in particular the new leaves of peonia mlokosewitchii: somewhat purple and glaucous at the same time. Your peony must be one of those with fine fern-like leaves right? It’s beautiful (although I’ve never heard of thing 1 and thing 2…)
Don’t they have Dr. Seuss in Italian?
There is something on wikipedia but I’ve never seen his works before…
I can see he could be difficult to translate. You might enjoy some of his children’s books in English, though.
I love watching the garden “leaf out.” Your peony do remind me of Little Thing 1 and 2 from Cat in the Hat. Great photos. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome!
While I love each tiny evidence of spring foliage, my favorites would have to be pulsatilla, aquilegia, and dicen… oops, sorry, lamprocampus, LOL
Three good choices, even with the distasteful new name.
I just love the color green this time of year after so much white. 🙂 My favorite would be when the ferns start to arise from the soil level. Amazing.
Are you one of those people who likes to eat fiddleheads?
I’ve eaten them once in a restaurant a few years back.
those peony shoots are really special !
They really do not suggest peonies in any way.
I’ve had peonies in the garden but they looked completely different, yours really look like little man with spikey hair !
One of my favorites are newly opened beech leaves. New shagbark hickory leaves are beautiful too, but after such a long winter I’m happy to see anything green.
I definitely know how you feel.
Foliage is spectacular in spring giving us a tease before the flowers….
The early leaves can certainly be a tantalizing tease.
Love the Thing 1 and Thing 2 plant! Thanks for joining in with your foliage faves this month, Jason.
You’re welcome!
I’ll be honest….I like it all because to me it means it is all coming back!!! So exciting isn’t it!?!? Though I do hope we get some rain tomorrow! Happy gardening Jason! Nicole
Yes, it is exciting.
It amazes me at just how quickly your plants waken up Jason and despite the winter there, paeonies are at a similar stage in my garden. We are still having frosts here, 3 mornings this week but thankfully little damage to new foliage. Lovely to see yours and a very exciting time watching the garden coming back to life isn’t it?
It is exciting and it always makes me feel better about the world.
I like the way you describe the Peony foliage–so true! Things are happening fast. I guess I’m glad that we’ll have a little cooler weather this week–maybe that will allow spring to be with us a little longer. Yay!
It can be dismaying (get it?) how quickly spring turns into summer.
After a long winter and late spring your plants are in a rush to catch up. What lovely new foliage, I particularly like the shiny red shoots of peonies.
Yes, the young peony foliage is lots of fun.
Jason,
I love reading your blog but since one month I can’t download it. Why?
What did you change?
Please write on my blog and I will bookmark yours.