Happy May Day
Wishing you a bloom-filled May Day from Heartland-Gardening!
By Teresa Woodard
Snapshots: Michael’s Daffodils
Hello, Yellow! Golden Daffodils and Trim Add Plenty of Curb Appeal
By Teresa Woodard
Our fellow blogger Michael Leach definitely has a green thumb, and his gardening efforts this month are showing some golden results! At his home southwest of Columbus, Michael planted hundreds of daffodils around the family farmhouse where he grew up as a child and returned in 1988 to make his own and transform the gardens. Check out these recent snapshots of his spring paradise.
Century-old maple trees were planted by Michael’s uncles who built the home in 1890.
More daffodils frame the rear view of Michael’s property.
Michael creates many charming vignettes like this mix of bulbs at the back steps and a spring container arrangement at the yellow garage door.
Rear view of home
An original trough from the farmhouse
Side entry
Side walkway
Thanks for sharing your garden, Michael!
Snapshots: Poultry Rule at Ohio Nationals
By Teresa Woodard
No where is the growing trend of poultry keeping more evident than this weekend’s Ohio Poultry National at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in Columbus. Here, hundreds of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, guineas and partridge arrive from across the country to compete for best of show. You’ll find heritage varieties, fancy ones with crested plumes and feathered feet, large turkeys and small bantam ducks, and even pink silkie chickens. Below are a few favorite snapshots from the event which wraps up today.
Narragansett turkeys are known for being one of the largest of the heritage turkeys.
Brahmas are known as the “Kings of Poultry” for their size and strength.
The frizzle-feathered chickens are the divas of the poultry world with their curled feathers.
The crested chickens are the beloved subject of old Dutch and Flemish paintings.
These pink chickens were a hit with kids in the trading area.
Snapshots: Snowy Spring
By Debra Knapke
The forsythia is in bloom – here is the first of three snows!
Actually, the snow is a protective cover on this cold morning. Tonight, the temperature is supposed to go down into the high 20’s. 
I will be covering my few cold hardy annuals, but the new leaves on the trees will have to fend for themselves.
Snapshots: Inaugural Poetry
The opening verse from this week’s Inaugural Poem “One Today” by Richard Blanco:
One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores,
peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces
of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth
across the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies.
One light, waking up rooftops, under each one, a story
told by our silent gestures moving behind windows.
Snapshots: Hello Fall
Thank goodness for second chances.
Colchicum
By Teresa Woodard
Discouraged by all the late-summer brown in our bone-dry central Ohio landscapes, I was delighted to see some pink colchicum bulbs flowering in the backyard. I decided to take a snapshot and was pleased to find several other colorful treasures as I took another look at our landscape through the macro lens of a camera. Isn’t it great our Midwestern landscapes offer another season of gardening?
Japanese anemone
Hips of rosa rugosa
Goldenrod (Solidago)
Miscanthus
Crabapples
White Boltonia (Boltonia asteroides)