Spring had finally arrived at my house. I’ve seen the first lizards of Spring and the baby rattlesnakes are presumably off in the wildflowers somewhere. They might not have the romance of robins, but I’ll take what I can get. Plus the really fat lizard that lives near my patio made it through the winter and I’m happy to see him.

My flowers are starting to bloom, including my daughter’s rose bush and her brand new anemone. Red is her favorite color and she just fell in love at the garden center. She received 2 watering cans and a pair of bright red wellies for her birthday so she’s been ‘helping’ me outside.

My darling husband built me this new garden bed. Our eventual plan is to have 4, but I think one is plenty for now. It’s now filled with compost and I’ve planted 3 tomato plants and a border of marigolds. In the past I’ve had a tendency to spread myself too thin, so this year I’m focusing on tomatoes only.

He also bought me this Spanish Lavender for my birthday. I’m hoping this one proves hardier than the lavenders I’ve tried in the past. My English Lavender went from looking a little off to breaking apart in about 3 days last fall.

I’ve started seeing ladybugs in the garden every morning and I’m so excited! Last year I didn’t see a single one and I’m hopeful they are a sign of better garden health. I even found one in the house yesterday morning.

In addition to the bed I have 2 tomatoes in pots this year. I saved seeds from a tomato for the first time last year and I wasn’t sure if I did it right or how many germinations I could expect. So I played it safe and was rewarded with 11 little plants. I’ve been giving them away, but I still have 2 left.