The past couple of days have been unseasonably warm which is not unusual for April. I had a call today asking if it was ok to plant coleus (tropical) outside now. It would be alright if we were in mid-May but as the forecast is already showing, the threat of frost is still quite real. It's a shame to see some early blooming bulbs and other plants finish flowering quickly because of the heat. However, you can't help but enjoy another harbinger of the season; the forsythia ('Happy Centennial' is the variety shown here). There are some neat golden or variegated foliage forsythia out there that offer extended interest beyond the 10 days of typical blooms. We accomplished a lot today and I was able to spend an hour exploring the entire garden with my camera and notepad. Tomorrow we have Shelley Ryan coming from Wisconsin Public Television to film a segment for her show, The Wisconsin Gardener. We'll look at Hellebores and horsetail (Equisetum). Hopefully the predicted rainfall will hold off until later and we can get some good footage. Shelley has been a huge advocate and proponent of Rotary Gardens. This segment will be the 10th segment shot at Rotary Gardens in the past 12 years. 
We're continuing to divide perennials as time allows but are now shifting to more lawn care duties and weeding. Many weeds have germinated and will have to be dealt with ASAP. Time spent in April and May weeding will save lots of time in mid summer if you can tackle that first wave of weeds. Some other unique bulbs are blooming like the white checkered fritillary seen here (Fritillaria meleagris). This is a long-lived bulb and while the "checkering" is hard to see on this white variety, the dark pink blooms have a conspicuous maroon checkerboard pattern as well. Plant these bulbs in well-drained locations in October. No summer teaser today but a glimpse of the peak bloom of the star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) that will be hit with light frost soon and the flowers will be done. Enjoy.
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