Ten Days in April by Donna Duffy

I love to travel, but it’s difficult leaving my garden in the springtime when so many things happen at once. So when I knew I’d be gone for 10 days after Easter, I decided to take a few photos of perennials and bulbs before I left, and then again when I returned. What I hadn’t planned on was a huge Spring storm that dumped over a foot of wet, heavy snow in my yard! Here’s what I discovered when I returned home from my road trip.




Peonies are like the driver who goes the speed limit…plus 10. Not content to grow along at a normal pace, they whiz by everything else in sight. Once those dark stems break the soil, there’s no stopping them. Even though mine were buried in snow for a couple of days, they still plowed through and gained several inches in height.

Pampas grass, on the other hand, is more like your blue-haired grandmother tooling down the interstate. It’s progressing, but the slow pace can drive you crazy. Where’s the green? Why is it just sitting there? I’ll chuckle at my impatience come September when the lovely plumes tower above my head.



Tulips! They are like a carefree traveler whose journey is cut short through no fault of their own. So many dangers abound: hungry critters, snowstorms, digging pets. Before I left, my tulips were in various stages of growth. When I returned home, some had been crushed by snow, others had been chewed, and a few were strutting their stuff…survivors.



One thing I didn’t bother to photograph made its presence known anyway. Can you guess? I spotted the yellow polka dots from the end of the street. Like potholes in the road, they always come back. Ahhhhhh…the many joys of April in Colorado!