Perhaps excited by the warm temperatures and rain (finally), one brave iris decided it couldn’t wait until spring.

We are converting much of our lawn into gardens, both perennials and vegetables. Most of the flowers returned this year, although some, like the bunchberry, didn’t. And some others showed up as a surprise:

Daisies: they may be invasive weeds, but they’re still pretty.

Zinnias: I planted these in hanging baskets and they didn’t come up. Perhaps they were relocated to the front yard by the wind or birds.

I believe these are calendula. Another flower that I planted elsewhere (in two other locations), but rabbits got one spot and the other didn’t come up.

Sometimes, my penchant for letting shoots grow until they’re proven to be weeds pays off.