Yikes, in the last day or two, my 'Mothersday' rose, which normally first opens in early May, opened from its bud. Here you can see this first rose bloom of the season today. A number of the other roses have buds, too. I noticed yesterday that one of my lavender plants (I think it is Otto Quast Spanish lavender, Lavandula stoechas 'Otto Quast', that I planted spring 2004) is blooming! That also seems a little early. The lawn has been ready for a cut for almost a week now, so I did the first lawn mowing of the year. The azaleas are all open or opening, and kerria japonica is at peak bloom.