If you're like me, you're anxiously awaiting spring's arrival. Here's a look at some of the beauty spring offers in the form of flowers.
love spring. As the weather warms and mother earth becomes fertile, nature adorns us with her gifts. Here's a sneak peek for those who just can't wait.

    Aster

    Aster is a perennial that is great for late summer and fall bloom. Varieties of aster grow wild in a range of climates and almost any environment. They are available in a wide variety of colors. The aster tataricius pictured above is used in traditional Chinese medicine for antibacterial purposes.

    Crocus

    Crocus is a perennial and is first to bloom in spring. They are very hardy. If you live in a cold climate where snow and frost still occur in early spring, these flowers are a good choice because their flowers and leaves are protected by a waxy cuticle. They are one of the few flowers that will flourish despite frost. Autumn crocus flower in September through November in the northern hemisphere when most flowers have long since passed.

    Tulip

    Tulips are perennials grown from bulbs. They can be grown in the cold and snowy winter. Tulips do best in areas with cool springs and early summers. Tulips are generally associated with Holland although they are commonly grown in gardens everywhere.. A friend of mine just informed me that Pella, Iowa celebrates their annual Tulip Time Festival the first weekend in May. I would love to be there for the celebration.

    Daisy

    Daisies are sometimes considered to be a weed. They spring up in lawns are not affected by by lawnmowers. Their name comes from “day's eye" because the whole head of the flower closes at night and opens in the morning. Daisies are extremely easy to grow and can fill a garden with sunshine with their bright color. Children love to make daisy chains from the flowers.

    Morning Glory

    Morning glories are perennial plants, however in colder climates they are treated as annuals. Like daisies, morning glories are considered a weed by some. In parts of the Australian bush land, they grow in dense thickets. They spread quickly with their long creeping stems. They are invasive and can crowd out and smother other plants. They get their name because they flower in the morning. The flower dies in the afternoon and is replaced with a new bloom each day.

    So Many Choices

    These are just a few of the many flowers we can look forward to as spring approaches. I hope you’ve enjoyed this sneak peek and when spring does arrive, that you find time in your busy day to take time to smell the flowers.

    如果你和我一樣，翹首等待春天的腳步，就讓我們先看看春天讓鮮花帶來的美麗吧。

    喜愛春天，春和日暖，萬物復蘇。大自然送給我們無數禮物，讓那些等不及的人們先偷偷地看一眼吧。

    紫苑

    紫苑是多年生植物，在夏末秋初開放。各種紫苑幾乎在所有環境下繁衍。它們的顏色各異。上圖中的韃靼紫苑在中藥中可以作為抗菌藥。

    番紅花

    番紅花是多年生植物，在早春開放。它們非常的頑強。即使你住的地區比較寒冷，在早春時節依然有風雪霜凍，它們也會照常開放，因為它們的花和葉子有一層蠟質保護層。它們是少數幾種在霜凍下依然繁茂的花卉。在北半球寒冷的氣候下，百花凋零的時候，秋番紅花依然能從九月盛開到十一月。

    郁金香

    郁金香是多年生球莖花卉，在寒冷的冰雪中也能生長。它在春冷夏早的地區長的最好。雖然人們提到郁金香，就總是想到荷蘭，實際上，它們在各地的花園中都常見。我的一個朋友說，在美國愛荷華州的Pella小城，每年都會在五月的第一個周末慶祝郁金香節。我是真的很想在那個時侯去看看。

    雛菊

    雛菊很多時候被人當做野草。它們生長在沒有除草機除過的草地上。它們的名字來源于“白天的眼睛”，因為整個花冠都會在晚上閉合，到了早晨再開放。雛菊很容易種植，它們明亮的顏色讓整個花園充滿陽光。孩子們很愛用雛菊來編制各種花環。

    喇叭花

    喇叭花是多年生植物，不過在那些寒冷地區，它們好像是一年生的。像雛菊一樣，有些人認為喇叭花是雜草。在澳大利亞的部分地區，它們會長成密密的灌木叢。它們長長的蔓菁生長地很快。它們很有侵略性，會爬滿其他的植物并讓它們窒息。它們的英文名字是因為它們在早晨開放，而到了下午就會凋零，不過每天都會有新的花朵綻放。

    太多的選擇了。

    這些只是隨著春天臨近，我們期待的花卉的幾種。我希望大家喜歡這一瞥。當春天真的來到的時候，希望大家偷得半日閑，去聞聞這些美麗的花朵。