I LOVE seeing the Trilliums.  There are so many different ones, but they all share these characteristics:  Three leaves, three sepals, three petals.  

 

This is Trillium cuneatum, commonly called Toadshade, Whip-poor-will flower, and Little Sweet Betsy.  Funny how the flower opens to this, looking NOT open.  

 

It is native to the southeastern United States, but it is especially common in our region.  This one is at Meeks Park near the river and colonies of Bloodroot.  

 

I just read that trilliums generally have an unpleasant odor, like rotting fish.  YAK!!!  Glad I never noticed that.  The book said it is noticeable when you boil the roots.  Yeah, NO, not going to be doing that.   We just want to see them in the woods.  Look for them.  They are just getting started.  

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

Huge patches of Violets are blooming all over Meeks Park, and I bet everywhere else.  I've seen smaller clumps on the Creekside trail, and in our orchard.  

 

My Magic and Medicine of Plants book calls them Sweet Violet, and Sweet-scented Violet, Viola odorata.  Hmmm, I guess I better bend down next time and get a whiff;  I never noticed that before.  I just notice how cheerful they look.

 

Violets and Pansies are both in the genus Viola, and just like Pansies, Violet flowers are edible.  Please note MY definition of edible flowers:  They may not taste like anything, but if you eat one it won't kill you.  We just use them as a garnish, or to decorate a happy hour dish;  Martha candies them and puts them on cakes.  

 

You know that Spring has arrived when you see Violets blooming in the woods and meadows.  

 

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

Don't you love it when the ferns emerge after winter?  I really love seeing the fiddleheads, and watching them unfold.

 

Polystichum acrostichoides, is also called Christmas Fern because the evergreen fronds are often still green at Christmastime.  It is one of the most common ferns in North America, living from Nova Scotia to Florida and west as far as Minnesota.  

 

An easy way to identify Christmas Fern is to look at the leaflets and you can see a small, triangular, "thumblike" lobe at the base.  Makes me think of winter mittens;  that's how I remember its common name.

 

I took this picture on the Creekside trail, where lots of ferns are emerging.  So exciting, Spring!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

I took this picture last week at the park.  By now, all the Crabapples are blooming.  They come in white, pink, and this gorgeous red.  

 

They are all around, along 19/129 going to Blairsville, Murphy, and a couple here in the neighborhood.  

 

The little crabapples are edible,  but because they are SO SOUR, we leave them for the birds.  I've seen some recipes for jelly and sauce, but it involves WAY too much sugar.  No thanks.  

 

I'm pretty sure that Lowes and Home Depot sell young Crabapple trees; you can probably even find them at Walmart and Roses.  I guess we should plant a few on Crabapple Lane.  They are so pretty.

 

HAPPY  GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

Every time we walk by, we check the cinnamon fern.  LOOK!!  It is starting to grow.  

 

There are two clumps down by the creek;  this is the bigger one.  It is called cinnamon fern, not because it produces cinnamon, but because of the color of the fruiting frond.  There are also a few clumps on Mocassin Church Road, close to the Union County line.  We love seeing them too.

 

I read this in Wikipedia:  Osmundastrum cinnamomeum is considered a living fossil because it has been identified in the geologic record as far back as 75 million years ago. A more recent discovery extends this value up to 180 million years ago.

 

We love keeping an eye on OUR cinnamon ferns.  When they come all the way out, they will be about two feet tall.  I'll take another picture then, so you can see how truly beautiful they are.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Roxanne's Camellias are blooming, and our Redbuds still have some buds on the stems.  I thought they would make a nice Ikebana arrangement. 

 

Ikebana is a style of flower arranging that has a long history.  In Japan, ikebana simply means arranging flowers.  But in recent history, it has come to be more symbolic of heaven, man, and earth.  That's how I learned about it.  

 

See my three elements?  Redbud, white Camellias, and green leaves.  Try it, it's simply beautiful.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!! 

 

Have you noticed the entrance to Cherokee Mountain Estates?  It is covered with these low-growing yellow flowers.  Seek told me that it is Cypress spurge.  I thought it was kinda pretty, so I took its picture.

 

When we got home, I looked it up in my wildflower books, checked Wikipedia, and made sure it really is Cypress spurge.  Yep.  All my sources look the same.

 

Here's what we need to know about this plant.  Its botanical name is Euphorbia cyparissias, same genus as Poinsettia.  You know that milky juice that oozes from broken poinsettia stems;  well this plant oozes that stuff too, and the book says it can cause dermatitis in many people.  SO DON'T TOUCH IT!!!  As the flowers mature, they develop tiny spines that can get under your skin and cause rashes and blisters that irritate for years!!!  NO REALLY, DON'T TOUCH IT!!!  YIKES!!!

 

For something so pretty, it sounds lethal.  So when you see it growing on the side of the road, just admire it from a distance.  Wave and keep going.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

Lilium longiflorum, or Easter lily bulbs can be planted outside after they finish blooming for Easter.  They will come back year after year, and bloom in early summer.  They don't naturally bloom at Easter;  they are forced.  The growers bring them out of dormancy in time to bloom around Easter.  You can do this with lots of bulbs:  Amaryllis is one that comes to mind, Paperwhite Narcissus too.  If you start watering the dormant bulbs at Thanksgiving, you'll have blooms mid-winter.  I'm guessing that lily bulbs take about the same amount of time to force.  Or just wait until they bloom naturally.

 

Easter lilies are in a group of lilies that bloom early and have fragrant, megaphone shaped flowers.  Plant them about 8-10 inches deep.  The plants get tall and heavy, so they need to be planted deeply, so they don't fall over.  They love their leaves and flowers in bright sunshine, but want their roots in cool soil.  You can also add lower growing perennials to shade the roots.  

 

When they start to leaf out in spring, the deer LOVE them.  So you need to put cages around them;  but it is so worth it when they bloom.  

 

Just check out Jim and Roxanne's lilies when they bloom.  Don't worry, I'll let you know when that is.  

 

HAPPY EASTER!!!

 

This is the south lawn at The University of Virginia, and we would all like our yards to look like this.  Just kidding!!!

 

But, it is that time of year when all homeowners start thinking about lawn maintenance.  Do it yourself?  Or hire the job out?

 

For the last few years we've all hired Fidel and his crew (for all kinds of jobs.)  But I guess you know by now that Fidel has left the area.  Not sure about his lawn maintenance crew.  

 

If you know somebody who does that kind of work, please let us know.  We would love to get in touch, and send them clients.  Not everybody is into DIY!!!

 

Thanks!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Hey LOOK!!!  Bluets come in white too!!!  They are so tiny, you probably don't notice them, but I do.  Maybe because I'm closer to the ground than you, or maybe I'm just always looking for tiny wildflowers.  

 

They make me smile!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!