It’s that time of year, when we all want to get outside and work in the garden.  

 

It is also the time of year that the Poison Ivy is leafing out, and threatening tidy gardeners.  

 

I love this picture of it growing up the white oak just below George and Priscilla’s.  Look at that root system:  been around for years, I’d say.  The roots are hairy, and the oil that causes dermatitis is present in every part of the plant:  leaves, stems, roots, even the smoke if it is burned.

 

Here is the reminder:  you can shake hands with 5 fingers, but not with three.  Virginia Creeper looks similar, but has five leaflets and Poison ivy has three leaflets.  It grows small, medium and large.  It creeps along the ground and climbs trees.  It is everywhere.  So learn to identify it, so you don’t fall into the nasty trap of weeding it out by hand.  Best to wear your gloves when weeding.  And for everybody’s safety, never burn garden trash that may have poison ivy in it.  Even the smoke is toxic.  

 

Just a note:  I noticed some growing down near the mailboxes, so be on the lookout.  It won’t jump out and grab you, but if you brush against it, you need to wash as soon as possible with soap and water.

 

HAPPY, SAFE GARDENING!!!

 

The Black Locust trees are blooming.  They are all over the neighborhood; just look up.  This one is just across from the resting rock up on Five Forks Drive.  That’s how I noticed it: resting.
 
The tree is in the Legume family, and the flowers look like sweet pea flowers, except they grow in clusters that hang from the tree.  They remind me of wisteria, only white.  And they smell sweet.
 
Another interesting thing about Black Locust is that they are often planted for fence posts.  The wood is strong, hard and durable in the soil.  
 
We found some dead wood one time when we were camping, and it was too hard to chop, so we had a progressive campfire.  You know, start burning one end, and just keep pushing the huge log into the hot spot.
 
 HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Look at the wild roses in bloom.  These are on Stonebriar, but they are blooming all over right now.  We’ve seen them all over the neighborhood, along Moccasin Church Road, and on 575 going south toward Atlanta.  

 

Wild roses are closely related to blackberries, which are also blooming right now all along the same roads.  The way to tell them apart at 45 mph is the blackberries have sprawling, arching branches, and wild roses climb on branches and trees.  The roses look more compact than sprawly.

 

The roses also smell good from a short distance.  These on Stonebriar announce themselves even before you see them.

 

I hope you get to see some wild roses in your travels.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Yesterday we made clam chowder, and as you can see the potatoes were sprouting.  So I just cut off that part, and I will plant them in the garden in the next few days.  I read that you should let the cut edge dry a little before planting.

 

I remember working a crossword puzzle one time, and the clue was ‘the bad part of a potato.’  The answer they wanted was ‘eye.’  Obviously written by a cook, but not a gardener.  The eyes are where the plants grow!!!  Once in the ground, these eyes will sprout leaves, and whole plants will grow from them.  Then in a few months we can dig out the potatoes and make more soup.  

 

I love the kitchen/garden connection.  And it doesn’t just work one way.

 

HAPPY COOKING/GARDENING!!!

 

Life is good on the mountain.  We are happy and busy in the garden.  

 

Next on our agenda is planting the cucumbers and squashes.  I started the seeds a couple weeks ago, but they want warm soil, so we have to wait a little longer to plant them into the garden.  We aren’t worried about frost, but if the soil is cold, they just sit there.  Better to keep them warm in the basement til the garden warms up enough.  

 

I appreciate that there is science involved, but I just love the magic of the garden.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tulip Poplars are blooming now.  How beautiful!!!

 

This one is in our yard.  This picture is of just a couple blooms, but there are hundreds. Most of which are way out of reach for me and my camera.  But they are wonderfully orange.  I love seeing them all along our walk.

 

HAPPY MAY!!!

 

I love it when the Hickory Trees leaf out.  They look like flowers blooming.

 

You can see the leaves emerging, and flowers hanging down.  And you can see new life emerging from the dead of winter.  

 

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

 

Yep.  It’s that time of year.  The Fringe Trees are blooming! 

 

This one is at the entrance to the Methodist Church in Blairsville.  There is also one in the park.  And sometimes you can see them along the highway.  I remember some on Fort Eustis Boulevard in Yorktown, VA.

 

Oh, wait, I saw another one yesterday too.  Now, where was that?  I can’t remember, but be on the lookout, because they are gorgeous.  And if you see one:  get up close, they smell divine.

 

I hope you get to see some in your travels.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

Look at the Carolina Sweet Shrub!!!  It is blooming now.  The only ones we see are in Meeks Park.  But I’m sure they are blooming all over.  

 

You can’t really see it from this picture, but the flowers are dark burgundy.  And they smell like cinnamon.   

 

I hope you see some in your travels.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!

 

The blackberries are blooming now.  And that means “Blackberry Winter.”  It happens every year:  about the same time that the blackberries bloom, we get a frost.  That’s why we freaked out about our tomatoes.

 

Well, our tomatoes made it through blackberry winter, and now we are on our way into our growing season.  Whew!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!