LOOK!!!  Our Peach trees are blooming.  We have two.  The past few years we've gotten lots of peaches.  Some years we get NONE.  It all depends on the weather.  They bloom the end of March, and if we have a frost while they are in bloom, they drop the flowers.  But if they get pollinated while in bloom, they usually set fruit.  

 

So these next few days are crucial.  We'll  just have to wait and see what happens.  I'll let you know.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

You know those holding ponds down by the creek?  All winter they have been full of water, and several weeks ago frogs or toads laid their eggs in them.  Well, the eggs have hatched into tadpoles, and now the water is receding.  That seems like a sad thing, but look how many tadpoles there are!!!  YIKES!!!

 

 

No kidding!!!  We don't need that many frogs or toads.  But we are happy for the recent rains, so some of them can survive.  I love the sounds they make. 

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

 

 

The Bloodroot is blooming at Meeks Park!!!  We love seeing it in bloom.  We make special trips there just to see this.

 

Sanguinaria canadensis, or Bloodroot is in the Poppy Family, and starts blooming in March.  The flowers open in full sunlight and close at night.  My Wildflower book says:  the red sap from the underground stem was used by Native Americans as a dye for baskets, clothing, and war paint, as well as for insect repellent. 

 

When you are walking in the Park, be sure to look for the Bloodroot.  They grow in colonies, and are all over the ground near the river.  The bright white flowers will catch your eye, and now you know what to call them.  

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

Walking in the park the other day, we saw a little patch of Periwinkles.  Had to get their picture.

 

This is Vinca minor, a low growing, perennial vine.  It grows in partial to full shade, and blooms in early spring.  Be on the lookout, you may see some.  Nancy has some in her garden, and there is also some near the Union County line, near daffodil hill, and this patch in Meeks Park.  Or get a few pots from the garden center, and grow your own.  Periwinkle is easy to grow and pretty, AND it's fun to say.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Look how inviting our entrance is right now.  

 

If you're here, you get to see it whenever you drive in or out, but for those of you who aren't here, this one's for you.  

 

WELCOME TO FIVE FORKS!!!

 

Look who we saw blooming last week at Meeks Park right inside the entrance, near the little pavilion.  

 

They are Weeping Cherry Trees, the first of the cherry trees to bloom.  By now, Mark and Karen's Yoshina Cherry is in full bloom, and next will be the Kwansan Cherries.  They are ALL beautiful.  

 

You can see them all around in your travels.  I always gasp for breath when I see them.  

 

SO BEAUTIFUL!!!

 

My beautiful Forsythia!!!  We can see it through the kitchen window.  This one is so close to the house that the deer leave it alone.  They browse all the others.  Oh well...

 

Forsythia is so easy to grow.  I just stick stems into a pot and some into the ground, and they grow!!!  A few years ago I wanted to transplant a big one, so we dug it out of the ground and chopped (using an axe) the root ball into four parts, and replanted all four bushes.  Now we have an arched string of Forsythia around our driveway.  Those are the ones the deer "prune" for us.  

 

I don't care, I just love them this time of year.  Sunshine everywhere.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

The Bluebirds are building a nest in another box.  You can go there and watch them building the nest.  

 

https://wbu-yorktown.click2stream.com/   You can thank my sister, Linda for sharing this fascinating experience with us.   ;D

 

HAPPY BIRDING!!!

 

 

The Vernal Equinox occurred this morning at 5:37 EDT.  I didn't see it myself, but I read it in the Farmers Almanac.

 

The Farmers Almanac also predicts a chilly and wet spring here in the southeast.  Sounds like good gardening ahead.  I'm ready to get out there!!!

 

It is officially SPRING!!!  YAY!!!

 

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

Sorry to have misled you.  I've been misleading myself on this for years.

 

I was just looking through the Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers, and realize that what I have been calling Bluets all these years are actually Speedwell, the genus name is Veronica.   Bluets are in the genus Houstonia.

 

They both have tiny blue flowers with four petals, and they both bloom this time of year.  I just lumped them altogether, calling them all Bluets.  Nope, not true.  They are two different genera from two different families.  I should have put the Seek app on them earlier.  Oh well.  Live and learn.

 

These are Houstonia, Bluets, and are scattered throughout our neighborhood.  Veronica, or Speedwell are the tiny blue flowers at the park, and the ones in the picture of the dandelion on Tuesday.

 

I love them both.  Sorry for the confusion.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!