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!!!

 

 

 

Hi Betsy.  Sending Happy Birthday wishes from my garden.  

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!

 

 

 

 

Look how colorful our garden is!!!  Full of buckets!!!

 

The only problem with getting excited when the weather is warm, and planting tomatoes too early is:  we can get blasted with cold.  Well, that’s what is happening here.  

 

We planted our tomatoes on Thursday and Friday, and early this morning the temperature dropped to 30 something.  So yesterday we scrambled and found 42 buckets to cover our tomatoes.  

 

It is all very exciting.  However, next year we may wait.  Or maybe not.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

 

I think it is so nice of the Rhododendrons to bloom for my birthday.  

 

Of course, it IS spring, and lots of things are blooming.  I just enjoy taking it personally, and think they are blooming for ME!!!

 

I’ve done it all my life.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

Yesterday in Meek’s Park we saw lots of Mayapples.  They are so pretty right now, growing in their colonies.  Some were just emerging, some were already blooming.  And they were all over.  They grow about 8-12 inches off the forest floor, so you have to get down low to see the flowers.  

 

I think it’s so interesting that only the double leaves bloom.  See the fork in the leaf stem of the one that’s blooming?  The single leaf stems don’t get flowers.  

 

I hope you get to see some Mayapples on your walks.

 

HAPPY SPRING!!!

 

This picture is showing you 40 tomato plants.  They are in 4 inch pots, and stand about 12 inches tall.  I gotta get them in the ground soon.  They are touching the grow lights.  

 

On Wednesday, we went to Home Depot looking for thyme and lemon grass, and we saw their tomato plants.  They weren’t nearly as robust looking, and cost $4.99 EACH!!!  Ours look WAY better, and cost a lot less.  All we paid for was seeds, soil, and Osmocote.  And had lots of fun participating in the process.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

Here it is:  Sweet Gum with leaves and flowers.  Interesting.  

 

I am so glad I have curious friends.  We all learned something new.  ;)

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

My friends sent me a text on Saturday, asking me to identify this thing.  

 

I am always up for a horticultural challenge, so I started looking in my tree books.  There were lots of leaf pictures, and seed pod pictures, but not that many flower pictures.  And I have never seen these flowers before.  

 

They did their own great job of detective work.  They found a tree with the same flowers AND some baby leaves.  

 

Turns out it is Sweet Gum.  You know:  the gum ball tree.  Or as we like to call it:  Liquidambar styraciflua.  Sweet Gum.  

 

Good job, guys!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

The Flame Azaleas are blooming!!!  This one is in Troy’s yard, and we see it every day on our walk.  

 

In order to get this beautiful picture, I had to scale the mountainside, along a deer path.  I felt like a mountain goat, but I wanted you to see it up close.  

 

They are all so pretty right now, ranging in color from yellow through orange-red.  This one is mid-range, orange.  We love seeing them all!!!

 

HAPPY  GARDENING!!!

 

When I left Sunnybrook Day School in Virginia Beach, one of my teacher friends gave me a Columbine from her garden.  That was 19 years ago, and it is still blooming and making seeds to reproduce itself.

 

Columbine can be quite weedy, meaning that its seeds are carried by the wind, and come up all over the place.

 

That’s OK.  When something is this pretty, we don’t mind finding it all over.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!