Cherry Blossoms 2015

I went into DC yesterday afternoon and met Walt after work and we walked down to the Tidal Basin to see the last of the cherry blossoms. They were at their peak bloom last weekend so they were kind of  fading when we were there but it was still a pretty sight.  It was a cloudy day so the photos aren't the best.  I kind of focused on the trees themselves, so many are so old and gnarled, it makes you wonder how many more years they will last.

Planting an Hinoki Cypress

We have had a few perfect spring days lately (not today, it's raining), and we have gotten so much done in the garden!  I am making lots of progress with my Things To Do In The Garden list. The biggest project this spring was removing a huge burning bush that had overgrown its space in a corner garden by the garage.  After lots of work, Walt finally got most of it out and this weekend we planted a new Hinoki Cypress 'Graciosa.'  I really wanted a conical evergreen for that spot (Christmas lights!) and I just loved this variety of hinoki cypress the minute I saw it. It will eventually grow to about 8 feet tall and 30" wide.  It has the prettiest foliage, kind of lacy and fern-like, but a little finer than the usual hinoki. I just love the lacy, layered look, and the color variations of green. I think it's good choice.

New daffodils are blooming! I think they are the variety 'Romance,' and I love the apricot cups.

One of my pink dogwoods is just starting to flower. I have another one, too, but this one is way ahead for some reason.

And emerging bleeding hearts are always such a welcome sight. So great to finally see some colors in the garden!

And the snowdrops are just beginning.

Fall Berries

I'm kind of obssessed with the berries on my kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) tree. The other day I was looking out my kitchen window and was astonished to see just how many berries there are and that almost all have turned red.  It really flowered profusely this spring, so I shouldn't be surprised at the berries. And it's like it happened overnight--well, not really, but it does seem like they turned red quickly. I looked up the fruit online and apparently the berries are edible--they make delicious wine and jam!  Who knew. The fruit is supposedly sweet and creamy, and the redder the berry and the more berries on the tree,  the sweeter the fruit.  Hmm, I guess I am going to have to try a few of those berries.

There are tons of berries on the back of the tree, too, that haven't turned red yet. Really, it's incredible how many berries there are. I have noticed that my kousa blooms well every other year. I can find no explanation for this, but it is like clockwork.  I am going to have to watch to see what happens next year.

And as evidence for this, here is a page from my garden journal for last summer--2012--No kousa flowers!

I also like the fruit on my Japanese snowbell tree (Styrax japonica). Not quite as showy, but still pretty. I love the creamy green color.

And here are two pictures of these trees from May, when they were in their blooming glory. You can see the immature berries in the flowers. These are both beautiful trees.

Kousa dogwood

Snowbell tree

Kousa Dogwood

My kousa dogwood is a finicky thing. I don't know if this is typical or not, but mine blooms every other year. I have tried to research this to see if it is a peculiarity of the kousa, but I can't find anything that suggests that.  Some gardening books say a drought year can cause fewer blooms, but mine seems to bloom regularly every other year.  But happily this is a blooming year and it is really beautiful right now.  You can see from my garden journal that it had no flowers in 2012, but tons of flowers in 2011! So strange, is it just part of my tree's life cycle?

There is something so restful and calming about white flowers in the garden. I love how they look against all that green foliage. Someday I am going to have an all white garden somewhere.  But for now I better just enjoy my kousa's blooms because I probably won't see them again until 2015.

Friday Fleurs: DC Cherry Blossoms

Last night after work I took the metro downtown to get my fix of the cherry blossoms. It was dusky when I got there, so not the best pictures, but it was still pretty heavenly. There was quite a wind picking up, so for awhile it was almost like it was snowing, with petals floating down over everyone. It was very crowded--Washington really turns out for their cherry blossoms--but everyone was happy and helpful with taking pictures.  The cherry blossoms are one of the DC's best sights--those cherry trees ringing around the Tidal Basin are really pretty amazing.

Garden on March 19

Herb garden and lavenders

It sure doesn't feel like spring the past few days, with the snow and chilly rain we have had. Yesterday was just the most miserable day. I went out this morning to look around, and in the garden at least, there are signs of spring. A little snow won't hurt the garden. The weekend before last I cleaned out this front garden and I love how it looks now, early spring,  so full of possibilities. Little patches of perennials, clumps of bulbs appearing, so much going on below the surface. We just need a week of sunshine and lots more will be happening. Once it warms up a bit, I will spread bonemeal around the emerging perennials and bulbs. Speaking of which, the sun just came out!

Perennial garden

The lawn companies have been making their rounds and can I rant for just a minute about how these 'supposed' landscapers are doing the 'volcano mulch' around trees in my neighborhood?  Aren't they supposed to know how to mulch a tree for goodness sake? It drives me crazy to see them just pile on more and more mulch around a tree. Mulch should never be more than 2-4  inches high and should never be placed up around the trunk of the tree, which allows diseases and pests to attack the tree. Thick blankets of mulch will prevent the tree from getting water and will eventually suffocate the tree. When we mulch our trees in the spring, we always break up the old mulch around the trees and poke some holes into the ground a little, then we spread a thin layer of new mulch around the tree, and out to the drip line, and always leaving the base of the trunk exposed. Just saying.

Volcano mulch in neighbor's yard

Seeing Trees: Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Everyday Trees

I came across this book in the library the other day and just seeing the gingko leaves on the cover had me hooked. And then when I started looking through it I was totally wowed by the beautiful photographs of the components of trees--the buds, flowers, fruit, leaves, bark, twigs, leaf scars. In the Introduction, we learn that the photographs were created with software developed for work with microscopes, "creating incredibly sharp  images by stitching together eight to forty-five images of each subject, each shot a a different point of focus." Not sure what that means, but the photographs are really amazing.

The photographs are cool enough, but there's lots of interesting information too. The author talks about the traits of trees and invites you to watch trees with the same care and sensitivity that you might watch birds. She gives you things to look for and strategies for watching trees: Pick one tree and follow it all year. Look down, not up--you'll find a lot of treasures in the detritus at the bottom of the tree. Find a good guide--a naturalist or an arborist can point out many interesting tree traits to you. Learn the names of trees. Draw and photograph trees. Keep a record of your observations. And don't make the mistake of viewing trees only from afar. Get close, right under it.

"The real tree, with its enormous trunk and impossibly weighty limbs, can be experienced and understood only by standing under it, with your feet firmly planted under its canopy.  Only then can you appreciate its massive bulk, its presence, and its ineffable relationship to you---small, short-lived life form that you are."

The author writes in depth about ten species of trees--American Beech, American Sycamore, Black Walnut, Eastern Red Cedar, Ginkgo, Red Maple, Southern Magnolia, Tulip Poplar, White Oak, and White Pine-- focusing on the life cycle of the trees throughout the year. She shows you how to recognize these trees and understand their most interesting features. As one reviewer said, "this is a book to turn us all into unabashed tree worshipers."

Reading this beautiful book only reinforced my desire to keep better records of the trees in my yard. I usually keep track of when certain trees bloom, or leaf out, but I will be paying more attention to some of the other characteristics of my trees throughout the year. I will become a tree worshipper.

Red Maple leaves

Christmas Tree

I hate getting rid of our Christmas tree. I don't mind taking it down in the house, but I hate putting it out to the curb for pickup. It's still such a pretty, perfect tree. Of course some years it's really dried out and dropping needles like crazy, but our tree this year still seems fresh. I used to always cut our tree down after Christmas, and use the branches in my garden to protect my perennials, but I don't really do that much anymore since we never get any snow. Sometimes I drag it around the backyard and pretend it's a real tree, or use it to plan where I could plant an evergreen tree. I do love evergreens and in the middle of winter when everything is gray and barren, I wish I had some more green in my garden. And now I do!

Pretty on the deck

And in the garden

Or maybe here in the garden

Trees at Dusk

Lately I have been experimenting with taking pictures at dusk. I love the light just around 5 pm now, when it is just starting to get dark. I especially like the way the trees look in this light and I have been traipsing around and aiming my camera up into the branches. I love the contrast against the darkening sky.

A peek inside...

And my new cookie cutter lights at night in the kitchen windows.