Mulching in sunny, 87° weather proved to be a bit daunting. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the calendar read May 8th yesterday. Too hot – much too hot for this time of year. It looks as if it will be with us for a few more days. Still a bit under the weather, but much better, I unloaded 5 bags of mulch throughout the garden beds; dumping a bag into my new cart, scooping, carefully arranging it so as not to damage the base of already established plants, scooping and scooping some more.
I took a couple of breaks, drank lots of water, stopped for lunch, but let me tell you, I was exhausted at the end of the day. I supposed it was a combination of the heat, a still recovering body, and pollen. Lord, do we have pollen. But I couldn’t let it go much longer or I would have had to thoroughly weed everything again.
All the while, however, the scent from the lilacs kept wafting in my direction.
Oh. my. heavens. Such a glorious scent. This particular lilac is called the Pocahontas Lilac and it has deep purple blooms. This year, in particular, there are a lot of flowers. I planted it on Mother’s Day in 2008 (not long after I started this blog.) Seven years later, it is nicely substantial. As I was writing this, I wondered just when it was that I planted it, so I searched the blog posts and found my answer. A blog turns out to be a very nice way of keeping track of events!
The two big rose bushes are questionable at the moment. One shows some green leaves coming in at the base. The other, older bush is still bare. I wonder if this winter was just too much for it? The thought of digging it out of the ground is daunting. Keep your fingers crossed. I’m hoping that the late spring is the culprit and that some growth will show itself soon.
The peony shoots are about 10 inches high, so it looks as if we’re right on track for bloom in and around the first week of June. The trees have all leafed out and the catalpa is starting to show baby versions of what will become giant heart-shaped leaves.
Thank you so much, everyone, for alerting me to the fact that my ‘dogwood’ was really a crabapple! That’s one of the wonderful things about blogging, this sharing of information. I don’t begin to pretend I know everything about gardening, or trees, or rose bushes. And one of the areas in which I know next to nothing is flowering trees, perhaps because we didn’t have any of them in my yard when I was growing up, and we still don’t have them here – save for what turns out to be a baby crabapple tree.
But I’m actually more excited about the crabapple than I was about the dogwood, because I’ve always thought them to be so beautiful. So now we know: dogwoods have 4 petals, which are really leaves/bracts, and my little tree’s blossoms had 5 petals. Once Nancy alerted me, I googled ‘crabapple photos’ and there, staring at me, was just what I was seeing through my own camera lens.
Let’s see, last year I was certain the big bush over by the shed was a wiegela and it turned out to be flowering quince. This year, I was certain my little volunteer tree was a dogwood and it turned out to be a crabapple. We never stop learning, do we? I love it.
Today, maybe some weed whacking. Or wacking. I’m never sure just what it is.
Maybe a trip to our local nursery. Definitely a trip to the grocery store.
Happy Saturday.
Your Lilacs are gorgeous…and that heat is probably what they love right now. I have neighbors with hedges of them…they are stunning, and so fragrant.
But wow is that hot, and so sudden. Hopefully you will get a bit of cooler weather, and start to feel like your normal self soon once again.
Jen
So hot, Jen! Today is cloudy which might give us a break.
Claudia, Always so much to do this time of the year to pretty up the yard. I look forward to sitting on the porch with a glass of ice tea and admiring it all! Doris
The porch needs work and all the pots and containers on the patio have to be dealt with. Can’t wait until it’s all done!
So happy you got out in the yard and got some things done. It’s hard when you don’t feel your best but you got it done! The Lilacs are gorgeous. Something we don’t have here in the south :( My neighbors planted some flowers in our shared yard and I’m happy they did. I’ve been so tied up with the new baby I haven’t gotten any and so to arrive home to flowers in the yard is so nice!! I will see them later today and thank them! I have to go to the grocery store today myself but otherwise hope it’s a day of some rest.
hugs,
Linda
I hope you get some well-deserved rest, Linda. I also hope that Tiger is feeling better, poor guy! Enjoy looking at the newly planted flowers, my friend.
I do learn so much through blogging. I posted a bird photo to Instagram today. Not sure if it is a wren or warbler and so far no one has piped up either way. It’s so hard to tell some flora and fauna apart. :) We are having very strange weather here. Some areas getting hard rain and some getting major dust. Not sure what’s in store for us. Just really dark out there right now. Take care, Tammy
Do you need the rain? If so, I hope you get it, Tammy! Much better than dust, I’m sure.
Your lilac is gorgeous! My neighbor has that lilac…and it hangs over her fence….lucky me! We went to the nursery yesterday…and after about a minute…my eyes glassed over, and I became so overwhelmed…too many flowers! I even had a list…and I became quite confused…almost paralyzed by indecision! So,I did buy some flowers, but not all that was on my list….have to try again next week, when I’m calmer. Cooler today…going to plant what I bought. Have fun at the nursery! ;)
Same here. When we went to the nursery where I always buy my mulch, I was still not feeling well and the sheer amount of plants and flowers was overwhelming. I had to make the decision just to buy the mulch and some seeds –
Claudia, Years ago I heard a story of the dogwood. It’s flowers petals are four shaped as cross. The dogwood was once a straight tall tee, till it was used as a cross for our Lord. Once Jesus hung from the cross, God made the dogwood all crooked to never be used as a cross again and it’s flowers cross shaped. I love your dark colored lilacs. I am scared for my little rose bushes here. They look so pitiful. Jus praying some fertilizer will help them. Blessings xoxo,Susie
I should be adding fertilizer, Susie. Thanks for reminding me. That’s a lovely story, by the way.
87… Whew, that is really hot to be lugging around mulch. Glad you worked intelligently, I.e., drank water, took breaks, ate lunch. You must have slept really well that night.
I did. And no coughing!
You know, after reading your post yesterday, I went out and looked at our flowering crab and thought it looked SO MUCH like the one you showed. We do continue learning every day!
I soaked my MG seeds, and hope to get them in the ground today. It does say 80-90 days til they bloom. I am always SO jealous in July & Aug when people start showing their blooms. Oh, well. I do love them while they are here.
Only in the 70’s here today. Pretty lovely day and then some rain tomorrow. The grass is growing like crazy! Trip to the Nursery today!! All good stuff!! Take care. Glad you are feeling better.
I need to be mine in the ground – probably Monday or Tuesday. I wish it was in the 70s here!
Your photos of your lilacs are as beautiful as the lilacs themselves, Claudia. I feel for you about the pollen. I’m not usually bothered by tree pollen, but for some reason I was this year. It’s been better lately, tho. Hope your nights are cool at least … makes for good sleeping. Have a nice weekend! Bess
I’ve heard that the pollen is bad this year, Bess. But then again, I hear that every year!
Your blooms are beautiful!
Judy
Thank you, Judy!
Ohhhh!!! How I wish I could smell through the computer!!!! That first picture should be printed out and put on some nice stock paper for note cards. Did you ever think of doing that?
I bet you could sell at some local antique or bed/bath shops. Maybe even on Ebay. The flowering quince from the other day would also be nice.
Do I detect a lightbulb moment from the east coast!!!! Really think about it…hey you could even have a little garage sale stand and sell them. People are always looking for more special then Hallmark.
My Noni, (grandmother) lived in Pennsylvania and boy do I remember the lilac she had all over her property…the smells!!!!!!
Addie
The smell is incredible, Addie! I’ve thought about doing that before but it just seems to be too much work at the moment!
We do continue learning! I know we had , when we moved here, a fiery red blooming bush and golden yellow flaming bush. They both bloomed around the same time late winter or early spring – after blogging I learned the yellow was Forsythia and the red one – I think quince — though I’m not familiar with the other you named. Sadly both bushes are gone now-drought– they grew out in the shared fence between our neighbors and our house.
The other bush that’s gone- Azalea — over pruning.
Now- how about that hydrangea you planted last year? Any sign of it?
Yes, it is developing leaves. I planted the hydrangea and the rose bush that a reader sent me in memory of my mother right next to each other in what is now Scout’s little corral. So, over the winter, I placed a bench over them to protect them and it seems to have done the trick. The rose bush is also developing leaves. If only my older bushes would also show some leaves!
I think it would be a sad life if we ever stopped learning Claudia!!
Those photos are breathtaking. (At this rate, I will run out of adjectives.)
I keep coming back to look at those lilacs.
❤
Three days of my week were completely lost to the worst stomach virus I’ve ever had!! So I was super excited to see your beautiful purple Lilac buds/flowers. Love, love, love the dark color of it – my favorite. Unfortunately their fragrance causes me terrible allergy headaches, so these days I have to enjoy lilacs from a distance … so your gorgeous photos are perfect for me!
The lilacs are beautiful! Mine are starting to open now too. Im with you 87 is too hot. I hope to get a truckload of mulch this week for my flower beds, its supposed to be in the 60’s so that’s better for shoveling. I got everything weeded last night now if the rain will just hold off.
Lilacs are my favorite, I miss them they remind me of Michigan. Do you remember the summer Dad cut them back to the ground? What was he thinking?
Happy M-Day,
Mere
I love lilacs! When I was growing up the bushes provided a barrier between our property and the alley. Many, many bushes. As kids we used to play inside them.
Will your crab apple tree eventually give you crab apples? You could make Jelly!