I Heard Fred

Was the name of the hurricane waters that are currently passing directly overhead. I wasn't paying that much attention. It has been raining steady all day long.

Look close as the river runs through it. In a long downpour, the waters rumbled and ran on the surface the farthest I have ever seen them go. Unperturbed, the garden grows on.

First Blush For Bloom Day

The first blush in the forest begins its ascent to the mountain tops. It will be another month before the mountains are fully green.

There is plenty of Bloom Day action in the meantime. I came home to creeping phlox covered in floating butterflies.

These tiger swallowtails are most certainly freshly hatched. It has been consistently seventy plus degrees of late, rather warm for April. I think this could be another record year for okra high on the low spot.

The Fothergilla I started as rooted twigs are full grown shrubs that bloom every spring.

It's nice to have some diversity in your spring blooming flower structure. Ordinary petals can get old

Yes we still have daffodils. I believe this is Thalia, one of the last to bloom.

See 'Jane' bloom. She is a temptress. I have contemplated searching out any other Saucer Magnolia that bloom later in the season.

The first red trillium has risen in time for Easter. More are popping up by the day.

This is my lawn. The only thing missing is grass.

The successful relocation of three Uvularia is a source of great joy. May they live long and run wild.

I decided to relocate one of my three store bought Aralia cordata 'Sun King' that was planted in the shade to a sunnier location the moment I saw it poke its head above ground. I had bought the second two and planted them in sunnier places. In their first year they got bigger and bloomed while the one in the shade just crept along. No more.

It was planted in the big foliage department along with the new Cephalotaxus. My big foliage will be waking up shortly.

Up high the first blush of the forest comes in blooming serviceberry and maples. Green here begins on the ground and moves up into the trees.

So ends another April Garden Bloggers Bloom Day for me. There are plenty other gardeners having Bloom Day you can visit. The lovely Miss Carol, though Potted and Pruned, is an ever so gracious host for Bloom Day. Do visit and buy her book while you are there.

Gently In The Night

There was mist when I went to bed. There was rain in the night and rain when I woke up. There may have been close to an inch of gentle ground penetrating rain. By 11am it was over. Clear blue smoke free skies ruled the day.

Round one was a big success. Round two is scheduled to arrive in the night. It could deliver another two inches of desperately needed rain. Round two could put an end to the fires.

Sadly for Gatlinburg, Tennessee it was too little too late. The strong winds that came before the rain sent a wild fire barreling towards town. Over a hundred homes were burned and many businesses lost. Gatlinburg is still there, but it is crispy around the edges.

The gardens drank every last drop. I saw no signs of runoff and the creeks didn't even rise. I hope round two is just as gentle. We need all that water in ground storage.

At long last, something more than spit. My wild gardening methods are already an added stress on the Under Garden. Drought was not in the plans.

Back when rain was a normal occurrence, I have watched a small river of it wash over the Snake in the Grass twice. It takes a very hard rain to do that. We don't need that kind of rain. Let it come gently. Let the parched ground absorb the sweetness of it all.

At dusk there was no sign of round two. It's coming. Now the word is snow is on tap for Saturday and into next week. Rain and snow for days in a row. This should mark the end of the fires.

Awfulness

It was a beautiful clear morning yesterday. I watched in horror as this wall of smoke rolled in over the mountains like an approaching storm. Waynesville is down in there some where. This was the worst day of smoke so far and it has been bad before.

It was still awful this morning when I woke up. The thick smoke had made it all the way to me in the night. It was still bad when I got to town. It slowly began to clear during the day.

You see, I am supposed to be able to see clear across the valley and beyond like this. That low grey line over the distant peaks is the smoke moving on. The photo above is supposed to have a similar view.

The thick wall of smoke moved on, but there is still smoke in the air. It comes in waves on the wind with an approaching front that might spit another dab of water on things.

At this point we will take any spit we can get. They look like clouds. They just tend to be used up by the time they get to me. I can tell by the smell that smoke is part of the composition. It seems to add a bit to the colors of the sunset.

Now spit!

Are We Done Yet?

I called ahead and was told the sun was coming out in town. It was still snowing on me. The sun was out when I got there. There was even a hint of warm contemplation. There was too much snow on the ground for spreading mulch though. I cleaned my ponds and came home where it was still cloudy, cold and breezy.

Later, the clouds began to part, later, when the sun was going down and the cold was settling back in.

Are we done for now. I need some spring. I have things to do.

Slow Melt

It has not snowed in a week. Cool days and frozen nights make melting a drawn out process. Last night a strong north wind carrying colder cold blew in. My plans for the day were cancelled in the face of a strong wind chilly.

If I had this much snow left after many days of sun, I couldn't be sure the roads at the Posh Estate which sits in a great deal more shade would even be fully melted. Private roads quite often have plowing issues.

So I wait for more melt. The next two days may get close to sixty. That may clear the snow before the next storm arrives. That should clear the rest of the circle of snowdrops planted around the heiau.

'Jelena' is about done blooming for the year. 'Diane' won't be putting on much of a show with so few flower buds. 'Arnold' will do just fine when it decides to bloom.

At this point, next week's storm is looking more like rain than snow. That seems odd. It can change of course.

There wasn't much melt at all today. It took forever to get above freezing. Snowless clouds whizzed by all morning. The wind didn't die down until mid afternoon. I waited.

What will the groundhog say? I'm hoping for snowless and cool, forty five degree days and freezing nights for February. I need to get some work done, but I sure don't want a second false spring in one winter.

In The Beginning

There is the barren ground covered in the remnants of the seasons past.

The snowdrops are the first to push through.

To make a clearing you have to begin some where. I have visions of asparagus and raspberries, cherries and plums. I see long rows of storable root crops and much fine produce. We made need a root cellar.

It is best to begin with one chore, even if it is one on a three to five year time scale. I'll have them dig a root cellar after the first crops go in.

In the beginning of spring, on a 60 degree day, more crocus are opening their blooms.

But winter is still lurking out there just over the border. Four days of spring is a good start.

Another Pulse Of Deep Cold

How is it that a day that starts at -5 is better than one that begins at 16? The answer is in the wind. Another pulse of deep cold has been pushing through. There was even a short snow flurry this morning.

A steady wind cancelled out every warm drop of sunshine. It was best to stay inside.

Not that I did completely. I wandered over to check on the house next door and started the clean up for spring arrivals. The Deep Cold Art Project was sparkling in the first rays of sun.

There was no melting today.

I don't think there will be any melting tomorrow.

How long is ephemeral in a reality of impermanence?

Before The Snow Skies

The suggestion is for snow, rain, snow for tomorrow which means snow, snow, snow for me most likely. It is already cold enough. I had not penciled in a snow day on my work calendar for this week, but Gardey has his limits. I'll get to everything eventually.

There was time to contemplate, even time for some planting action while the ground was bare of snow.

In random intervals inside of work and weather, the gardener tends to his own garden. More chop and drop was done. A bed was tidied for the winter. Plants were planted and transplanted very late in the season. One hopes that is not an overly risky maneuver.

A once well honed art of procrastination has slipped by the wayside. Do it now before the snow settles down again. Gardening on a deadline was never a thought in the tropics. Now it is reality.

Before the snow skies, is there anything that needs doing? Let me look at my list.

S'mores On The Great Lawn

It starts out like this, all week actually.

Already moist and leaning closer to the ground.

Then it pours.

But we did it with a wet fire. There were s'mores on the Great Lawn at dusk when the skies cleared.

The other blue New England Aster that falls over wet or dry, hence it is not my favorite, is also starting to bloom. One day it may all be edited out in favor of only slightly shorter and slightly less floppy blue things.

Goldenrod in the shade with White Snakeroot and Turtlehead. These are a few of our blooming things.

And with s'mores by a wet fire it is all over, time for the Sisters to head south.