Snoprise

In the dark of the night a cold wind carried in an old visitor.



Not wanting to leave these beautiful higher mountains,



The snow came back for another look. It isn't over until it is over, it seems.



It just barely got to freezing, so nothing was harmed during the falling of the snow. The apples and cherry trees with nearly open buds were of most concern. They all look to be fine.



It melted quickly and by late afternoon, though a might breezy and with a distinct chill, it was nice enough to go for a walk.

Collar is still in her skittish, who are these other people phase, but is slowly coming around.



Crawford can now be picked up and petted by one of these new strangers.



Mama Spot says feed me and pet me to anyone near by, though she still favors me and is often quite dog like in her need to be close by my side.



Painting weather approaches.



A little gardening was squeezed in too. Overflow hosta, a short bearded type iris of some kind and the native Dwarf Crested Iris, plants that needed some thinning or removal in the ridge top garden landed roots down at my place.

Apple Blossom Time

Historically WNC has been a noted apple growing region.



Apple trees are all over the place. Apple orchards may be fewer than in days gone by, but they can still be found.



While driving up a mountain holler in search of client #4, I passed a relatively newly planted apple orchard coming into bloom.



There are so many nooks and crannies in these mountains the chances of me ever seeing it all is close to impossible without a concerted effort I have no intention of making.



More will be revealed in a natural unfolding as I become ever more familiar with a place called home.

Hello Wall

Rain delays more painting of the front porch roof framing and now that the computer time must be shared, it is easier to leave the house a bit earlier in the day.

I go stack stones in the dry stack stone wall while waiting for a wet world to dry. The north end has begun its gradual steps up the slope.



The upper wall is actually heading in towards its final height of right around four feet, maybe a bit higher, but we won't let the inspector man figure that out. Four feet is the limit of un-inspected retaining walls. He has seen it and made no comment. Maybe he noticed and liked that I was following the directions for building a stable dry stack stone wall.



Telephone, television and internet cable lines are also being wired into the cozy cabin to avoid running exterior wires later when these services get connected. The inspector man's requested changes to the rough electrical have also been done.



I stack stones in between assisting in the wiring.

The plumbing comes next. Both of these involve crawling around beneath the cabin and in the process of stapling wires between floor joists I have been walking on the top of the wall. It doesn't even wiggle.



I stack stones while I wait for the world to dry and keep looking at these furnace parts and wondering how it will be incorporated into the basement patio. There are more dry stack stone walls in the gardens future.

For anyone interested in seeing The Wall Rise.

The Evening Stroll

Ipheion uniflorum



About three quarters an acre worth of pick up sticks.



The rear end of a Spot.



Fritillaria pallidiflora



One azalea's swelling flower buds survived the great snow dump. Its companion's swelling flower buds four feet away all turned brown.



Euphorbia polychroma



Allium tricoccum and two spots.



White Viola canadensis



Dicentra cucullaria



Trilliums that could be divided and spread around one day.



The sunny utility valley below the cozy cabin. Slowly it will become a garden of sweeping color and texture.



The really difficult corners of the front porch roof framing now have two coats of the Molera Vaquero Red.



Trumpet daffodil cover.



Coming out the other end.



The upper sunny utility valley wildflower meadow and garden annex.



The sunset of a sunny day.



And now back to rain.

The Simple Life Of Gardening

Sometimes the picture in the catalog is too much to resist and another tulip is tried, if only for one spring. Maybe this time you'll get lucky and it will keep coming back. She said the catalog suggested this one might.



10,000 reliable daffodils will comfort any loss. The late blooming Triandrus Narcissus 'Thalia' comforts after a heavy snow during peak bloom put a crimp in the show.



A small house on a mountain top is really just a fancy garden shed, a place of rest between gardening chores and a place of refuge from ample weathers, the clicks of the gardening clock.



The not so simple life of gardening exists as well. A red and yellow together style of gardening even. A huge display of red and yellow.


Photo by JR C NC

Red and yellow tulips side by side.


Photo by JR C NC

In the not so simple life of gardening at the Biltmore.

Post Mangled Bloom Day

Taraxacum officinale, but we can leave the blooming weeds for another post on another day.



The mangled Bulbapaloozathon continues. Spring can not be denied.



The late bloomers survived the heavy snow storm the best. Without open flowers, their bloom stalks were less likely to bend and snap.





This one is bold.



Stray tulips linger in the ridge top garden from the few attempts to plant them during moments of catalog weakness no doubt.



Tiny Fritillaria meleagris are said to wander the garden.



Flowering Quince, Chaenomeles.



Iberis sempervirens



These are kind of cute. The double cups in the center remind me of Pikake.





Pockets of the still upright Bulbapaloozathon remain where many of the late bloomers are grouped together. Horrible thought -- trying to reorganize 10,000 daffodils by bloom time so future storms might only damage certain sections. It would be interesting to possibly watch the peak bloom flow across the ridge top garden.



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