Botanizing

It is more important to walk slowly now and look.



Layer upon layer upon layer has sprung forth from the ground.



It can take the entire growing season to see it all, even walking slowly.

A New Violet

There is either a new color variation of a yellow violet or another violet species on this mountain. I'm opting for a new species. The picture is bad. I was trying to be artsy and get the chimney in the shot. I'll get a better one later.

I think this is Viola striata, the Striped Cream Violet.

Let's see now, two kind yellow violet, two kind white violet, white and purple speckled violet and purple violets from pale to deep purple and from narrow to blousy petals. With this new violet that makes seven species of violets up here. At least. Looking through the violets at that site above makes me wonder if all those purple ones could be more than one species.

Whatever. We got plenty violets now.



We also have this oddball Conopholis americana, Squaw-Root coming up. It is a parasitic perennial herb that feeds on oak tree roots.



There is always something out there.

More ... I Need More

A certain someone stuck in Florida for a couple more weeks tending to the man with the new knee, who is doing better than average according to the doctors, says I am not posting enough pictures of her garden.



I've been busy lately.



Now if someone was to want to pay me to stroll the garden and blog all day everyday, I am open to the notion. Like I don't blog everyday now.



The Phlox nivalis is back. I found that a few days ago and stopped to take its picture today.



I guess you could say a leisurely stroll is a good stretching exercise after a long day of work. The Euphorbia I am to tired to look up the species is looking sharp. I dug up a bunch of runners creeping into the vegetable garden and planted them on the other side of the drive by my mailbox. Now I will have matching clumps of Euphorbia at the entrance.



There are certain hazards involved in shopping for plants for clients. Things like Erysimum linifolium 'Bowles Mauve' end up coming home with me.



The forest floor is busy. You can test your native plant ID skills.







Combinations of all kinds are occurring where the Iberis is blooming.



A new deciduous azalea is open.



Oh it is way past my bedtime and company is coming tomorrow. I need to clean up all the hairballs and dead bugs in the house.



I am sure there will be time for a garden stroll. I don't know if it will be blogged.



Enjoy your Tree Peony. I made sure the caterpillars did not eat them up this year and there will be plenty of peony blooms to show.



And here come the iris.



But now I must sleep.

Out There Outside

Is it Bloom Day yet?



The Tree Peony



Tiarella



Inhale. Lilac.



Rhododendron, the first big one to bloom.



Larkspur, Delphinium tricorne



Euphorbia polychroma



Primrose off the path.



Trilliums and more trilliums.



Dinner is over.



Wake Robin, Trillium erectum still blooming. Then I found another one further down the hill!



Playing with trillium.



All that was found outside by taking my tired self on an evening stroll.

I Can Stop Whining Now

The View From My Window finally made the cut at The Daily Dish.

Freeze Warning

This is serious. It would not surprise me if there was snow on the ground in the morning. Right now there is 4 degrees of separation between me and snow.



A big part of me doesn't really care. I have been sniffing stain fumes all day. It was rainy, windy and 50 and only two windows were barely open for ventilation. Or I'm just getting used to the notion that this is how it is and has always been in these parts.



I'm getting there. One half ceiling, main cross beams and mini-loft to go. I had to reorganize the stuff first. It's all in the main loft now.



The purple violets, Viola sororia are really starting to put on a show.



A little snow and frost won't bother them.

There is a reason our average annual last frost date is scheduled for May 15th. I just may need to put my long underwear back on.

Between Downpours

I was up early enough to see the brief appearance of blue sky. The sun wasn't exactly out. It had yet to make it over the top of a cloudy Sandy Mush Bald. The sky quickly resealed itself.



How full does the bucket need to be before you can say it's raining buckets? That wind was sure howling last night too.



I snuck in a quick stroll before the rains returned and I head down to the cabin to stain the ceiling of the main room.



It seems rainy days and Sundays are now the main cabin work days. I am beginning to remember what it is like to work for a living. Gardening clients have been keeping me busy this spring.



Maybe I should start buying lottery tickets. I could stay busy in this mountain top garden alone until the end of my time.

A Stormy Night

Sometimes the weathers require I use the down stairs smoking lounge. It has a pleasant view and just a bit more of a covered overhang.



I'm used to all the strange noises the forest makes. It doesn't scare me much after dark. There is a porch light.



And an old rake handle for anything that might lunge out of the darkness.

Moving Along

The last week of April is here. Looking back on the blog at last April, everything looks to have returned to a normal schedule. The same things blooming last year at this time are blooming now. The weathers did return to a more normal cool after that mini heat wave.

I'm left wondering if, uh, gardeners might be a bit hyper sensitive to the proper flow of things. At the least I deserve a pass until I have been in this new zone for a full decade.



The Fothergilla is now in full bloom. The spring flowers and fall color are this shrubs best features.



Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis, goes all textural leaf after the brief bloom period.



I think this is my favorite deciduous azalea and it has a lot to do with its location. The backdrop really makes it stand out.



Yikes! This azalea scares me. There are several red leaved barberries right next to it, but that isn't near enough to tone this thing down a notch.



White Spanish Bluebells, Hyacinthoides hispanica. They are just beginning.



The end of April is the time of Dogwoods. I need to try and remember that.



All the rotations are on schedule, as it should be.