Fresh Lush Greenery

It had been a very fine spring … until. It was so fine I went out and took more pictures before it happened. The Iris cristata was beginning to bloom.

Everything was so fresh, so perfect, so green. The gardens were looking good.

Even the iris in the dung pile was in full bloom. It just fell in there. You know how it goes.

All was well in The Land of the Crooked Shed.

Joe Pye on the basement patio was awake and growing fast.

Then round one of Blackberry Winter arrived. It went much better than expected. There was a random, not too harsh tip burn about. This was not a killing cold for most. There will be a time of ugly leaves before things grow back out.

The hardest hit were most interesting. It was many of the natives. Poisoned Ivy, Joe Pye, White Snake Root and the Aralias were the most frozen, while daylilies, iris and peonies looked fine. The hosta got a little cooked. The Japanese Maples look fine .. so far. Even the tulip poplars and magnolias of the deep forest got a good leaf burning.

Round two will happen tonight. Followed by a few more nights of deep chill. The harsh tip burn could go lower. There will be a time of ugly leaves.

And I will have to hear about that no doubt from so many people still safely confined at home who had already been finding ugly things for me to make pretty.

There will be a short spell of ugly leaves. It will grow back out. Breathe.

I have a picture from yesterday, when it was all so fresh, so perfect, so lush and so green.