What's That Smell?

I walked outside the back door, and suddenly stopped.  I smelled something.  Something sweet, but with a tang.  Where was it coming from?

Trying to figure it out, I tried to remember which blooms' scent I had noticed lately.  It couldn't be the daffodils that had enchanted me with their fragrance just yesterday - they were planted in a different bed.  Slowly, my gaze moved along the garden, eliminating each plant.  Not the lamb's ear, not dianthus.  The irises were in mid-bloom - some had finished blooming, others had not started.  The roses hadn't started blooming yet.  Same with the cannas.  The lilies were starting to come up, but no blooms on them either.  This was getting mysterious!

Finally, I realized.  It was the hollies!

Normally, holly bushes get all their attention in the winter.

But right now, my holly bushes are getting all the attention they could ever want from multiple pollinators.  It was amazing to see not only bees, but flies, wasps, crane flies, and many other different flying insects being attracted to their strong perfume.

These holly bushes are Dwarf Burford hollies (Ilex cornuta 'Dwarf Burford').  I have clipped them into different shapes over the years as they grew - starting with a ball, then a pyramid, then a cube.  Now they are too tall for me to reach the tops, so they are clipped as a cube on the bottom, with the top having a bad hair day - sticking up and about every which way.  (Uh, yes, that's done on purpose!)

Dwarf Burford hollies grow in zones 7 to 9, up to 8 ft tall and wide.  Mostly grown as a hedge, but I've also seen them attractively limbed up as small trees.

Hollies are great plants to have for winter interest.  But as I realized today, that's not the only time these plants are interesting.  Pollinators love them in spring.  And their scent fills the air.

Until Another Storm Comes Along

I love my pear tree, but mostly for sentimental reasons.  And because I look at it through eyes of love, I think it's beautiful.  But if I were a pear tree expert, I would have to admit it was ugly.

Oh, the blooms are pretty enough.  Gorgeous, really.

But this tree has had a hard life.

It started out well enough.  A Mother's Day present from my daughter (and the best part was my son-in-law dug the planting hole!).  I don't remember the variety, except it was not a Bradford pear.  A couple of years later, a storm blew it down.

Miraculously, though, three tree trunks began to come up.  Three is a great symbol to me in the garden, because I have three children.  And so, I let the three trunks remain.  I also learned that pears trees are often grafted, so there is no way for me to know the type of pear tree this is now.

This tree may only hold a temporary position in my garden, as it is weak.  But for now, I'll enjoy its pretty blooms, the shade it gives, and its three trunks.  At least, until another storm comes along and blows it down, again.  Then I'll beg for another one some Mother's day!

Inspiration

I have four flowering crabapples (Malus) in my garden.  The first one was an unplanned purchase - I was taken by the blooms at the garden center.  It was planted in a strange little nook in my garden.  For a while, I had dwarf gardenias growing under it.  Oh, how I wish I would have left them growing there!  Maybe one day I'll change it again and put them back!

The other three crabapple trees in my garden were inspired by the book "P. Allen Smith's Garden Home" (a book I just love - one day I'll do a book review on it).  I wanted the look he achieved of having flowering crabapples with intertwining branches.  (Page 69)  He has four, but my space works with three set in a triangle shape.  These are the trees in my winter garden.

They are in bloom now.

A crabapple tree has fruit 2" in diameter or smaller.  The fruit on my trees are tiny, measuring probably only about 1/2" in circumference.  Strictly ornamental, I could never gather enough of them to make jelly!

Flowering Crabapple

If you're thinking about getting a flowering crabapple, there are a lot of different varieties to choose from.  (I think mine are the variety 'Profusion'.)  Crabapples have a large range of colors, height, and growing zones, so a little research before purchasing would be beneficial.  Some grow tall, some spread.  There really is one for every garden!  The only problem I've had with my crabapples is their tendency to sucker.  And sucker.  And sucker.  And for the last couple of years, I've had a problems with those tent caterpillars, as they seem to love these trees as much as I do!

Inspiration comes to me in a lot of different ways.  A blog post.  A bloom at the garden center.  A sudden realization.  Magazines.  Books.  Websites.  Photos.  Like most gardeners, I'm always trying to make my garden better, prettier, more varied, more interesting.

I haven't quite achieved the look that P. Allen Smith did.  But maybe in another year or two.

I love these trees.  They're not the same kind, the same color, the same number, planted with the same companions, or even in the same type of bed as those in Mr. Smith's garden.  If you saw them, you'd never know where I got the inspiration.

But spring wouldn't be the same without these blooms.  Thanks, Mr. Smith!

My Goal

I went outside to take a few pictures.  And as I looked around, I noticed some weeds.  Of course.

It's been a bad year for weeds in my garden.  Due in part to the mild weather.  Due also in part to my not finishing the mulching.  I never finish the mulching.

As I began to weed, joy filled my heart.  I worked, not with an 'I've-got-to-get-all-these-weeds-out-of-here" attitude, but with an "I-can-enjoy-letting-my-mind-wander" kind of attitude.  I wasn't really weeding to get rid of the weeds.  I was weeding just to be out in the garden.

And I remembered something I read a long time ago.  (Pay attention - this is important.)

It was a story written by a garden magazine photographer.  He (or was it she?) said that every garden she (or was it he?) had photographed had weeds.  Every one.  In fact, there had been one garden that was so weedy, it had been challenging to take a photograph!

I remember that story each time I weed, and I smile.  It's such a great lesson for any gardener, but especially for new gardeners.  Gardens are rarely, if ever, perfect.

Which is fine, because perfection is not my goal.  Don't get me wrong.  I would love to have the perfect garden.  I would love for visitors to see a weedless garden.  But I know that will never happen.  So, that is not my goal.

My goal is delight.  Delight in a bloom.  Delight in the life in my garden.  Delight in the changes, the seasons, the colors, the scents, the surprises.  The pictures in this post are from this spring, and I have delighted in every tiny bloom.

Donna of Gardens Eye View has started a meme called Seasonal Celebrations.  Beth at Plant Postings has a meme called Garden Lessons Learned.  As Beth wrote, "Lessons Learned looks backward to the recent past, while Seasonal Celebrations looks ahead".  I wondered how one could look forward and look back at the same time.

Then I remembered the lesson.

As I look forward to a new season, I will work toward my goal:

Not perfection, but delight.

And with those few words, I can look forward to Seasonal Celebrations and look back and remember the Lesson Learned.  Today I'm joining both Donna's and Beth's memes.

A Flash in the Pan

It didn't last long.

My broccoli started forming those beautiful little heads of florets last month.

And now it's already flowering!  

But, while it lasted, it tasted soooo good.  Almost sweet.  I like broccoli, and have always loved store bought broccoli.  But now the store bought kind tastes bitter to me.  

Mine also had a wonderful blue-green color.  In my mind, I imagined that the dark color was due to all the vitamins and nutrients stuffed in every cell.

I think that's why a lot of people grow their own vegetables.  Not only for the fresh taste, but for the added nutrients.  After all, this broccoli only had to travel from the garden to the kitchen.  It never spent a second on a truck.  It never waited in the grocery store.  It was never stored in the refrigerator.  Instead, it was eaten fresh, with pride and appreciation.

Thanks, broccoli!  You didn't last long, but you were yummy while you lasted!

I'm joining The Gardening Blog for Garden Bloggers Harvest Day. 

First Monday on Sunday

The weather here has been perfect.  Sunny, warm, not too hot.  Beautiful.  But I have not been in the garden.  Instead, we decided to go to First Monday Trade Days in Canton.  

Treasures await behind these gates!

First Monday has evolved over its 150 year history.  New items, homemade items, and used items of all kinds are now offered for sale.   You can find clothing, furniture, tools, junk, jewelry, antiques, collectables, garden decor and even - plants!!!!  Yes! 

I have purchased several different types of plants here over the years.  Most of the time (I ask a lot of questions), the plant vendors are wholesalers that offer plants at good prices.  The majority of the plants here are offered for around 1/2 the price that I've seen at box box stores.  I've never had a problem (yet) with any plant I've purchased there.  Still, "Buyer Beware" applies to anything purchased at Canton's Trade Days.  

We walked for about 3 hours - a short day for most Trade Days visitors.  Trade Days covers more than 100 acres of land, and has about 6,000 vendors.  If you want it, they probably have it - somewhere!

Yes, that's my cart!  And yes, I have a cart just for going to Canton's Trade Days!

In addition to plants, I also purchased some items for my home, a few things for the pets, and stocked up on goatskin gloves (my favorite kind of gardening gloves).  We decided to go home early just because the cart was full! 

I wish I had worn a pedometer.  With miles and miles of rows and aisles, you can seemingly walk forever and never see it all.  I'm joining Carolyn at This Grandmother's Garden for her Walk in the Gardens Challenge.

Weed Woes and Spring Smiles

February is gone.  March marches on.  (Hey, that rhymes!)

I'm hoping March will be a glorious month!  But it's time to look back at February and see what was the Best and the Worst in my garden.

Worst is definitely the weeds, which are everywhere!

Weeds almost as big as the boxwood!

They had very little resistance from Old Man Winter, so they grew prolifically and joyfully.  Which doesn't exactly make me joyful.  And the worst part is they're already flowering!  Supposedly, one year's seeding makes seven years' weeding.  Guess I'll be busy for the next seven years!

Well, forget the weeds.  What's the Best?

Iris, violet and camellia blooms

Blooms, blooms, glorious blooms!  My irises started blooming.  The crocus began to bloom.

Delightful daffodils

Spring bulbs have made their appearance.  Even one of my roses decided to bloom early!

Mexican Grey Hairstreak - So exciting to see butterflies in my garden already!

Not only blooms, but bugs, bees, and even butterflies have started making their appearance.  Spring is here, and my garden is waking up.  What could be better than that?

I'm joining Bumble Lush's Best and Worst of the garden meme.