Drive By

As my regular readers may know, I'm not in the habit of photographing my driveway. This year, however, the crabapples, Malus Transitoria Schmidcutleaf, are so beautiful that I couldn't resist. I must confess that their unexpected display is something of a relief. This spring marks the first time since I planted them almost a decade ago that they've bloomed profusely. In fact for the past five years I've considered replacing them with another variety, a daunting prospect given how large they've grown and the expense involved. In the fall they should produce an abundance of small golden berry-sized fruit hence their common name, Golden Raindrops. The flowering tree at the very end of the driveway is not a crabapple. It's an old apple tree that was here when I bought the property. It's fruit, though never pretty, is quite tasty.

Many of the buds on the wisterias that flank the farm pond fell victim to the cold snap that followed the spell of freakishly warm days in March. They should be absolutely covered with flowers, but they're lovely nonetheless. My current mantra when it comes to gardens is "you win some you lose some". It seems that no matter what the weather brings some plants flourish while others flounder.

And this year the dogwoods and (white) redbud in the Blue & White garden are certainly flourishing as are the lilacs. I hoping they'll hold their blossoms another week until the azaleas burst into bloom.

The yellow flowered Kerria Japonica in the Hot Colored garden never fails to put on a stunning display. As it spreads by suckering it can be a bit invasive. The one closest to the checkerboard patio is a division from the original plant that grows at the corner of the house.

I'm sad to say that daffodil season is drawing to a close. It sure was fun while it lasted.