An early Spring portrait...

Well, calling mid-April early Spring is sure a little of a stretch case, but well. It seems not to be behaving better than this this year. Snow one week ago does impact the course of the seasons.... April has always been a wild month among the years...

2012-04-14 Maureen tulips probably

My favorite tulip is starting to show. Today, I had a round about and sprayed it with stinky stuff to scare the bambies away! Let us hope it works! There were some tulips in the corner flower bed that had been chewed on brutally by some undesired animal. Those seemed to be beyond repair for this year. But well, there are more years to come....

2012-04-14 Our chicken...

This guy is currently wondering why we have left him out there during Winter time... But on the other hand, I guess he was fine:

2012-04-14 And its chicks...

He did have company after all!!!!

2012-04-14 Corylus Avellana 'Contorta'

Also what seems hopefully dried out after a long Winter turns out to have life in it! Our Corylus avellana 'Contorta' gives its best sprouts now! Actually, it does have its charms at Winter. Who needs leaves to be beautiful?!

2012-04-14 Salix caprea 'Kilmarnock'

Definitively not this guy, even though those fluffy things do have something :O)

2012-04-14 Salix caprea 'Kilmarnock'

One might wonder if it is the tree which is not straight, if it is the ground or even if it is the camera... Well, we'll never know... Not by looking at this blog anyway!

2012-04-14 Who remembers what this is?!

This little guy did survive even though the rule of thumb says if you plant a conifer late in Automn it won't make it through the Winter. It turns out the Winter was mild and it was well worth saving the huge amount of money it would have costed to purchase this little thing in Spring... Sometimes, you are lucky!

2012-04-14 Rhododendron catawbiense 'grandiflorum'

Sometimes the ground around you is just simply not good enough and you will stop growning. That is when you need to dig more and put more of the necessary soil around the roots and then it will start growning. This guy requires peat but was dug in too little hole with it. The rest around it was regular soil so it actually stopped growing. It was a pain to dig and stuff, but at the end of the story, when the whole work was done, it was worth it! Look at this rhododendron thrive.

2012-04-14 Azalea Japonica 'Rosalind'

And the Azalea is still around, even if it still is a little dry in some spots! The leaves are so beautiful because of the colour and of the shape!

2012-04-14 Some undefined rhododendron/Azalea

Very similar to these very small guys. I wish I know what sort these guys really belong to! I wonder how difficult it can be to actually tag them correctly before putting them on display... but, well, 'cheap' and 'beautiful' trumps the 'undefined' part of them.... It is the positive part of having a peat flower bed. You can find a lot of place for these kinds of plants!

2012-04-14 Magnolia Stellata

And finally, also the magnolia stellata survived it seems. And it seems it is even flowering in its first year! Crazy! I was expecting no flowers for years... Ok, let us admit, I was actually hoping for plenty of flowers the first year even though it was not really very realistic. Let us see how it looks like in a week or so!

2012-04-14 Cute magnolia tree?!

And sometimes things seem hopeless. You look at it and see no life. It seems there is nothing to do. You keep looking and looking... believe there is nothing to do. But truth is, as long as there is a good soil and good stable roots, they seem to make it at the end, even if the start is preeeetty slow! And when the sun shines again, then you know everything will be fine sooner or later! Let us hope sooner rather than later though... :O)

2012-04-14 Blueberries 'Goldtraube'

And sometimes, hard work brings its fruits: adding new fresh soil beds for good fruit! And here are some reasonable amounts of blueberries now on its way. Patience is very much required!!!!! But I do know they will be there sooner or later!

2012-04-14 Sea-buckthorn

These stingy ones are growing and growing for every year! Wonder really how big it will become! In their third year they are far taller than I am...;O)
Will they ever be able to cover the ugly thujas from the neighbour?!

2012-04-14  Physocarpus opulifolius  'Diable d'or'

At least at summer, we do know that these spireas are doing a great job at it! I do know it looks pretty tame right now! But I swear it will do its job in a month or so! Ok, maybe two.. I do not remember the exact timing for its flourishing right now!

2012-04-14 Lilacs

And also looking forward the lilacs to bloom. Their looks and their smell drive me crazy! Could sniff them non stop! Dear dear lilacs! To flower they will need some cow crap. Wish my daddy was here... He loves distributing cow crap... NOT... :O)

2012-04-14 Prune tree?!?!

Prunes anyone?! Or it might take some more years before the enjoyment comes?! That is the issue with new trees. They take ages to give fruits! Let us keep the bambies off this time!

2012-04-14 Professor Sprenger Flowering Crabapple

This apple tree won't give any edible apples but who cares: nobody in the household actually even likes apples from apple trees... But I would expect humongous amounts of flowers from it this year! Wonderful tree really it seemed in the plant nursery last year!

2012-04-14 Cornus Alba 'Elegantissima'

And the cornus alba is always late at start! And needs cow crap... Daddy?!?! Where are you when we need you the most... ?! :O) 

2012-04-14 Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace'

Or the Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace' that seems to become larger and larger. Last year all branches froze down and it had to start from scratch. It did reach well over my head during the last summer. And this year it seems to start from where it stopped growing last year. I guess, this plant is also going to become huge this year! 

2012-04-14 Rhubarb

And sometimes you do mistakes, you just don't dig enough. You have stones where you plant your plant. They will grow, but at some point, they will stop growing. Just like these rhubarb plants! Then you will have to do something radical. Take it out of its hole, and doing it you will sore its roots. And you feel "oh my dear God, what have I done", "How could I ever cultivate something with all those stones..." and swear you'll never do it again. You are scared it will not make it, but see here! 



It will need some serious amount of cow crap to be able to give at its full potential. Daddy?! Where are you?!?!

2012-04-14 Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood'

And here again... When all hope was nearly gone and I thought this little tree won't make it, here it goes! But now! Let us not forget to water it next time!!!! It does need continuous amounts of water I would believe! Maybe some cow crap?!?! Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood' should be growing 1-2 meters I believe!

2012-04-14

 

And there are plants that seem to grow in Winter... Do they really or is it just a feeling?!










 
And once again, no matter how hopeless it seems when you see everything around you is dry and has no sign of life. You do know that as long as you have good roots and soil, watering and fertilizing will repair it all. Sometimes you need to do a big effort to repair rookie mistakes, but they will be worth it! You do know that sooner or later it will start blooming again. It was a long Winter, but now the early Spring is here.



And soon the blooming part of Spring will be here, too! Bigger and greater than ever before!