Photo Phriday - Chocolate Basil in Bloom

Photo Phriday - Rose of Sharon

Photo Phriday - New Pear Tree

Here's my new tree. It's a seckel pear.

Adding to the Orchard

When I bought my home it had 3 lovely old fruit trees, an apple, pear, and cherry. The former owners' neglect, along with age, and bad weather caused me to lose those trees, but I'm slowly adding fruit trees to my land. I put in the apple tree first, then 2 cherry trees, one sweet and one sour. I just bought a pear tree and an apricot tree and they'll be planted tomorrow. I enjoy having my own little orchard, hopefully Mother Nature will help them thrive enough so that I'll have something to harvest!

Photo Phriday - New Plants

I got some new plants today. Can you tell what they are?

Photo Phriday - Topsoil

The topsoil arrived. I'm going to use it for my raised bed, to fix some vole damage, and fill in Sam's tunnel to China!

Freeze Warning

We've had some really weird weather. Yesterday we broke records reaching into the 80's. Today was very nice and sunny-but the high was only in the 50's and tonight we have a freeze warning. I'm praying for all the fruit trees. This too warm, unseasonable weather, quickly followed by freezing temperatures isn't good!

Photo Phriday - Spring Phlowers

Winter's Back

It looks deceptively warm and sunny outside. It may be sunny, but it's cold, and the wind is biting! It looks like it's 70-as it has been, but it's now 36! Tonight will get down in the 20's. My poor fruit trees. Farmers are in trouble-the unseasonable warm weather convinced fruit trees and flowers to bud...and bloom. This frost could kill them...and the fruit the fruit trees might grow. Let's all hope the crops aren't decimated.

Spring Has Sprung!

Joyous Ostara! Happy St. Joseph's Day! Spring is officially here. It's an amazing 71 degrees here in WNY. On my walk with Sam today we saw many crocus in bloom and even a few daffodils. What's fantastic around my house is the scent. The wild violets are in bloom on my lawn, perfuming the air. It's delightful. I see the leaves of my tulips, and other things sprouting. There are buds on the lilacs and I'm starting to see hints of yellow on the forsythias. Yes, Spring has sprung!

Photo Phriday - Trimmed Hedges

Photo Phriday - "Cajun Belle" Peppers

Photo Phriday - New Phlower

Photo Phriday - Roses of Sharon

Sick Lilacs?

I'm worried about my lilac bushes. It started with one of the old ones near the house. In parts of it, the leaves seem to have fallen away and it looks sparse. It bloomed though. Now, the bush next to it is started to look the same way-horrible. I don't see leaves on the ground-but it seems as if they're dropping off. The next lilac in line looks fine-but is it only a matter of time? What's wrong? I need to contact my nursery guy and my gardening guru.

Photo Phriday - Daylilies

My Cherries?!?!?!

Last fall I planted 2 cherry trees-one sweet and one sour. They are little trees, my dad called them twigs, but this spring they were awash in blossoms. Hmm. I may get a bunch of cherries my first year. Yea. Sure enough I saw lots of cherries growing. When I looked a few days ago, there weren't as many cherries-but the sweet had about 5-10 and the sour had a couple. They looked close to being ripe-but not quite. This morning, after my walk with Sam, I led him to the cherry trees-only to find...NO CHERRIES! I looked again and found 2 shriveled ones on the sweet and 2 that look OK on the sour. What happened?!?! I guess I'll be buying cherries again this year. Sigh.

Photo Phriday - My Birthday

Mock Orange-always fragrantly in bloom for my birthday.

Lupines

Lupines make me laugh. I just read my garden guru's latest blog, which is about lupines. I've always loved lupines...but mainly because of a certain Monty Python sketch. This winter I'll have to try Kevin's tips so I can finally have lupines in my own garden. "Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore..."

Photo Phriday - Lilacs