A New Yard

11/21/12

Kwanzan cherry tree

     A few days ago we closed on our new house.  Now the fun begins to turn it into a home.  We won't be moving in until mid-January because of inside renovations.

     The house sits on an acre of land, and there is a lot of lawn which I realize is a no-no for many gardeners.  We are supposed to be growing meadows to support wildlife.  But I love the spacious, open feeling of the property.  We do have woods behind us that I hear have resident foxes and many deer.  There is a country feeling to the neighborhood.  A few weeks ago I took the following photos of some of the bushes and trees that are growing in the yard.

crepe myrtle

loriope and holly

Japanese laceleaf maple

pine

   

rhododendron

black walnut

dogwood

     This is about half of what is growing in the yard.  I don't believe there are any perennials except around the cable box in a front corner of the yard.  I will be planting about 150 bulbs this holiday weekend.  A Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Surprise Fall Blooms

11/8/12

Arum italicum

     After being glued to the TV for days staring in disbelief at the destruction after Sandy, and then burning the midnight oil watching the election, I had to get outside.  It has been cloudy, windy and cold here since superstorm Sandy.  As I walked around the yard, I saw we had no damage except a few fallen limbs.  But I came upon some unexpected blooms.

     The Arum italicum plants, which produced orange berries in July/August and then died off, are emerging again.  The leaves emerge in autumn and are evergreen throughout winter in warmer climates.  Since this is my first time watching them grow, I will note how they do in winter here.  The leaves are similar to caladium and resemble Jack-in-the-Pulpit.




hardy cyclamen

      In a shady, somewhat inaccessible area near the house, I was surprised to find hardy cyclamen blooming.

azalea blossom

     A spot of red caught my eye in the front yard.  I investigated and found one lonesome azalea bloom on an azalea bush stuffed between two other bushes.  The yard of this rental house keeps surprising me with unexpected blooms.