This Week in the Garden - A Protest Post

A couple of years ago, when I was blogging more regularly, I had a weekly series called, "This Week in the Garden." I think that it was mostly entertaining for me, but a few of my friends and readers commented that they enjoyed it. So, in that vein, I offer this blog post. I call this a protest post, because I don't actually have time for blogging this weekend, but I'm feeling a bit resistant to my workload, so a blog post it is. 

As it turns out, week 12 of the semester has never been so alive in the garden. I'll start with the example of the turtles. Anyone who follows me on Facebook or who just talks to us in summers knows about the wonders of the Mama turtles who climb out of the Powwow River, make their way to our rose garden, and lay eggs. Last summer we had five nests and we knew roughly where they were in the garden. In truth, we thought we had four, but then in September, baby turtles started climbing out of the ground in a nest that had been completely unknown to us! Two weeks ago, as I was heading out on a run, I encountered a deceased baby turtle on our street. It looked like it had been run over by a car. I found this pretty unusual because it was April - that's the wrong season for baby turtles! Then I remembered that at some point Neil had read that nests which don't hatch by the time that cold weather arrives might winter over. Yes, that's right - winter over! I checked in the rose garden and indeed, there appeared to be a turtle nest that had recent activity. So many wonders right here on the Powwow River! We hope that some of the turtles safely made it into the river and that they have survived. It has really been too cold for turtles to be out and about, especially baby turtles. 

Does anyone remember how last fall we had some beaver activity in our yard? Yes, another gift from the river. In truth, we love having the beaver nearby. We do not like it when the beaver takes down our trees. We like it even less when the beaver takes down trees for which we have paid $150-200 and which we have loved and nurtured into a maturing state of beauty! That's what happened. The beaver took down our beloved weeping pussy willow tree. The tree must have heard Neil's weeping (and cursing) over its passing, because she has put out new sprouts. Can you believe it? Another joyous occasion here on the Powwow. 

Next I turn to our perennials in our gardens. All academics should have perennials, because who has time to garden during the spring semester? Perennials do it all, with or without my attention. It's amazing how much life springs to action in April. Now I know why we call this season "Spring," which I don't think is capitalized, but I'm an academic and we always seem to capitalize the names of semesters, so there you have it. A small tangent. Below is a lupine preparing for wonderful purple or pink blossoms.

Tulips. Wonderful tulips everywhere, which I was reminded this year, don't open to reveal a blossom, but rather mature into their color - from green to red or purple or...

The magnolia tree is the leader in the yard. She got a head start back in early April and I thought she might have been crippled by our spring snowstorm, but here she is - in all of her glory.

I've always wanted a peony garden (well, always, for the past 8-10 years). I'm not there yet, but I do have an area of the gardens which is dedicated to growing peonies. Here they come.

Our ever-blooming lilac, which took forever to find her rhythm, is a very happy soul right now.

We have a lot of purple in our yard in spring - a blanket in all of the gardens. Here we have vinca and a creeping Jenny, which volunteers everywhere throughout the yard.

I'm not sure why, but the hostas look so purposeful. I transplanted a lot of hosta plants last year. They never really caught on to their new surroundings. I'm hoping for a better outcome this summer.

Our weeping crab tree. Is this supposed to be a weeping crab apple? I'm never sure. The fruit is very small, not even the size of grapes. Anyway, she produces a wealth of amazing pink and white blossoms every year.

The climbing hydrangea is bursting forth with foliage. This has been an amazingly rewarding plant as a climber, even if the blossoms are meager.

I have no idea about this plant. I put the bulbs in the ground at some point in the past 6 years, but I plead total ignorance. How sweet though?

Neil's colleague, Stefani, brought us "forget-me-nots" last summer. I was convinced that I had accidentally killed them when I redid our patio garden, but apparently not. There are even more blossoms since I took this picture.

Week 13 of the semester is almost upon me, so I had better get back to the unfinished work...