blossoms, birds, and boots

Life around here has been more beautiful with spring approaching. We have blossoms on our apricot tree, one Turkish fig growing, and several plants waiting to be placed in the ground…. Thornless Mexican lime, Meyer lemon, Rio Red Grapefruit, Satsuma Mandarin, and a Turkish Fig. Last week Steve and his dad used a Ditch Witch to dig several deep holes for all these fruit trees to have a home.

I pruned all the plumeria trees we inherited from my parents. Next week I will plant those clippings and more than double our plumeria tree supply!

Syd loves helping me in the yard, with her boots on, of course. She helps pull weeds, water plants, and gives me company, all in her own special way.

And everyday we have vibrant colored hummingbirds that stop by to drink “nectar”…. if only I knew which one nearly attacked me by swarming around my head!

succulents

Today is an unusual day…. spent indoors. Rain. Cold. Wet dogs. New earrings for Mel. I snuck outside while the girls were asleep to capture Syd’s unicorn admist the small collection of succulents we put together for dad’s birthday present…. Euphorbia obesa (Baseball plant), Haworthia attenuate (Fairy Washboard), Lithops marmorata (Living stones), and Cremmosedum (Little Gem).

Over time, we will be replacing some of our planters in the yard with a succulent garden. Many of our agaves are producing off-shoots and this spring we will detach them from their mother plants and set them on their own. Kristi, imagine how Frida would paint this…. I am sure she would not leave out placentas of some sort!

seeds!

It is officially seed catalogue season. It is 55 degrees this morning in Bloomington and the snow has melted. I now have access to and have filled the bird feeder. I have turned over my compost tumblers. The sun is pouring in my windows ... and all I can think about is what seed to order.

So chica, here are some of the seeds that I am thinking about for the Bloomington gardens:
white currant tomato (2008 Wylie house seed); purple calabash tomato (2008 Wylie house seed); german pink tomato (SSE); wapsipinicon peach tomato (SSE)

blue jade corn (SSE); dragon's tongue bean (SSE); potimarron squash (SSE) ... the three sisters

chioggia beet (SSE); dragon carrot (SSE)
sylveta arugula (SSE); SSE lettuce mixture; lacinato kale (SSE); rhubarb chard (SSE)
king of mammoth pumpkin (2008 Wylie house seed); Ananas d'Amerique a Chair Verte Melon (2008 Wylie house seed); double yield cucumber (SSE); blacktail mountain watermelon (SSE)
Tom Thumb pea (SSE); shirofumi soybean (SSE)
jalepeno (2008 seed)
evening sunflower (SSE)

transplants:
Aunt Molly's ground cherry (SSE); green zebra tomato (SSE); tomatillo; peppers; eggplant (in spite of the flea beetles!)
okra
brussel sprouts
butternut squash

With love from Kristi