It is a bit cooler today than it has been, but I find myself starting to believe that Spring is really here to stay. Maybe, just maybe, we won't again be victims of that Super Sucker - Snow, until sometime in November.
Our lilacs are popping out! Lilacs have to have the most heady scent of any blossom. Stunning beauty and color coupled with that haunting aroma make lilacs one of the best flowers to have in your yard. We have two, one a vintage bush and the other a three-year-old Japanese variety.
The yard of the house that I grew up in had a huge lilac bush about a dozen feet from my bedroom window. I can vividly remember lying with my head near the window, the southern breeze bringing the almost intoxicating fragrance of the lilacs to me.
The birds have begun their race against time. They are furiously working on their nests and readying the birdhouses. These gourds are supposed to be our purple martin houses, but the sparrows always claim them for their own. Sometimes the starlings attack a gourd and throw the eggs or the babies to the ground.
I'm not sure what this bush is named. It started out in the yard next door but as it matured it came across the line to visit us. The cardinals love this bush in both winter and summer.
Our redbud tree isn't in a very good place in the yard to grow well. My husband cut it down once, but the stubborn thing immediately started shooting out a new trunk. We decided we should let it live.
My Father-in-Law created this windmill. He was a master welder and could make just about anything out of metal.
When I brought this pump home with me from a farm auction, it was attached to about a hundred feet of pipe. My husband thought I was nuts, but now we both like it. A coat of red paint and a concrete base liven up its retirement.
There are a number of violet patches around the yard. They usually pop up just a few days before the tulips bloom.
Thanks for taking a tour of part of our yard. Happy Spring to my friends in the Northern Hemisphere.
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Comments: 30
I just love those gourd birdhouses. Did you make those?
John - We saw gourd martin houses at Amish homes first, then I found this set on the web. The other gourd birdhouses around the yard are real gourds.
Marianne - Georgia makes up for not having many lilacs with so much that does grow there. Georgia is warm enough to have as perennials some that can only be annuals here.
Vickey - I think we'll be plant shopping next weekend. Our last frost date is May 9, but I'm going to try to sneak some in a couple of weeks early.
Andrea - The houses that are alone we made. We buy gourds in the fall at the pumpkin patches and cure them over the winter in the basement.
Roy - My husband keeps threatening to get out the bb gun and go after the starlings. They really are not very friendly critters.
Stephanie - There aren't many flowers that can compete with lilacs in the smell department. They'll probably be around for about two weeks. I wish they had a longer blooming season.
CC - My Grandma had lots of lilacs, too, and she had some in other colors like white and pink. They all smelled the same, though.
dark - Probably looks pretty familiar to you.
Susan - Thanks for coming along and letting my flowers show off a bit.
Now lilacs--goodness. That must mean it's Mother's Day in Hungary next Sunday. As usual, nothing prepared (though I'm off the hook until the Monday after, because the folks are off on their usual spring trip).
Here in the Southern Hemisphere we are well and truly into autumn, after a particularly scorching summer. We're grateful for the coolness and rain.
I love how you hung the gourds at different heights. They look amazing.
Yesterday my daughter and I were spent the afternoon together, shopping and dinner. Driving around our town we started to go up and down the side streets to see the beautiful front yards everyone has. Their were lilac bushes everywhere. We wanted to just jump out and run up and smell them.
Thank you so much.
Joy - Go to bed!
Penny - I remember the magnolias when we lived in Savannah - those would have to be a close second in the aroma department. I love the creamy petals, too, I can't help but touch them.
Magi - I'm glad you don't have such a tough winter, though. I bet you can still ride your bike through most of it with a couple of extra layers of clothes.
Bob - No, the old pump is not in operation, but it was working on a farm before I got it.
sharon - It seems like Spring got here overnight. When things decided to finally start popping, wow here they came.
Kris - Thanks. I was wanting to get out with my camera yesterday and then I thought, heck I don't have to go anywhere, I'll take some pictures right here.
Ron - Yes, it's finally here. Maybe we won't have to shovel any more snow for awhile. Snow Sucks, ya know.
The violet picture is fabulous!
The bush, though I can't be sure because of the photo effect, looks like a flowering quince.
Lovely yard.
Arlene,
Bainbridge Island flowers