April 1, 2018 yard tour

Today was the kind of spring day that drags you outside, no matter what your plans might have been.  It was a good chance to visit the plants and see who is peeking out of the ground or popping out the tip of a stem.  There's a lot going on out there!

The elders are just beginning to push tiny leaves.  In another couple of weeks, there will be regular sized leaves.

Carnelian cherry blossoms!  They bloom early, and sometimes a cold snap cuts back on the fruit harvest.  They are a variety of dogwood.  The cherries are smallish and oval shaped, and delicious.

Catnip is very common here.  Look how lush this is!

Last year the cleavers were INSANE.  They climbed over the fence and up the trees.  From the looks of things, they have similar plans for this year.  They did make weeding easy, though.

Heal-all is just starting to poke tiny leaves out.  I'm anxious to see if it's spreading.  That's the plan, but for some reason it acts a little timid here, even though we really encourage most weeds.

Douglas fir cones blow off the trees in the spring storms and they have lots of resin on them.  On chilly days, it's pleasant to gather.  When it's warm, it's much stickier.

Lemon balm is finally spreading around the garden.  Don't laugh!  I've probably planted it 4 times with no success.  Molly planted it once, and now it's got a nice 2 foot patch going.

This maple tree... I love her.  She shades the deck in summer, and shines yellows and greens into the kitchen in the morning.  Today, I patted her as I walked by, and before I knew it, she had me hugging her.  If you've never hugged a tree, you should try it.  Choose one that is comfortable to hug.  See if it doesn't feel good.  Bet it will.

Nettles and chickweed along the side of the house.  The nettles are going to need to be controlled, or just constantly kept after, even though I love them as a vegetable and tea ingredient.  The chickweed is just the carpet here.

There's a small orchard beside the house, and I think this is the plum tree.  Last year was the first year we got peaches, and it looks like there might be some plums this year.  There are blooms on some of the apple trees, too.

This guy was hanging out beside the fence post while I was pruning a cherry tree this morning.  He looks a little cantankerous to me, so I didn't touch.

The witch hazel had a tough time getting started.  A groundhog ate it to the ground every fall, but finally the roots were big enough to outgrow the whistle pig.  Now it puts on a show for months on end.

Tiny black currant leaves.  This is one prolific fruit plant.  It surprises me every year.

Finally, the sun sets over the hill.  Another beautiful day showing us a glimpse of what is to come.
Of course it does appear that we'll have snow in the morning...