Christmas Notebook

When I mow, I usually take my camera with me. Especially in the spring when everything is fresh and new and exciting. I took all but the first of these pictures from my mower yesterday. 🙂

As I left the back door, I stopped to take a picture of the Poet’s daffodils in the little rock garden by the kitchen. These daffs came from the farm where DH grew up.

Now I’m on the mower and rounding the front of the east yard. A wonderful scent wafts across the yard from the Judd viburnum. We bought this shrub after discovering it in the Missouri Botanical Gardens one spring.

On the west side of the front yard, the flowering quince is in full bloom. We brought this shrub from our previous home. I always think of it as DD#2’s shrub as she always claimed it at the other house.

Under the oak tree on the west side of the front yard, the bluebells are blooming. The small yellow plants around the bluebells have sprung up from seeds from the hedgerow viburnum. I think it’s a Viburnum tinus, but the hedge was planted by the previous owner and I am not sure of the variety. The new plants come up a pretty yellow, but as they mature, they turn a dark green. We will pull those out, or pot them up for the plant sale, or give them away…not sure which road we’ll go down. This particular viburnum grows quickly into a large shrub, and makes an excellent screen. The white flowers in spring draw lots of bees and butterflies and give way to blue-black berries. I’ve watched cedar waxwings eating the berries in March. A catbird used to makes its nest in the shrub each year. A great plant for wildlife. But back to the bluebells…

When the west side of the front yard is done, I mow the center of the driveway, then I go back to the east side of the yard and mow the little bit of yard that sits on the north side of the fenced garden.

The Poet’s daffodils are beautiful right now.

And under the redbud tree, the hostas are emerging. This one is a beautiful plant named ‘Summer Music.’

The dogwood blossoms are open, but are a day or two from turning white.

Now the front yard is done (that took about 40 minutes, not counting photo ops), and we can move to the back yard which, for the purposes of mowing, I divide into the “back yard” and the “woods.” On my way to the woods, where I mow the paths and around the burn pile, I pass the pawpaw tree. We moved this tree from the woods on DH’s family farm. The flowers are not fully open yet.

The leatherleaf viburnum, which is going to be loaded with flowers this year, is looking great. Just beginning to blossom.

In the woods, the Spring Beauties are poking through the leaf litter.

They’re one of my favorite spring flowers.

And under the old black cherry tree in the far corner of the yard, the bluebells are swinging in the breeze.

Now the woods is finished and we’ll mow the back yard. These little violets, named ‘Freckles,’ were here when we bought the house. They grow under the big Southern Oak, just behind the kitchen.

Under the apple trees, the Sweet William and violets are growing with abandon.

Mowing the back yard / woods takes another 40 minutes and now it’s time to put the mower away. Coming around the garage, I stop one last time to catch a shot of the fenced garden from the south.

I love the beautiful variety of blooms and blossoms in springtime. I hope you’ve enjoyed them, too.

~~Rhonda