DAVIDIA BLOOMS AFTER 18 YEAR WAIT

my brother's davidia bloomed after an 18 year wait. my brother writes:

"1n 1995, I was given a 2 year old seedling of Davidia by a friend.  Davidia is a very rare tree, and it is famous for taking up to 20 years to bloom.  Every year for the past 18 years I've been looking in vain for buds and flowers.  I looked just this week.  It's been a running gag that I won't let us even think about moving until the dang thing has bloomed.

Today I was showing another friend around the garden, and he remarked "Oh, your Davidia is in bloom."  WHAHOOOO! " 

above is a long-established davidia at the arnold arboretum

my brother's tree with it's 4 flowers, above, and below...

(brother lives and gardens in massachusetts)

HAPPY MOTHER'S MAY

a wonderful time for flowers! 

the center of the potager a few weeks ago... since then i have removed the dwarf albert spruces and put tomatoes in... the narcissus put on a tremendous display and are done, now the clematis are blooming...

magnolia 'daybreak'

in the woodland garden, omphalodes' little faces are smiling...

epimedium 'bandit'n (imo still not big enough that i can divide)

fothergillia... doing better now that neighbor's got rid of a tree...

dependable camassia

this purple akebia vine is trying to kill my cherry tree and take over the entire house!

the white akebia is no less vigorous! it climbs onto the deck...

1st harvest - baby lettuces

we finally had some nice rain after a bone-dry april

tree peony... so beautiful, but the flowers only last a few days

in the center you'll find a cardinal... i was so excited to see it in the redbud while i had my camera with me - but i had my macro lens!!! so that's why this photo is sub-optimal (aka crummy)...

close up of the redbud...

purple fringe tulip... i never tire of these...

COOL, CALM APRIL

camellia 'april dawn' was frost burned this spring

but still put on quite a show...

magnolia 'leonard messel' had its most floriferous year...

i don't take photos of it because the neighbor's house behind it is the wrong blue...

various daffs from the garden...

magnolia 'ruby' on the left, still showing storm damage from 2  years ago, cherry on the right...

ruby has spectacular large flowers...

the potager... gearing up... camellia on the left, dwarf peach on the far left... i'm about to move the dwarf alberta spruces into the pots (the larger spruces went to good families...) i'm going to put tomatoes in the center this year.

dwarf peach...

survivor! a lone tulip has escaped the hungry deer...

colton before his spring shearing...

colton & luna after colton's shearing...

a buckeye from my brother... who sent me bunches of plants this spring! thanks, bro!

orange clivia my sister gave me, with yellow clivia my brother gave me & orange star my mother gave me in the background...

MARCH MADNESS

whippet thinks i'm crazy

but it's that time of year... the time my back hates the most... before...

and after...

still so much to do... here's this year's pansy

trying out the new macro... hub's car was behind this shot, hence the  yellow...

pieris is so reliable...

viburnum blooming now....

the first daffs...

orange star plant my mother brought today for easter...

we finally caged the woodland garden, hostas will stay in...

SUGAR FROSTED GARDEN

colder than normal this march... snow-frosted dwarf iris...

lichen on bench

hammamelis "diane" still glowing strong...

whippet egg...

poodle walking on the walls (taken by my daughter)...

MARCH BLOOMS IN SNOW

haven't seen these species crocus blooming in the snow... maybe because usually the deer eat them...

witch hazel 'diane' against the intense sky today

potager sleeps under its blanket

colton went to the groomer today...

what does the crazy human want?

i'm fluffy...

luna is not impressed...