This lilac was sold as 'double French white'. Not exactly... but fragrant none the less.
Branch of Lilac tree - more and more beautiful each year, but also more and more out of reach. Time for some pruning this year?
Annual Ning Charlie & Baigo under the cherry tree. Each year I think it might die. Each year it's magnificent.
Red dogwood. Candy tuft ground cover. Daffys almost done.
So far, so good. The little grafted fig tree has started to open its terminal bud. If it was DEAD that would not happen. Still not proof that the graft 'took', but also encouraging.
Hyacinths and daffodils are blooming. These hve been in place for 3 years. The hyacinths are multiplying, which I think is cool. In the past they just died out.
Forsythia. This is 4 years from the original, tiny 4inch cutting. The cutting had been salvaged from a piece that I found on the street while walking the dogs. It's on the north side of the house, so probably not as full as it could be.
First cherries to bloom. Pruned by the extreme "backyard orchard culture" method. If all of the flowers result in cherries, we'll have a lot.
Rhubarb, ready for a pie if I get the ambition.
Here's the end result of the tomato patch work. Afterwards, I was too tired and sore to move. It felt very good. The best of puttering meditation.
Very impressed this year, with this peach tree. I don't know if it will bear, but this is the most that it's bloomed. Covering with plastic for the winter, to prevent leaf curl, doesn't appear to have hurt anything. It will be a few weeks before we see if leaf curl sets in anyway.
Ready for the first batch of dumplings. Yum. This is backyard. The front yard, which is on the north side of the house, has a chive barrel that is barely getting started. Makes for a longer season. The in-ground chives are a mess - bermuda grass grew into the chives, and it's difficult to separate. I had to dig them up and pull out each grass section by hand. The barrels have a big advantage in keeping out most weeds, especially grasses.
Planted tomato seeds. This is about 2 weeks later than I planted in the past. I suspect that the ground temperature is more important than the 2 weeks wait to start seeds, so I don't anticipate any problem from the wait. I usually start too early. No time to buy new seeds, so most are from last year. Varieties: Old seeds, Supersweet100, Lemon Boy, Black from Tula, Better Boy. New seeds from the grocery store: Cherokee Purple, Gold Nugget. At least it's not like we came here in a covered wagon and if they don't grow, I don't get any. If they don't grow, I'll settle for buying some plants.
One of the apple grafts from my Dad's tree, probably red delicious. Too early to know if it 'took', but at least it hasn't dried out and turned black.
Some breba embryos on Lattarula. Keeping my fingers crossed that at last, this year, I'll get to taste some. last year I may have pruned too much, and only late crop developed; with the late Spring, I didn't get much of that. This year. I barely pruned, hoping for early (breba) crop.
Picture is today - The chickadees like to hang out in this quince bush, and individually head to the feeder for their seeds. They take turns politely.
Interesting - here, thought not to be difficult! Cool!
Close to how I cut scions, so I have some hope that's a good sign.
I grafted scions onto small rootstock. It could be that mature branches are needed. However, the intent is different. I'm not topworking a mature tree.
Here's a mature tree that resulted from topworking.
Title page from Gustav Eisen's book
I haven't seen this before. This illustration shows split view of cutting. The claim is that cutting should not be cut exposing the pith.
Various cutting methods.
Baigou is not the smartest dog around. Not Rin Tin Tin. Not Lassie. Not Benjy. Not Big Yeller. He has his qualities. I found him here, today, watching the washing machine. He can do that for cycle after cycle.
