New Oak Leaf Hydrangeas

 Now that the weather is warning, our Elephant Ears that we left in the ground over the winter are coming up fast.  This spring we planted some Oak Leaf Hydrangeas that we grew from cuttings off our Hydrangeas on the other side of the yard.  In the first picture just to the right of the ears, you can see the tiny Oak Leaf we started last fall.  In the second picture to the right is a larger Oak Leaf we have been growing in a pot for two years. If these plants live and take after their parents, they'll be large and beautiful in a few years.

Louisiana Iris Volunteer

 We were please to see some Louisiana Iris blooms in the frog pond where we never planted them.  So how did they get from the large pond to the frog pond.  I'm not sure how they propagate but according to the web, you can split the rhizome or grow from seed.  My guess is the seed got to the frog pond and the plants developed from the seed.  We didn't even have to help it along - it was all Mother Nature.

Croton Plants Move Outside

 With the weather finally getting warm enough, our two giant Croton plants finally move outside.  Cold weather can devastate these plants that we originally bought in 5 inch pots.  They are now five feet tall.  Once we made the mistake of not moving them inside early enough and they lost all of their leaves and one lost a large stem.  Since then we've error-ed on the side of caution. 

Sunflower Garden

 After last year's Sunflower fun, we decided to have a Sunflower garden again this year.  The garden got a head start with a volunteer from last year that is already a foot tall.  The new ones are about an inch tall with some Cucumbers mixed in.  Meanwhile our Chocolate Mimosa in the front yard is starting to leaf out.  It is late in pushing out the leaves.  This poor tree had a rough start with the Deer eating it and the squirrels climbing on it breaking off the top two feet.  As with other plants, we fenced it after that start to give it a chance to get established. 

Black Magic Elephant Ears

 It is finally warm enough to bring out the Black Magic and Mexican Petunias.  They've been lounging in the greenhouse all winter waiting for the warmth so they can go back to the pond.  We let the Black Magic completely dry out over winter but you can see even with no water, several are sending up small leaves.  The Petunias are watered all year so they retain their green leaves.  Now that these plants are in the pond, we expect them to flourish and provide a beautiful display.

Front Yard Remodeling Continues

 The front yard remodeling continues prompted by the removal of the giant Beech tree a few months ago.  In the past couple of weeks we added two Black Lace Elderberry bushes and a Paw Paw tree. The bushes have started to bloom with a bunch of small flowers.  Since we bought the Paw Paw tree that is native to the area we were surprised to find a number of these trees in the woods behind our house.  The Paw Paw trees in the woods don't look like the pictures we found on line perhaps because of too much shade.  We'll see if the new one in the front grows up and looks different.  The mature tree is supposed to get an edible fruit.  Although these new plants are deer resistant, we fenced them to give a chance to get established.

Bright Red Rhododendron Hedge

 This year our Rhododendron hedge is about two weeks later than last year.  We've had a long cool spring that pushed all the flower back just a little.  Last year the display was great but I think it's even better this year.  The plants are growing taller and wider each year so I'll have to move the green fence I put up to protect them from the deer.  This will be the third time since since we planted them that I've had to move the fence to allow more room for the plants as they expand.

Requiem for a Pineapple

Sad news to report.  Our prize pineapple is dying.  We first noticed this pineapple last September and we moved it inside in October to protect it from the coming winter weather.  It continued to grow nicely and we had high hopes that we'd be able to harvest a home grown pineapple but alas two weeks ago some white mold or fungus appeared on it's skin.  Soon after the fruit was deteriorating and sagging so I think it is rotting from the inside.  We plan to cut the top and plant it.  Maybe it will grow into a nice pineapple plant.

Beautiful Rhododendron

 Two weeks ago a bunch of Azalea bushes in the front yard came into full bloom.  This week a Rhododendron next to the Azaleas opened beautiful blooms. The two different flower colors appear to be on the same bush.  The closeup shows how striking the white flowers are with the splash of pink on the top petals.  Pretty interesting that the splash of pink is on the top petals and not spread on some of the lower petals.  The darker flowers also have a splash of darker color on the top petals though it is hard to see in these pictures.

Pink Lady Slippers Pop Up

 One of the great surprises of spring are the Pink Lady Slipper wildflowers that appear on one side of the yard.  They are so unique and delicate. As the picture shows, they pop up in heavily leaved area.  The triple plants have come back for a number of years.  The single is about 20 feet away deeper in the woods.  The single had several other nearby plants but this year it is all alone.  Other than these four, I have found one other plant about 50 feet away.