Spring Has Sprung!

I’m so delighted that spring has arrived! I missed the greenery around here. Trees are what makes North Carolina so beautiful. I don’t think we can have enough of ’em.

I spent some time this winter replanting some trees and bushes. The azaleas that came from my grandmother’s yard by way of a long van ride were split up and moved from the backyard to the southern side of the house. They are now in the process of blooming, which really warms my heart. I’ll always think of Grandma when I see them.

I also obtained some hydrangeas from her yard which now are also at home on our southern side. In spite of looking a little shocked at being moved they are now greening up nicely.

We moved the apple tree from the front to the back to make room for our new redbud tree. I was worried that I didn’t get enough of the root ball to keep the apple tree alive but just like the others it is bursting out with leaves (and blossoms! Future apples, woot!) now. The apple tree should be more at home in the back as its now fenced in from its natural predators: hungry deer. Did I mention that the deer are really getting on my bad side?

The most fantastic result of spring is our crepe myrtle trees! They went in in early fall and soon looked overwhelmed. All winter long I thought for sure we had killed them. I ran to get Kelly when I saw the first leaves on them. All three have established themselves!

The crepe myrtles went in to replace the cherry trees we had near the street. We made the mistake of planting the cherry trees in midsummer two years ago, which doomed the already-stressed plants. What the move didn’t kill, the hordes of Japanese beetles finished off. The crepe myrtles should have a much easier time and provide some real character to our front yard.

Other projects on the list include adding more shade to the backyard. We still need some screening trees along our fence to hide the townhouses behind us. Also, adding an autumn blaze maple to our backyard should provide us with some reliable summertime shade and a breathtaking display of golden leaves in the fall.

We’re in the midst of shopping for a sunroom to replace our tiny deck, too. The stormwater creek in our neighbor’s yard is perpetually filled with water – making it Mosquito Breeding Ground Central. An unprotected deck holds no promise of keeping us safe from bites, so some sort of screened-in something is needed. If we can decide what to get there it will make the job of landscaping around it much easier.