Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Celebrating Spring





We’re so pleased with our new yard! We like the house, too, but the yard is spectacular. When I looked at the house in October, and again in December for the closing, I thought it was a mess. The fact that the lot backs up to some woods, and the fact that the street is not a through street and is a good one for walking outweighed the fact that the yard would have to be gutted and redone. But wait!



First, a host of golden daffodils sprang up. A host in the front yard, another host in the back yard, and several on the side of the house. I had to leave for a month, but some were still blooming when I got back.






Next, an ugly, black, mold-ridden stunted gnarly tree (I know, too many adjectives) burst into brilliant flaming flowers.




I think the tulips may have been next. They bloomed one color at a time. First red, then yellow, then white. Eventually some pink ones appeared also.



Violets sprang up all over the yard.




Another ugly tree that I thought we’d have to take down became a splendid weeping cherry, a tree I had never heard of, but which abounds in Eastern Tennessee.




For sure, we would have to take down this horrible huge stump in the back. 


Until…bluebirds started nesting there.




As an aside, a forsythia (one of several) and a crabapple (I think) joined in the blossom fest. In the gnarly tree picture above you can see the sun room and the screened-in porch beside it. Those are our vantage points, depending on the temperature. Lovely!




10 comments:

  1. You mean out of perceived evil and ugliness came beauty and goodness? Sounds like a good story idea.
    Seriously, your yard is lovely. Nature just kept giving you unexpected presents every day. Who knows, there might be more in store.

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  2. Oh, is that it? Yes, that's what I meant to say. I'm just glad we didn't chop all the pretty things down, and didn't get rid of the bluebirds' home.

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  3. The ugly unidentified one might be a redbud tree - a bit hard to tell at a distance.

    The flowers of spring are always a great surprise when they return. I also love the different shades of green nature puts out before the bugs start eating the leaves.

    And then there are the migrant birds returning...

    ~ Jim

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  4. Jim, you ought to come visit. We have a yellow warbler, rufous-sided towhees, a cuckoo, and a bald eagle. And some others that I can't identify yet. The blossoms on the ugly tree were too big for red bud. A neighbor has a larger version of the same tree. Some day I might knock on the door and ask what it is.

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  5. Ah, the beautiful surprises of spring.

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  6. Especially in a new house and yard, LD. It's really fun!

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  7. I hope whoever buys our house when we are ready to move finds as much fun in our yard as you did. Around D. C. there are a lot of weeping cherry trees. My favorite is Korean Spice Vibernum. It flowers in early May, and the fragrance is awesome!

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  8. If we feel the need to plant something, I'll look for that, E.B. Sounds lovely!

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  9. Your yard looks lovely. Where I live everything dies back in winter and then, around mid-May emerges in a riot of color and smells as though on steroids. I look forward to the return of the wild life with all their babies. Glad you kept the ugly stump of a tree.

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  10. Yes, it was lucky we kept that! I think the fledglings have fled since it's very quiet there now. But it was fun watching those gorgeous bluebirds flit in and out.

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