"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Friday, April 23, 2010

Up high and down low - Fertilizer Friday.

I love this time of year, I look up I see flowers and I look down and I see flowers! And of course everywhere in between has flowers or buds that are very close to blooming. But, one plant I've been anxiously waiting to see bloom is my Lilac. I've been patiently driving past many houses in town admiring their Lilacs and trying not to feel too jealous. I wonder if some of the homeowners even pay attention to them. Are they going out and smelling them? Cutting fresh bouquets of them? Well, my patience has begun to pay off...my Lilac finally is deciding to bloom.


Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) 'Ludwig Spaeth' is a beautiful deep purple and it sure has been worth waiting for. I am so lucky that it decided to bloom on some lower branches this year which makes it much easier to smell. I even saw blooms on the lower back which will be perfect to cut and bring inside.

And also blooming up high is the Pink Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida). It's at it's peak right now. The windows at the front of the house look right out at it, and I find myself stopping and looking out frequently. It definitely has some years that bloom better than others, and this is a great year for it.

I just love those flowers!

At the base of the tree is Deutzia 'Pink Minor' which I showed about a week ago. It looks just perfect with the Dogwood, the flower colors are almost exactly the same.

The Iris from my sister's yard are getting flowers. Last year I just had a couple, this year I see quite a few buds coming up. I wasn't even sure when Irises bloomed here because I hadn't grown them before.

Saxifraga 'London Pride' has blooms! Linda brought me this when she came to visit. This is the neatest plant, I love the variegated leaves.

And over in the raised beds in our side yard up high the Fig tree 'Desert King' is leafing out and producing it's first crop of fruit which is called the breba crop. The breba crop grows on last years growth in the Spring. Another crop will grow later in the summer. 'Desert King' is a variety known to do well in the Pacific Northwest.

Down at the Figs feet are strawberries. This combination seems to do very well. The strawberries have lots of time to fruit before the leaves of the fig are fully leafed out.

Speaking of fruit the Meyer lemon tree which has been growing inside all winter in a pot has now moved back outside. That one little lemon is still growing (the Littlest Gardener's hand gives an idea of the size) and I'm guarding it with my life ☺

Fertilizer Friday is hosted each Friday by Tootsie at Tootsie Time. Visit her to join in or see who else is "flaunting their flowers."
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46 comments:

  1. Ludwig Spaethe is one of my absolute favorite lilacs... it only improves over the years! Larry

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  2. Everything looks beautiful. Gotta love Spring!

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  3. That dogwood is UNREAL!!! jealous!

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  4. I was initially going to exclaim 'oh your lilac!', but then I saw your Dogwood, and my jaw dropped. It's so beautiful. I'm sitting here with some serious Dogwood envy. I must find somewhere than I can plant one out of harms way here. As an understory tree, it should perform well as we have many mature and tall trees here...but the deer...oh the deer. Ok, I have to look at your Dogwood photo again...have a great weekend!

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  5. Everything is lovely, Catherine;-) It's just like a wonderland right now, isn't it!? I enjoyed skimming through some of your previous posts as well...you have some terrific plants and photos, as always!

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  6. We don't have Dogwood trees where I live. I think they are so beautiful.

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  7. Hi again Catherine,
    wow what wonderful photos. I feel quite on holiday as I look out on my dreary wet day. Thank-you :-D

    I know how you feel there about being desperate to see a plant like your lilac come into bloom. I am the same every year with my wisteria now that it has started yielding flowers… I waited eight years.

    I love that lilac flower you have. Now… if mine had been like that many years ago (Blushing a tad here) they wouldn’t be in my Mum’s garden right now ;-)

    Ah… that London Pride will give you lots of pleasure. I lifted and divided mine many times and have great rivers of it around my garden. It is brilliant when it is in flower.

    Sorry, haven’t chatted here in a while. Wishing you a great weekend :-D

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  8. Catherine, this certainly is a fragrant time of year with all the lilacs blooming.

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  9. Hi, Catherine.
    Your Pink Flowering Dogwood is fantastic.
    I do not know at all, this tree. And to see it, on your picture, I have been obliged to stop and to watch. It is so beautiful.

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  10. The dogwood is fantastic. Apparently, everyone else agrees.

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  11. Catherine, the fig tree is lovely. I also have some Meyer lemons growing (quite a few, actually).

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  12. That's it. I'm moving to the Pacific Northwest. Your garden is spectacular. Love all. Great Coral Bells. Please, send some rain our way to I can play along next Friday. Dry as a bone here...

    Have a great weekend in your flowers,
    Kate - The Garden Bell

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  13. Simply beautiful. That dogwood is to die for!

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  14. Beautiful lilac photo!!!! Love the little lemon too.

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  15. Just like Shirl down the road from me - its been a wet day here today but to see your Cornus Florida in full bloom has got me ever so excited. Can I have it transplanted - shipped and planted in my garden lol

    I've never made a request like that before and probably cornus flowering trees are very popular but where I live I never see anything like this - I just love it.

    Thanks for sharing Catherine. The rest of your blooms are lovely too - but I think you can guess my favourite.

    Have a great weekend.

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  16. Dang I think I forgot to click something and lost my comment.
    OK love your Dogwood tree, the curved striped petals are so delicate and pretty. Love the color of your Lilac too. Gorgeous. I hope my Deutzia is the same as yours - they said it would have some pink but for now it's very faint. Maybe it will get darker with age.
    So glad you like London Pride. It has such a neat little tiny colorful bloom. And it never even changes looks through the winter.

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  17. Your photos, and your flowers, are just spectacular, Catherine! Have a great weekend!
    Beth

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  18. Are you going to frame your dogwood photo? Just beautiful! Love the photo of your little gardener's hands... Mine were dirtier the other day! ;-)

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  19. Oh my, just look at those gorgeous Dogwood blooms. Wow!
    Your darker purple lilacs are prettier than my lighter colored ones. I hope your is putting off a wonderful fragrance. I saw a few Iris buds today on my irises that I moved to the woods bed.I did not figure any of them would bloom this year but they must have liked that dividing up.
    Look at those little lemons. That little bee did a good job of pollinating with her little brush. LOL!
    Have a wonderful weekend.
    Lona

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  20. you ask me, - It looks delicious! Is this like Avgolemono? (spelling is probably wrong).
    yes, it is and your spelling is very good.

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  21. I bow to your picture taking skills...darn you're good !
    Think I want to be in zone 8a...sooo much is bloomimg. Love the lilac and dogwood flowers.
    The fig is sorta interesting,wonder if it taste good.

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  22. Lilacs! You're so lucky. When I go outside and bend down to smell a flower, I bend down over and over. As though my mind is playing tricks on me. Or I'm too lucky to have such a delicious scent so close at hand!
    Brenda

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  23. So jealous of the lilacs! :D That's the cultivar I would grow if I could.

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  24. My dogwood will never look like yours, jealous! I have one tree in my back garden, a Pagoda Dogwood, looks good this year, can't wait until it blooms.

    Eileen

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  25. Catherine,
    Jealous of that Meyer lemon! Wish Meg would trash some of here hideously over grown house plants so we could have a few lemon trees in the house during winter. That lilac is beautiful as is the pink dogwood.

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  26. I especially love your birds.

    And the pink flowering Dogwood is amazing!

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  27. Your flowers are truly amazing - what brilliant colors already - love ssing the buds too! Thanks for sharing, Paula in Idaho

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  28. Your dogwood has amazing color! Delightful! Looks like you got some great pics this week and enjoyed our sunshine! I love that you use the strawberries as ground cover underneath the fig, very clever!

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  29. Beautiful post!! Your dogwood is AMAZING! I know what you mean about secretly being jealous of other peoples plants, I have seen tulips in FULL BLOOM around town, I haven't even had daffs yet and my tulips are still weeks away...

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  30. Hi Catherine! Love your dogwood and lilacs! Really pretty! But I'm all about the fruit harvest so I'm digging your fig, berries and lemon. BRAVO!!!!

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  31. Lilacs, dogwoods, deutzias--oh my! What a colorful spring display with all your beauties.

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  32. I'm a big, big fan of lilacs and I am in luv with the deep purple color of yours. Lilacs are very common around here and like you, I sometimes think people don't even notice them. A pity.

    Continue to guard that little lemon with your life and keep sharing its progress with us.

    Can't say that I've ever seen a prettier flowering dogwood than yours. Are you sure you didn't go to the botantical garden and snap the picture? Kidding, of course.

    donna

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  33. It's a good time to remember to look up as well as down! Your garden is looking so very lovely~ and it's my understanding that meyer lemons taste better then the usual grocery store ones! I would protect it, too...Love the gorgeous pink dogwood...gail

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  34. Oh, how wonderful to be able to grow lilacs. I can almost smell the fragrance of yours :-)

    Equally exciting is your lemon. What will you do with it once it ripens?

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  35. Catherine girl ! I could almost smell that lilac : ) it is gorgeous ! .. but a HUGE WOW on that pink Dogwood .. it is stunning .. I only wish it was assured zone tolerance for here, it was on my wish list but I just couldn't take the chance it would die on me .. I get so darn attached to some plants it is weird ? LOL
    I just noticed your Mardi Gras Double hellebore on the side bar .. now that is another one I want too !
    Thank you for your response on my post (as well as Nancy's post) I just wish Blotanical could be stress free ? LOL
    Joy : )

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  36. My Mom JUST bought a pink dogwood! Yours is absolutley gorgeous!!!!! I can't wait to see hers get that big! Pictures don't do them justice! They are gorgeous in person! I can't wait to see the irises. I noticed I have several more about to bloom. It has rained here all day today, and it was badly needed. I hope to get out in the garden tomorrow, but atleast I got a lot of house work done today ;-)

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  37. I love the purple color of your lilac. It's beautiful. And the Flowering Dogwood is just spectacular. We have white ones here, including a couple of wild ones, but no pink ones. I love your Deutzia too.

    You may get the lemon but I think the Littlest Gardener has her eye on the figs! :)

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  38. That dogwood is specacular! and I just adore the scent of lilac. I am jealous if you actually get figs mature on your tree. I have several fig trees and the figs just drop off! Even the current seasons figs just developing now will drop off and never mature!

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  39. Seeing your Meyer Lemon, reminds me of the Lemon trees (yes, there were four) that I saw over at my friends' grandmother's home in a peaceful town away from our busy city this weekend. It was a beautiful place with plants growing crazily, unfortunately the garden is left in neglect but still they bloom and fruit in abundance! My friend says that lemon tastes sweet instead of the normal tangy flavor! Impressed, I picked three ripe fruits and to taste 'em - yet to do it - they wait in my fridge now.
    Whoa! The strawberry blooms look sweet and I wish they all ripe into fleshy and tasty fruits!
    Dogwood - looks fantastic and so do the others!

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  40. I'd spend all my time looking out the window too. Gorgeous!

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  41. That dogwood is amazing!!! We can't grow them here. Do they have fragrance? Just lovely - all the pictures

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  42. If that dogwood was blooming in my yard I'd probably never look down!

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  43. Looks so pretty in your area...we are past this and now marching on to all the annuals blooming.

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  44. Catherine, everything is so beautiful, and it's wonderful to see it all in bloom.

    Jen

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  45. oh my! if I was there I'd never go inside! Your garden is gorgeous!!! that tree...the blooms all over ...I am so impressed and jealous that I am almost speechless...ALMOST...haha
    thanks for linking in this week. I am sorry it took so long to get over here and see...I just can't seem to get to the end of the busy around here these days! I do hope you will link in again...I have enjoyed my visit!

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  46. Love the pic of the meyer lemon! What struck me the most was how you took the pic in your pink bath robe and chipped nail polish (a true gardener blogger!).... Exactly like I would except I've got the pink slippers too! LOL My neighbors think I'm nuts! :)

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