Vegetable Garden Update

Even with all of the rain and cool temperatures, my radish continue to thrive. They seem to be growing one new set of leaves a week. While the birds are pulling off a leaf or two, here and there, they aren't doing any major damage.

The two rows of "Rudolf" Radish are starting to show the beginnings of round roots.

Inside the protective remay cover, the lettuce are staging a strong comeback.

While it's not exactly time to start washing out the salad bowl, they are at least starting to resemble lettuce plants! And the onions keep plugging away as well. The birds are nibbling quite a bit at the tender green shoots, but fortunately the plants are growing at a faster rate. You can already tell that the young "Red Bull" onion pictured below will grow into a beautiful Red Onion.

The Crab Apple and Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day today and that means it is the "Royal Rainsdrops" Crab Apple's 2nd birthday of sorts. It was Mother's Day two years ago that I bought the tree and planted it for my Mom. That first year, when we brought it home in the back of the pickup, at least 50% of the blooms blew off during the windy ride home. Last year, after it's first full year of being planted, it put on an amazing show. Every branch was completely covered in hot pink blooms. This year, unfortunately, has been a very different story.

As you can see, we didn't exactly have a profusion of blooms this year. I think maybe only 1/6th of the branches have blooms. Since this cultivar of Crab Apple is know for its mass display of color, I am guessing that something went wrong earlier in the year. Perhaps we experienced a cold night right as the tree was setting its buds. Whatever the reason, my fingers are crossed that this is just a one-time experience. And those small areas of the tree that are in full bloom are still just amazingly beautiful.

Today's Purchase

Today I attended the annual Oregon Plant Fair. The rain did stay away, but the day was cold and cloudy. As always, my favorite vendor was Log House Plants. This year their tent was a bit smaller than past years, so there was less to tempt me than normal. I was also trying hard to keep in mind that with this cold Spring we are having, it is still way too early to be purchasing heat lovers like tomatoes. However, I was still attacked by the Morning Glories. Fortunately, they only brought 2 of the 15 varieties list on the Log House Web Site. I picked up "Sunrise Serenade" and "Split Personality".  Once the weather warms up for good, I will have to make a run down to Cottage Grove to add some more to my stash.

Shooting Star

hendersonii – Henderson’s Shooting Star

I took this picture while on a walk last Sunday. Our neighbor's Shooting Stars, Dodecatheon Hendersonii, are in full bloom right now. They are growing in a bit more sun than the Shooting Stars on our property. Because of this, they tend to bloom a week or two earlier. This large plant had 5 blooms opened on the stem with another three still unopened. They are such neat wildflowers.

Look Who's back today...Finally!

After much waiting and wondering, our Barn Swallows returned today! The Violet-Green Swallows have been back for weeks now, but we hadn't seen a single Barn Swallow. Finally today, a pair returned. They have been busy looking at last years nest and re-visiting favorite roosting spots. I wonder if this is last year's parents, or some of last year's babies, now grown and returned. Either way, it is wonderful to have them back. Now all we are missing are the Grosbeaks.

May Day

The first day of May brought us sunshine and a clear blue sky. The weather man had promised us the first 70 degree day of the year, but we ended up only hitting 64. None the less, it was a wonderful day to be outside. We got up and traveled to 3 different nurseries. I picked up some supplies to help get me started with my flower seed planting. When we got home I removed the hoop and remay from my radish bed and put it over the lettuce bed. The birds have pecked and eaten the baby lettuce and the plants are barely alive. The radish however, under the protective cover, have really flourished. They have grown their first set of true leaves this past week. I think that they are now big enough that the birds won't be able to pull them out of the ground.

White in a Green World

As the outdoor world turns more green every day, the "wild" cherry trees have come into full bloom. They are such a pretty splash of clean white against the intense palate of green.

It's Lamb's Tongue Showtime

How's this for one amazing looking Lamb's Tongue? This huge plant is growing up on the bank by the house, nestled just next to a young Doug Fir Tree. I have watched it for at least the last 3 years and covered it with a cage so that the deer couldn't eat it. Each year it has rewarded me with an increasingly larger specimen. Last year I was pleased because it had two blooms on one stem. But his year - WOW! A triple bloom on a stem the size of a pencil. As you can see below, the blooms on this plant are just at peak perfection right now.

The best display of Lamb's tongues in our area is about 1/2 a mile away in a neighbors front yard. There they are colonized and have happily spread in a semi-shaded area.

It is literally plant after plant after plant sprung up from the earth.

We have a much smaller version of this show, down the secret path, next to the creek. Here in the dense shade we have a nice little section with 20-30 plants blooming right now. Lamb's Tongue are truly one of the joys of Spring in this part of Oregon.

Crab Apple Buds

Since the weather has been so rainy and cold this Spring, I haven't paid as much close attention to some plants as I have in past years. It just isn't too much fun to walk around in the pouring rain and wind! We did have a fairly nice day today, so I was able to take a quick walk before dinner. I went up to the "Royal Raindrops" Crab Apple on the bank and discovered that it is getting ready to bloom! It has quietly covered itself with these tiny bud clusters over the past few weeks. We are suppose to have our first 70 degree day of the year this Sunday. That might be just what it takes to get these buds to open and start the show.