Ferns and Forests: Catching up

Weeping Crab Apple

Spring has seemed so slow to come, and then suddenly. Two days in the 80's and everyone is singing. The forest went from light-green haze to the dense leaves of privacy. This weeping crab apple was in bud for at least a week, and yesterday she just gave up and let loose. Other things are happening, or being done, as well.

Weeping Crab blossoms

All of my transplants are now in the ground, though we are threatened with 39F tomorrow night. I'm a little worried, but I think they'll do fine as long as it doesn't frost. They may be insulted, but better that than dead. A healthy life philosophy when you think about it.

Also of note, I finally finished the base for the vase in the previous post. It's ok. Not my favorite, but I'll keep it as an example of the water-etching process. And it's huge, for when the time of the long stems comes on us. . . iris, day lilies. . .there are more.

Also. A big lesson learned. I've had trouble producing decent transplants indoors since we moved here. I finally had a head slap moment when I realized that germination was fine, they were just too leggy. Light! We need more and longer light! After telling John that I needed to get a plant light, HE did a head slap and remembered that we have one. We moved it with us from Rockridge, where the light was particularly stingy in the house. Voila. Just to be sure, I also bought some tomato transplants from our local Agway. To the left is a comparison of my plants on the left, and Agway's plants on the right. I need to start growing more of my own plants, clearly. They are all in the ground now, and we'll see if the smaller, commercially produced, plants catch up. I hope they do. Last year we had too little basil and too few tomatoes. Not acceptable. I'll forgo the potatoes and pumpkins to have an abundance of tomatoes and basil.

Also of note. My friend (Hi, Mary!) sent me this image of a tree. It looks like it must be two trees, but there is only a single trunk. I had no clue, being a pomologist by education, so of course I tried to find information online. I searched extension websites. I know the top was a spruce, but the bottom? Then. I somehow managed to upload the image into an AI platform (no idea how I did this. . .I usually just punch random buttons and see where it takes me), and Darned if AI didn't have the exact right answer. It was a Dwarf Alberta Spruce that had reverted to the original phenotype. Most of me is appalled that AI figured it out before this human with 15 years of education and that much experience didn't, but the other part of me sees the power in it for the first time. To be fair, I had to know enough about how reversion works to know that it was the correct answer, but still. Amazing.

I'll post some images of the garden now. I've blathered on enough!