Budding Excitement

Dutchman's Breeches, Dicentra cucullaria



Grape Hyacinth



Trout lily, Erythronium 'Pagoda'



Trailing arbutus, Epigea repens


There's a lot of excitement in the garden. Plants are really beginning to bud. We are thrilled to see them all, but the buds on the trailing arbutus are especially exciting. We watch with great anticipation, waiting for the flowers and fragrance to come.

We have been having lots of rain and the day is chilly. Plants have begun to arrive on our doorstep. Ed is working hard to keep up. Yesterday he planted the onions in spite of the rain. So far today he has planted the new 'Sparkle" strawberries and is working on the hole for the Magnolia soulangiana. We have chosen a protected spot near the house, sheltered from the north wind by the Norway spruce. We hope it is out of the downhill frost flow. This Magnolia is a zone 5-8 plant, and although we would like to think we in zone 5, we are definitely in zone 4. Sometimes when you really love a particular plant, you just have to push the envelope a little.

Hiding In Plain Sight

When we first moved here , I was delighted to discover trailing arbutus. I recognized the aroma immediately and searched until I found the plants. I got right down on the ground to get a good whiff of its lovely perfume. For several years we have been unable to find any sign of the trailing arbutus plants. Yesterday afternoon Ed was hacking back the growth along the lane to the gravel bank.  Japanese honeysuckle and briers have been making the opening smaller with every passing year. Just picture the growth around Sleeping Beauty's castle. For Ed to drive his new truck to the gravel bank a reopening was necessary.  As I walked down the newly reopened road way admiring his work, something green  peeking out from under the leaf litter  caught my eye . Hallelujah, It was trailing arbutus!

  

There it is, growing right at the base of a small spruce tree. In truth the plant never moved. It was hidden right there all the time. We couldn't find it because the area around it had become overgrown. We were simply looking for it in the wrong place.

You can be very sure I won't lose track of this plant's location again. I don't want to miss my chance to experience the fabulous fragrance of this plant's spring flowers. It is sometimes called Mayflower after the month in which it ususally blooms.  A walk to the gravel bank every day will be good for me, and if those fragrant flowers make an appearance I won't miss them again!