This week in the garden - #52

Well, this has been a busy week! Busy with just about everything except gardening, as it turns out. I spent very little time in the garden this week.

I have some excuse because the weather was inclement on several days. We got rain again, about an inch overall. The garden is well-watered and is showing its appreciation. Plants are popping out of the ground all over the place. Of course, a lot of them are weeds...

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As our early spring continues, I'm seriously considering putting some vegetable plants out in the garden next week. My tomatoes, tomatillos, and pepper plants have just about outgrown their places under the grow lights. Tomorrow, I'm thinking I'll move them to bigger pots and put them in protected places outside to harden off for a few days. That way, I can easily protect them if it does turn chilly again.

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The trees certainly have decided that spring is here.

The red oak tree in the front yard has put on its spring dress.

But underneath the tree, some winter-flowering plants like these pansies are still in bloom.

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Several years ago, the Carolina Jessamine vine in the backyard liberated itself from the fence where it grew and started climbing the nearby magnolia tree. Over the years, it moved up the tree until, now, it has reached the top. And that is how it came to be that this magnolia tree now "blooms" twice.

In January and February, the top of the tree is completely covered in these bell-shaped, sweet-smelling yellow blossoms. Then, in May and June, the iconic creamy white blossoms burst open all over the big tree. Two types of blooms for the price of one, so to speak.

There's even a third set of blooms.

When the Jessamine is in bloom and we have rain or wind as we did this week, a shower of yellow blossoms blanket the ground in a wide circle around the tree, making it appear that the grass itself is blooming.

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This was the week that we were supposed to get our new patio installed, but as it often does, life intervened and we had to postpone the work. Maybe next week.

I hope that life has not interfered with your best-laid plans this week and that your garden, sans weeds, is flourishing!