April 23 – Lilacs Aren’t Azaleas, But Who Cares!
The lilacs are purpling the yard, giving us bragging rights that should quiet down any southerner spouting off about their azaleas. We don’t do azaleas here very well because of our high pH numbers. Perusing the catalog pages and pages of rhodies and azaleas can put you in a bit of a pout, but when the season arrives, and the lilacs, crabs, redbuds and snowball bushes come into bloom, we kind of forget the colorful pages of the books and gloat about our own blessings. That is as it should be.
Courtesy of Wunderground
The continued cool has put the warm season garden on hold for now. I hope I can find a short, stocky tomato plant when I get ready to buy. Those tall, lanky spindly plants can just stay in the greenhouse as far as I’m concerned. I am going to try to keep my wits about me when I shop for tomatoes this year. Last year I tried some new ones, but nothing put tomatoes on my table or in the jar as did the Jet Stars and Celebrities. Now if I can just say “no” to all the temptations, I will probably be ahead. And the pepper choices are just about as troubling. Peppers of all sizes, kinds and colors fill the greenhouse benches. Salsa canners want a wide variety for their special mixtures and the plant breeders have not disappointed them.
We had a ½ inch shower late yesterday and the barn swallows are grateful for the mud holes. It makes finding nesting material just a bit easier as they are working hard to build their mud nests for this season’s family. I bought a jar of the cheapest grape jelly on the grocery shelves today, knowing that the orioles will be here in a few days from their winter homes in Brazil. They are hungry for fruit but the best I can do is keeping their jelly dish full. They are grateful. Last year they put away a pint of grape jelly a week. But the beautiful birds are a real treat and very much welcomed here at Indian Hill Farm. The orchard oriole is the most popular summer visitor but we also have several pairs of Baltimore orioles. The hanging nests are almost impossible to find until next fall when the leaves fall from the trees and you realize how close they were nesting and you missed it.
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