Stuff I love in the garden

Our garden is confused by the mild February temperatures we've been having and it's all waking up. It's a weird feeling, like when my little ones trudge downstairs before sunrise as Bruder is leaving for seminary. "Go back to sleep! It's not time yet."

Hopefully the plants can handle their early wake-up call with more grace than Rose and Cholita. As the plants have been yawning and stretching, I've thought about how much I look forward to seeing them every year. There are many perennials that I love, but it's the trees and vines that tend to be the stars of the show in my book. These are photos from last year, just a few of my sentimental favorites:

Our Climbing Hydrangea

The King of Vines it's been called, and that may well be the case, but it's not a plant for the impatient gardener. Ours has been in the ground for four years now and despite its otherwise healthy nature, has yet to flower. I've read that it can take anywhere from 3-10 years, so maybe this summer. I certainly hope so. A decade seems a bit excessive, don't you think?

The Akebono Cherry Tree

This tree is still a baby really, and hasn't had much time to be impressive yet. When we first moved into our house there was a flagpole here. I liked it, but I was a little fuzzy on flag protocol and probably kept the flag up when it should have been down and down when it should have been up. So when the pole blew over in a wind storm, I wasn't devastated. Lyle was away in Las Vegas at a convention, staying in the hotel shaped like a pyramid, and I surprised him with the tree when he got back. During its second year, one side totally died back, but despite adversity, it seems to be rallying, a trait I admire in people as well as trees.

The Cecile Brunner Climbing Rose

This vine is really too new for me to say if I love it or not. It's known as the "sweetheart rose", and what I do love about it is the image I have of Lyle and I wearing headlamps planting it at night. We tend to jump into projects when the urge strikes, timing or lack of light be darned. As a matter of fact, the concrete circle around the cherry tree in the last photo was also done spur-of-the-moment. It was a much bigger project than planting a rose bush and by the end, I was holding a flashlight in each hand so that Lyle could stamp the concrete. I couldn't even tell you what our children ate for dinner that night, I assume they found something.

Autumn Sunset Climbing Rose

This is Rose's rose since it's always in full bloom on her birthday. It's probably the most "wow" thing we have in our garden and is such a confidence builder. I don't particularly like hybrid tea roses since I haven't had much success with them, but the climbers and I seem to get along just fine. I love that the buds of this rose are the exact red color of our front door and then open into a beautiful orange color that slowly fades to yellow. Very versatile.

I have many more favorites, but it's late and the to-do list for tomorrow is long. Hope you have some happy things coming alive in your garden too.