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Around the Neighborhood

April 21st, 2010

This time of year it seems like everything is bursting in bloom. It’s been quite warm here, warmer than usual. We’ve been having temperatures in the 80’s so all the blooming trees bloomed at the same time. We often take the Chiots on a walk in the evenings right at dusk and the trees in the neighborhood are particularly lovely. One evening I took my camera on one of our walks to get a few shots.

The flowering pear trees are particularly lovely, although I’d much prefer one that produced fruit!

The magnolias are quite lovely this. Often here in Ohio the buds get frozen off by a late spring freeze. This year we were lucky and now we’re enjoying the lovely magnolias.

The star magnolias are lovely little trees as well!

The forsythias are really lovely this year as well, sunny shrubs that are most lovely when left to their natural weeping habitat (in my mind).

Here are Chiot’s run some of our fruit trees are blooming as well. The apples trees (what’s left of them after the deer nibbled them all winter) are blooming beautifully.

The nectarine tree went through the winter unscathed by the deer and it looks like we might have a nice crop.

The dogwood are blooming as well, they’re native here and grow all over. These are probably my favorite spring blooming trees. All these flowering trees are great for the bees, they’ll be taking advantage and making us lots of honey with all the pollen and nectar!

What’s your favorite spring blooming tree?

17 Comments to “Around the Neighborhood”
  1. Sense of Home on April 21, 2010 at 9:30 am

    In our neighborhood we have absolutely beautiful flowering crabapple trees. They will be blooming in a couple of weeks and I can’t wait to see that burst of color.

    Your photos are beautiful.
    .-= Sense of Home´s last blog ..Save Money with Proper Food Storage =-.

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    • Susy on April 21, 2010 at 10:06 am

      The crabapples are just starting to bloom here, they’re quite lovely!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  2. Kelly on April 21, 2010 at 9:58 am

    Dogwoods. We have loads of forest here and along the roadsides every so often you see white fluffy clouds floating, seemingly in mid air. I love that.
    .-= Kelly´s last blog ..Garden Update 2.10 =-.

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    • Sarah on April 21, 2010 at 8:25 pm

      Dogwoods are my favorite too! In PA they come into flower while everything else is still brown. I love how still and striking they are.
      .-= Sarah´s last blog ..A WWOOFer’s life for me: Recap =-.

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  3. tj on April 21, 2010 at 10:07 am

    …I love the Redbuds and well, the Dogwoods too… :o)

    …I am experiencing my first raised bed garden this year and am about to try out the Square Foot gardening technique and I’ve noticed in your photos that you have a raised bed separated like a Square Foot garden…do you like this method?

    …Also, I am thinking about using one raised bed for Strawberries and one for Asparagus, what is your opinion on that? My raised beds are each 4′ x 8′ and I’m thinking Everbearing Strawberries. Any tips, opinions, etc…would be most appreciated! :o)

    …Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos! Blessings… :o)

    Reply to tj's comment

    • Susy on April 21, 2010 at 10:16 am

      I loosely follow the square foot method. I like to plant things in larger patches. I do follow the spacing rules for square foot gardening, makes my sq ft area much more productive.

      I have a big 4×10 bed that’s planted half with asparagus. I’m hoping to add more crowns to the other half this year when I harvest what’s in the other side. Asparagus works quite well in a raised bed since it doesn’t like competition.

      We also have our strawberries planted in raised beds, although once we get another area amended enough we’ll move them and use the space for vegetables. We currently grow 3 different types of early strawberries, early, mid, late June bearing. I’d love to try everbearing though, they’re a great idea for the small scale gardener who wants strawberries all season long. The strawberries have a tendency to overrun the raised bed unless you keep the runners cut off, they’ll expand all over the place. Although they’re easily transplanted elsewhere.

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  4. Michelle on April 21, 2010 at 10:21 am

    Dogwood is my new favorite…I can’t believe they grow all over where you live! It must be so beautiful!
    .-= Michelle´s last blog ..lunch. =-.

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    • Susy on April 21, 2010 at 10:31 am

      Yes, they’re like weeds. I pull them out of my flowerbeds all the time. I leave all the ones I can, but I must pull the ones that grow where I don’t need them.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  5. MAYBELLINE on April 21, 2010 at 10:48 am

    Probably every single blooming tree is my favorite EXCEPT for the blooming pear. Those really stink to me. Am I the only one?
    .-= MAYBELLINE´s last blog ..It Ain’t Summer Yet =-.

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    • Susy on April 21, 2010 at 1:24 pm

      I know what you mean by “stink” I can’t handle hardly any blooming trees. I don’t like the pear, I don’t like horse chestnut, I don’t like lilies, paperwhites, hyacinths or lilacs. Anything with a really strong fragrance overwhelms my senses and leaves me almost nauseous and sometimes with a headache.

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  6. David in Kansas on April 21, 2010 at 11:37 am

    I do love the Forsythia bushes but for my money nothing beats the colors of the peach tree, both for the lovely hue and for the promise of the succulent goodness to come.
    .-= David in Kansas´s last blog ..A note from a gardener past =-.

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  7. Blake @ Salt, Teak & Fog on April 21, 2010 at 12:16 pm

    Ah, how I wish for dogwood around here (San Francisco)… but I’d have to say my fave is apple tree blossoms. So delicate, so beautiful, with a delicious promise in store. I just planted 3 new trees this winter, so I have much to look forward in the blooming tree dept! Great photos, by the way :)
    .-= Blake @ Salt, Teak & Fog´s last blog ..garden update: mid-April =-.

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  8. Ashley on April 21, 2010 at 12:27 pm

    Cherry trees are my favorite. The cherry trees are absolutely bursting in my neck of the woods and they have always been my favorite.

    Reply to Ashley's comment

  9. mamaraby on April 21, 2010 at 5:02 pm

    The PJ Rhododendron – it typically blooms around my birthday. My parents had one that grew in their front yard. It always signaled Spring for me. We don’t have one in our own yard (although we did have one in the yard of our first house), but I still look for them when we’re out and about.
    .-= mamaraby´s last blog ..Wiley Little Fellow =-.

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  10. Kjirsti on April 22, 2010 at 10:55 pm

    I just discovered your blog and boy am I glad I did. What gorgeous pictures! I can’t wait to read more.

    Reply to Kjirsti's comment

    • Susy on April 22, 2010 at 11:24 pm

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting! I always like to know who’s reading.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  11. Amy on April 22, 2010 at 11:29 pm

    Ah, how I wish for dogwood around here (San Francisco)… but I’d have to say my fave is apple tree blossoms. So delicate, so beautiful, with a delicious promise in store. I just planted 3 new trees this winter, so I have much to look forward in the blooming tree dept! Great photos, by the way :)
    .-= Blake @ Salt, Teak & Fog´s last blog ..garden update: mid-April =-.

    Reply to Amy's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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