I was wondering about you and Helen.

We just got 1/4" of rain and strong winds but we have seen worse. We dodged this one. Glad you all didn't get serious damage.

We are starting off very cool, 55° right now. Of course, I had carried all the plants out to the hay bale cold frame but left a storm window catty cornered over the top. I will have to keep my eye on the night time lows.

No damage at my house; I don't have my rain gauge turned over yet so I don't know how much rain. I think I got enough to give everything a good drink and more rain today.

Ceresone - That was too close! I'm glad you're safe. Looks like there's a chance for storms again tonight and then clear for a few days.
I just put a new rain gauge up. We got about 4/10.

I have zinnias and cosmos to plant. I want to do that this week.

I just noticed today my Kousa dogwoods are going to bloom for the first time. I grew them from seed. I have five because I didn't have the heart to get rid of any. Two are planted WAY too close together and I'm sure I've waited too long to move them.

I had to mow again. I can't believe how fast the grass is growing.

The plan today is to move some blue salvias west to the Westerland rose and also dig up some Hyperion daylilies and move to the front. I have been saying this for several years now!

We had our first salad from the Bibb lettuce. I love how it makes a small head and is perfect for two salads. It was very crunch and tender. We find the romaine from the store is like eating green shoe leather. How do they do that? We are having asparagus now too. I have frozen three small packages.

Christie, now that I what I call a young person's optimism: growing trees from seeds! congratulations. The kousas are beautiful trees.

Well, we finally got the 5 fruit trees in the new plot. It went pretty well and I was happy with the soil over there. I think things should grow well. It wasn't too rocky. We also spent some time pulling that blasted hay twine and netting from the ground too.

The orchard will leave me with a strip about 100 feet long on the east side by 4 feet. and another area about 50 x 60.

That should be enough!

We were both pooped when we came in for lunch, but I spotted that brown iris and had to get the camera. At first I thought it was a red that had faded. The bad news is I now have a scarlet oriental poppy next to the burgundy colored iris and now this new brown one. The iris may have to go. I don't dare move that oriental. I raised it from seed and it is special.

I thinned the peaches again for over an hour this morning using the step ladder. I think I will call it done!

What kind of fruit trees did you plant Glenda? You should have some fruit this year on your other trees unless you have a pest or disease problem. I feel very lucky that the freeze that's been in the news this week isn't creeping down this far.

I had to brake for a wild turkey twice this week. I just know I'm going to hit one someday. I see them almost daily now and it still seems strange to me. I saw a quail this week too, the first one I'd seen in a few years.

It's tick season. I've found four crawling on me in the last week or so. Got to start keeping bug spray by the door so I won't forget.

I went Mother's Day shopping this week at Hilltop Farm. They had enormous hanging baskets of fuchsia for 19.99. Got my mother one of those so she can watch the hummingbirds. There was a hummingbird zipping into their greenhouse going to the fuchsia when I was picking out the one I wanted. I had just gotten home and my mother brought over an early present for me, a big hanging basket with white and peach petunias, and purple verbena - very pretty. She'll have to wait for hers though, so my kids can give it to her.

I still haven't planted my zinnias. Someone always tells me something I need to do and my to-do list gets overriden. Now it's almost time to start planting melons. Just as I was typing that I realized I never started my cucumbers. Is it too late?

Cristie, I just plant cucs direct about mid-May.

We planted:

Liberty apple
Madison Peach
Gloria Peach
Shiro Plum
Queen Rosa Plum (improved Santa Rosa)

The fruit is still looking good. I am getting some damaged tips from fireblight....first in years. I worry about strong winds and the 'half' peach tree that split a few years ago. It can't stand much stress.

We had a quail in the yard a couple of years ago, I even got a picture of it perched in the tree. It stayed around for a week or so.

I need to check out Hilltop again; haven't been in years.

Well, I got 4 of the Dahlias that I ordered from a Dahlia farm yesterday. I was disappointed! The Dahlias that I bought in a package from Walmart was what I would call a "hand". I have 6 seperate Dahlias growing from them. My new ones are each about the size and shape of my thumb! But, I suppose as long as they grow good they will multiply.
The others I ordered from Jungs several weeks ago, havent heard anything on them since I ordered.
My Peonies and Iris are beautiful this year, I had my neighbor stop and pick a bouquet for her bedfast mother for Mothers Day.
And speaking of which, Happy Mothers Day to all of you(or your wives).

Glenda do you already have plums that bear fruit? You may have spoken of them. I don't pay as close attention to fruit tree info because I went through my fruit tree phase years ago and gave up on them. Plums ripe off the tree are wonderful. Ceresone if the dahlias are alive, I'm sure they will grow fast. Mail order stuff is often very small. I am so cheap about shipping that I don't order much, but that is how you get unusual plants.

helen, last year this little tree which is laying on its side had two (and I did not even tell DH!) that got the size of a large egg. Red on outside and yellow inside. I ate them as I mowed around it and they were outstanding.

I will take a picture of it later today. I think I probably need to thin some more. It has been in the ground for lots of years. Most years frost gets the early stuff which is all the stone fruits.

Yeah, I did fruit trees back in the 70's and 80's and then just gave up on them or we moved. I left two wonderful producing pears, Moonglow and Starking Delicious and I think she is still getting pears from one; a storm took out the other. I do know the two cherry trees I lined the drive with are still producing because she shared until mine got going. They are a much deeper red than what I have. I may try to figure out what it was the buy another.

Cherries are easy, no sprays, no disease and very few worms.
I want a sweet cherry but they aren't supposed to do well in the Ozarks. I think I will still risk one next spring.

I need something to keep me busy! My sister (with all the mini horses that have to be fed 2x a day and clipped and trimmed and wormed and groomed) thinks I have lost my mind with the addition of a new orchard and larger garden space.

I guess she doesn't think the horses are work!