I'm happy to report that my 5-in-one apple tree has bloomed for the first time since planting it 5 years ago. It was badly damaged last year because of a rodent which girdled 3/4 of the trunk bark. If you venture back to my May post in 2010, you can see how I saved the tree with grafted prunings.
These photos were taken on May 20th. The trees were full of apple blossoms!
Above are some blossoms which are just beginning to open.
Close-up of a Macintosh apple blossom.
These are radishes (as of May 20) next to the garlic. The German Giant radish seed was saved from an over-wintered volunteer which had a golf ball-sized plump radish. It was hard not to pick it to eat! But I let it grow to flower and seed. I hung the seed pods in the rafters all winter. Each pod averages 4 seeds or more, so letting one radish plant go to seed will offer you well over 200 seeds next year.
Some last minute transplanting was done last weekend (May 22) with the smaller tomatoes and basil. Some were second tries of varieties that didn't have very good germination rates. All plants have been moved to the greenhouse to experience natural daylight. The last day under the fluorescent lights was May 21.
The last two weeks of May are filled with the threat of thunderstorms. These ominous clouds were overhead on May 24th. The atmosphere was very unsettled and clouds were approaching the tornadic stage.
Dame's Rocket just came into bloom on May 25th this year. It's also the time of year when I selectively mow parts of the lawn and leave some sections alone so they can flower, such as Daisy's, St. John's Wort and the brilliant colored Orange Hawk Weed - A.K.A. The Devil's Paintbrush (See next month's photos of these June flowers.)
After a brutal winter, this Northern Catalpa tree finally came back to life last week. I planted it last year because I have childhood memories of the one at my grandparents' house. I would fill my (kid-sized) purple wheel barrow full of the "beans" that fell from the tree. I called it "The Bean Tree."
I was concerned because many of the lower branches snapped from heavy snowfalls. It appears to be doing fine now.
I moved most of my houseplants out to the porch on May 29th. It's great to see the front porch come to life for the rest of the summer. Watering is easier with the hose and all of the leaves get a good misting treatment.
The Dragonflies have just come out as of May 29th. It's always great to watch them dart about by the hundreds at sunset. They provide added entertainment when I mow the lawn because the mowing stirs-up bugs that the dragonflies eat. Talk about 3D dive bombing!
:)
