The Lemon Trees Say "It Is Spring!"

   After the fiasco of the past few days of toting the plants out of the greenhouse then back in again, I am tempted to do the same again.  Should I?  Should I trust that our warming trend is going to last?  It is far too difficult as an old lady to lug the huge pots but I do want the plants to be happy.  I have been trying to thin the "herd" by giving plants to friends and family but they are in the same quandary.  Is it spring?  Probably not but the plants have no idea.

  This morning when I stepped into the greenhouse, a lovely scent surrounded me.  While I like the scent of plants, this was captivating!  I knew exactly what was happening and it was far too early.  The lemon trees that were not set in the ground last year, were all blooming...inside the greenhouse.  This is fine and dandy except there are very few pollinators willing to stay trapped inside.  These plants need to be outside!

  For the past few years, the same thing has happened.  All of the fruit trees bloom early and then a late freeze takes most of the fruit.  Mom always called that the "Easter Freeze" and would scold Pop for planting tomatoes in the fields too early.  I take after Pop.  I get antsy just sitting around waiting for the seasons to change.  Plant!  Plant!  Plant!  Yep, I do have tomato seedlings already in tiny pots waiting for the proper time (or when I get tired of seeing them "cooped up" in the greenhouse.)  I am indeed pushing the season.  In the meantime, however, the greenhouse has never smelled so nice!  Think I shall linger there a bit longer each morning.

Flowers and Veggies!

  I have a bad habit of planting flowers in the vegetable gardens and veggies in the flower gardens.  Here on the Bayou, the gardens are one big mishmash of whatever!  Anything goes.  If it grows, then it grows wherever it wants.  I have morning glories and moonflowers in the tomato patch.  I have squash in front of the moonflower fence row.  There are nasturtiums in with the radishes and bell peppers in between the tea olives.  Chives blend right in with the roses and zinnias!  Marigolds are everywhere!  Wherever there is an empty spot, there is a plant of some sort.  That suits me to a capital T!  Perhaps the gardens are fine and it is me that is discombobulated!

  It is this habit that caused one good thing and yet one bad thing.  Bad thing first.  After I put in the new garden fence, a bright idea struck. On one side, tomatoes were planted and on the opposite side, four o'clocks lined the fence.  Wow!  That looked nice! All was well until some moth decided to lay her eggs on the four o'clock leaves.  About a week later, caterpillars were turning the leaves into a lace!  Holes were everywhere!  Not good as these caterpillars simply took the jaunt across the fence to attack the tomatoes.  Oh, no you don't!!!  While I do not mind spraying flowers with insecticides, I am a stickler about keeping the veggies pure.  I do not want to eat a bunch of chemically laden garbage.  It took a while before the answer came.  Wasps! Yep, those same critters that make the nests up under the eaves of the house seem to love caterpillars. Paper wasps were feasting on the tiny leaf-munchers. That was good enough for me!  Wasps are now off the bad list and onto the good guys of the garden list.

  The good thing about my four o'clock/tomato arrangement is the early morning/late afternoon blooms sure make the place smell delightful regardless of the copious amounts of cow poop lying around under the tomato plants.  The sweet-scented blooms fill the air and mask the stench quite nicely.  If you do not know, cow poop stinks when wet.  The nighttime hours on the Bayou are rather humid which gives the manure the idea that it is ok to start reeking.  Thankfully, the four o'clock blooms have that covered.  Four o'clock blooms are stronger than poop!  Their scent completely blocks the otherwise stinky garden smells.  Four o'clocks for the win!

  I am sure Pop looks down from Heaven and cringes when he sees my patchwork gardening style.  His fields were impeccable and his flower gardens were to perfection.  He probably wonders where he went wrong when raising me!  Nah, Pop was easy going and would certainly agree about the four o'clocks.  He may have something to say about the morning glories that have their own tomato crates in the garden but, all in all, he would enjoy seeing the plants regardless.

Happiness Wafting on the Breeze!

  After termites ravaged the Little Bayou House, their voracious appetites turned to the fences and arbors.  For the past two months, I cut back the roses, wisteria and jasmine that covered these areas and ripped out every fence post and arbor.  It hurt so to cut back all of the antique roses knowing that the severe pruning may have just killed them altogether.  Wisteria and jasmine are some of those things that you just about cannot kill but roses, on the other hand, take a bit of babying to make them do just so.  These roses were ones that were passed down by family members and included a bush from each of my grandmothers' gardens.  It was such a relief to see the new growth on the bushes and even a few buds.  

  The jasmine, too, is starting to bloom and this morning, my first sensation for the day was the sweet aroma wafting on the soft breeze.  Oh, my!  Memories of summer breezes, front porches and heavily scented nights came to mind.  The jasmine, along with magnolias and gardenias, is a favorite garden staple here in the Deep South.  It is sort of funny when you think about the Confederate Jasmine as being "southern" as it is actually not a native plant.  It, like so many plants, is native to Asia and was transported here more than a hundred years ago.  It obviously acclimated well and soon became "our" plant.  The name has changed many times over the years depending on who you ask.  The scientific name is Trachelospermum jasminoides but it also goes by Star Jasmine, Pinwheel Jasmine, Southern Jasmine and, of course, Confederate Jasmine. 

  While the Confederate Jasmine does extremely well and will cover a fence or support quickly, it has a slow start.  After the first year, however, watch out!  It will aggressively cover anything within its reach!  It is with all of that abundant growth, though, that comes the heavenly scent!  Oh, and just so you will know, this is not even a true jasmine!  

Creeping In...

  Despite have a couple of cool nights, I think spring must have come slipping in without big fanfare.  Lady Spring has a way of letting us know by subtle hints before bursting forth in all her glory.  A tiny wood sorrel bloom, a bird calling for its mate or just a warm night can bring joy because these are harbingers of what is to come.  Usually, here on the Bayou, one of our first clues is hordes of gnats.  This year, however, those gnats never disappeared so their presence meant nary a thing.  Still, I do believe spring has quietly come.

  As Son and I were working out back near the canebrake, a slight breeze wafted our way and caused me to stop in my tracks!  Yep!  That is the "smell" of spring.  The citrus trees are all pushing out their blossoms and the yard is filled with the sweet scent.  The first to bloom are always the lemon trees followed by the navel oranges then come the satsumas and grapefruit.  What I was smelling today was the navel oranges and lemons!  How delightful!

  Our chores soon took us to the opposite side of the house where I smelled the marsh but found more evidence of spring.  The fig trees were all budding out with new leaves and one had a brave little fig!  There was not a leaf on the tree but a tiny little fig had decided it was time to make a debut!  Ta-da!  I am here!  Oh, little figlet (yeah, I know...not a word but should be!), you may be getting a tad chilly before you are able to mature but I admire your tenacity!

  So, perhaps I did not pull all of the potted plants out of the greenhouse prematurely.   Perhaps, I will not have to drape blankets over said plants because of threatening frost (like last night).  Perhaps...just perhaps Lady Spring is here to stay.

The Scent Wall

  Years and years ago, I bought a small sprig of a jasmine vine.  This was the Confederate Jasmine that can be found all over the Deep South.  To be perfectly honest here, this is not a true jasmine nor is it truly southern.  It just happens to be something someone liked, brought here, planted and then it sort of took root (pun intended).  Folks of the Deep South are all about flowers that smell good and this vine fit the bill perfectly.  Here, we go from wisteria and citrus blooms to jasmine and roses to magnolias and gardenias.  These blooms have some of the most heavenly scents around so we claimed them all.  Having each of these be easy to grow is another apple in the basket for us.  Smell good, easy to grow, pretty to look at...what's not to love.

  Although I did some major pruning on the roses and jasmine this past winter, both have outdone themselves already this spring.  The "wall" of jasmine is filling the entire yard with its sweet, spicy aroma.  At night, with the windows open to let in the cooling bay breezes, the scent fills the house and is far better than any air freshener or candle.  This is the real thing, folks, and it is amazing.  

  The Confederate Jasmine combined with the heritage rose, Seven Sisters, fills the fence.  It makes a perfect privacy screen at all times of the year but in spring, the fence line becomes my "scent wall".  I love it so much that I have rooted several more vines to completely surround the small area known as the Rose Garden.  Roses and jasmine!  What could ever be better?  Maybe it is a southern thing!