Spring blossoms + sprouts

In the evenings, it smells absolutely heavenly – citrus blossoms are in full force in the Phoenix Valley and I wish I could turn your screen into a scratch and sniff so you could smell what I’m smelling. Ahhhhhh, here’s a little Phoenix garden tour update – Liberty is loving this time of the year, you can just tell.

I decided to turn the raised beds to a flower bed.  I threw in a few herbs, basil, rosemary and green chives.  I liked the colors of the flowers and they sure seem happy.  The pansies remind me of Alice in Wonderland!  Below are asparagus ferns, they like shade.  They don’t get much water than what leaks from the boxes which seems to have worked thus far.

This is the time when I start counting how many blossoms are on my citrus trees because blossoms = fruit.  Of course they over produce and drop the excess.  I learned this from AZ Plant Lady, our horticulturist.  This helped calm a lot of my nerves when I started to freak out that I was losing citrus prematurely.

I attach a bubbler to my hose to let the water trickle more.  I’m worried about my lemon tree, I counted under a dozen flower buds so I tossed on some citrus fertilizer and decided to run the water.  The pink lemon tree is buzzing with bees, the grapefruit isn’t too far behind.  I forgot about my lemon so I’m keeping a watchful eye on it this season.  If this is all it’s going to produce, it’s far too late, but I have a feeling it might be a late bloomer – ha, I can actually use that in it’s literal context.

Here’s the asian pear tree which got another cut.  The first blooms I’m seeing are at the base which probably won’t work out in the end, but it’s still a lovely sight.

Sprouts!  These are green onions, the taller ones in the back are flowers.  I’ve decided to mix my deep beds with flowers and root veggies.

Those larger sprouts are melons – Melayne, see I used the seeds from Thomas Jefferson’s estate! :)  She brought them to me from her trip and I can’t wait to see the flowers and hopefully melons will work out!  If you want to read how we started on our beds, click here.

Our kumquat tree decided to produce again.  I think it was the citrus fertilizer and the fish fertilizer I put on them, it just woke up all the plants.  It has taken two years for us to see kumquats – and when the kumquat was delivered it had fruit on it and we think it was upset at us for moving it that it decided to hold back providing us any fruit.  We threatened it by telling it we’d rip it out, and then look at it now.

You can tell the plants are waking up now – look at our jasmine wall.  For a few months I’ve had some great time off as it went dormant (but still green), and now I see all the new branches I must train.  We won’t be letting the whole wall fill up – I want to keep it in the diamond pattern which is quite some work but so worth it.

Look at the lavender I planted, they are so happy!  I also removed the mulch, I have yet to replace it and am debating pea gravel that won’t need to be replaced, only every 10 years opposed to organic material which is every year.  This will probably happen after I find a mason to help with my flower borders.

I butchered this honeysuckle on my own. I thought I wanted to grow it into a tree but then I changed my mind.  Well, I changed my mind after the frost really got to it so I think I’ll go back into a bush form for now.

This is still one of the most charming spots in our backyard.  I moved the bench from the bunny area (still needs to be worked on), but I need a white bench along the brown wall to have it stand out.  I have my eyes on a white cast iron set I found and I just need to go back and get it (hoping it’s still there).  I want a white cast iron bench and/or a table set.  I’m not sure why I think I need so much seating but I like to be prepared.

I should have about 20-25 in my backyard early May for a baby shower anyway, so the seating would come in handy *wink*