Sometimes we think the word “excuse” is just a negative response. We reach out to our congressman because we believe our taxes are too high and all we get are excuses. This blog is my excuse. Photos were piling up in my phone and needed an outlet. I hope you enjoy what I’ve captured.

Like so much confetti, this puddle of color was captured in Greenville. The tulip tree was shedding its petals and like a lady laying aside her lingerie, this delicate fabric was just too lovely to ignore.

The buds on the blueberry “tree” are easy to see. While most people have a blueberry bush, my granddaughter called it a blueberry tree when she was very young. It always makes me smile.

The deer deterrent is in place with a fresh slice of Irish Spring. The soap slices keep the deer from munching the plants I need to protect. They also eat my iris, but they bloom any way. Panty hose + Irish Spring = no deer. Color me happy.

My peach tree is pushing forward with so many nubs, to become buds, to make flowers, to give way to peaches. I’ve been trying for years to harvest my very own freestone peaches. It’s my goal to eat my fill and share the abundance. Between the deer and the frost, I’ve been stymied again and again.

I hung my peach sheet again this year and I couldn’t believe how much the tree had grown. Last year, the sheet reached the ground and I used bricks to hold it down. This year, it only covered the top half of the plant. So; we shall see what survives yet another cold snap.

This gem was a gift from a friend many years ago. I do not know its name. If you have any idea what it is, please let me know. I thought it could be a spirea, but I’m not sure. It does have a woody stem.

This concrete bench has taken up residence down at the pond. It’s colorful and so very inviting. It’s solid concrete, hence my back side has declined the “invitation”.

My daughter-in-law has this lovely specimen in her front yard. It’s more purple than this photo reveals. If I had to hazard a guess I’d say it’s a tulip tree. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m planning to propagate it, or at least try. I’ve had some success with other woody stemmed plants. Just take some peat moss, slightly damp and place it around a small branch. Hold it in place with some plastic wrap and some string. When cold weather arrives again, the condensation and peat moss should have caused the branch to put out tiny roots.

My grandmother used to do this with her azaleas. She would pull down a limb, scratch out a clear spot of ground and put a brick on the branch to hold it down. The branch would root where it made contact with the dirt.

The daffodils are waning and I’ll miss their annual display. Until next time, I need to round up some peat moss.