New growths in Evergreens

It is amazing to see that every tree has a different growth pattern. Evergreens start their growth as small brown cones which break open to release the new needles (otherwise leaves). The new growths have a very lively fresh color & shiney in appearance.

Challenges of our Oak tree

The Oak tree in our yard is one of our favorite trees. It was quite tall while we planted it. So, it really needed a long support post & some tied support to keep up with the winds. Usually, it is suggested that the trees should be trained without much supports when it is medium sized.

We removed its supports the next year after planting. During one of the worst windy days, we found our tree totally bend to one side & was literally lying to the ground. This tree has nice strong arched branches which made the top very heavy. We pretty much lost hope of the tree making its way back.

But, we did not want to give up & wanted to give the tree another chance for survival. We supported the tree in all the possible ways we could. Sometimes it would just work for 2-3 days & the tree would be back to ground. But, one kind of supporting really helped & made the tree stand tall.

The following year, we removed the support again to see if the tree can stand on its own. This time it was good for couple of days & then again one of the windy days made it to bend over. But, the good sign was it was bending only due to weight & was able to hold it back.

The windy days were really tough to this tree. This time we supported the tree only on one side. All the injuires that happened to the bark with all bending is slowly recovering. After all that happened to this tree, it is trying its best to hold its weight & stand tall. We love the gracefullness it adds to the yard. We love to see the birds & the squirrels enjoying this tree.

Apart from all this, this tree looks beautiful when new growths start appearing.

Crabapples & Flowering Pears

It was officially Spring two months back. But, Chicago weather currently seems to be into the Spring mode. This climate is simply amazing. The temperatures are perfect ranging from 60-65 degree F, slightly foggy, pleasant rains, lush green landscapes and trees set in colorful blooms everywhere.

Crabapples & Flowering pears are the trees dominating the landscape with its beautiful blooms at this time. We have three "Sugar Tyme" crabapples of which two of them failed to bloom this year. After doing some research I found out, it is possible that the flower buds might get affected if there is a bad winter & lot of temperature fluctuations. This is how the tree looked last year.

We have three "Chanticleer" flowering pears in our yard. All of them had perfect blooms. One was planted the previous year(2007) & the other two planted last year(2008). This tree looks very beautiful once it grows to a decent size (still couple more years for our trees to reach that size :-)).

"Sugar Thyme" crabapple with its pink buds, all set to bloom...

Closeup of the flower branch with the slgithly opened blooms...

Closeup of a single bloom....with some pink buds in the background...

"Sugar Tyme" Crabapple Blooms which turned white in color...once fully opened...

"Chantincleer" flowering pear blooms...

"Chantincleer" flowering pear blooms...closeup view...

Charming "Tina" Crabapple

Crabapples come in a variety of sizes. There is a tree for every area of your garden. " Tina" crabapple is a minature tree version for small spaces. This tree was added to the lamp post area last year.

This year this tree has added an extra charm to that area. It had tons & tons of white blooms which were approximately 1/2" in size. The buds were dark pink in color.

"Tina" crabapple when all set with buds...Closeup view of the pink buds...
Tree in bloom...
View of tree from the other side...
Entire tree set in white blooms...
Closeup view of a single flower branch....
Closeup view of the flowers.....

Change of seasons

I am a great admirer of nature. I love to watch the changes that take place in the environment during the change of seasons.

Winter weather seems more of a holiday season :-). Like the garden plants, even we go into a dormant state limiting our activities to more of indoor kind.

Spring weather brings on new hopes & new beginnings. It adds beautiful colors & new dimensions to life. Lively activities happen all around us. Its amazing to see the birds right from the day the weather looks good. It makes me think, where were these birds for so many months. I know they migrate to places down south where weather is better, but what makes them return back..? How do they really know that weather up there is good today...? :-)

The transition from the winter to spring is the most beautiful one. All of a sudden, the total white environment starts turning green. Every tree becomes flooded with beautiful blooms. Flowering plants which were non-existent in the winter, start popping off the ground. There are couple of rainy days, which gives the feeling of a hill station environment.

See this area, the 3 evergreen firs on the corner are all covered with snow. Everything is white :-)

See the same area, how it looks once the weather is turning better. Also, see the bedline in the lower right side corner is all plain. And look at the color of grass...so dull...

See the same area, once the grass has turned green & all flowering plants popping off the ground

Small flowering plants popping off the ground & evergreen becoming more greener.

Closeup view of the flowering daylilies which are growing vigorously.

Closeup view of the flowering purple coneflowers which are all getting ready for the season ahead.

Another area, with the flowering purple coneflower plants gettting ready. Also, have a look at the trees in the neighbourhood which has turned all green.

Look at this area, see how the miniature tree form Lilac is covered with snow.

Have a look at the same area, once the new growths are developing.

The same tree once all the leaves are fully developed. Soon, it will be all ready with lilac blooms.
See these birds, they have returned to the yard, even before the grass has turned green. They prefer to eat seeds with high oil content at this time of the season