Saturday Farmer's Market - Fragile Spring

Created by Heather at Capricious Reader, and now hosted by Chris at Stuff as Dreams are Made on.

Just to give this post a bit of context, the green mess you are looking at here is tiny Daffodils (about 4 inches when blooming), and usually the first thing in my garden to bloom.
It is way behind this year, as I've had blooming plants for weeks now.

It is still early and we could still get more frosty nights, so the stakes are high right now.
The next picture is of a Pluot Tree, taken through the kitchen window.

And this picture is the larger of the two Plum Trees.
An untimely frost could cost us some or all of our eagerly awaited fruit harvest.

 

This is the Pomegranate, happy as always.

 Of course these are all still blooming:

 Oriental Poppies

 Sedum

 &

Violets

My experiment from last year is Bananas. 

Since they are tropical, they didn't enjoy the Winter. But since we are in a fairly moderate area, they have a chance.

This is what they looked like before I pruned for spring - 













- and this is what they looked like after a hair cut and retrenching. (they need to be flooded when I water)

If you look closely, the one on the right has a small green shoot - new growth!

 More 

Daffodils!

 And now for some sadness.

This Orange Tree, in the yard across the street from us, has been, without a doubt, the best Orange Tree ever. Any one who has ever tried the fruit agrees, and experts have even taken samples and conducted research with the aim of making all Orange Trees better. 

Well the house changed hands last year and our new neighbors have been having septic problems. 

Guess where the septic system runs. 

Yep, right down between the two houses, under the tree. 

At this point they have pruned it back hard hoping to minimize the shock when they mangle half the root system. It may or may not survive. Please keep it in your thoughts.

On the bright side, we are all pretty sure we know why the tree has been so great - unlimited fertilizer!

(If it survives, it may never be the same when the septic system is fixed.)

A Nest Full of Stars
- James Berry

Only chance made me come and find
my hen, stepping from her hidden
nest, in our kitchen garden.

In her clever secret place, her tenth
egg, still warm, had just been dropped.

Not sure of what to do, I picked up
every egg, counting them, then put them
down again. All were mine.

All swept me away and back.
I blinked, I saw: a whole hand
of ripe bananas, nesting.

I blinked, I saw: a basketful
of ripe oranges, nesting.

I blinked, I saw: a trayful
of ripe naseberries, nesting.

I blinked, I saw: an open bagful
of ripe mangoes, nesting.

I blinked, I saw:
a mighty nest full of stars.

naseberry: sapodilla plum with sweet brown flesh


from: The Nest Full of Stars. Copyright 2004.