Photo Update: Mother's Day 2022
We had beautiful weather for Mother's Day and I was able to get a good walk in despite the high water. Usually by this date the floods are lessening as vegetation thickens and transpiration begins. This time the water was high enough to cover the trail along the river and flood the ravine, but unfortunately not quite high enough to shut down the noisy county road that follows the waterway on its opposite side.
Our new no-mow area on a wet, west-facing slope is looking great. I've seen lots of memes promoting “no mow May,” which encourage putting off mowing until June, allowing wildflowers to bloom for the benefit of pollinators. While the practice might be workable farther north where green up comes later, I think it's a stupid idea dreamed up by people with no understanding of lawns. Waiting until June to mow in southeast Ohio would mean facing down a hay field that would take multiple passes to work back down to a manageable height, and extreme wear and tear on the mower. The average homeowner would only try it once. Furthermore, any creatures such as rabbits, snakes, or ground nesting birds that decided to take up residence, or perhaps raise young, would be obliterated or at least evicted. A much better idea is to set aside smaller but permanent areas that are never mowed, or mowed only once during late winter to prevent brushy growth.
A utilitarian corner need not be ugly. This rain-collecting barrel is flanked by an azalea which is thriving despite the western exposure, and a Carolina sweet shrub. I highly recommend the native Calycanthus floridus for it’s long bloom time and the wonderfully sweet scent that fills the yard in the spring.
This time of years brings pawpaw flowers and the first shiny, tropical looking leaves. Pawpaw trees on the farm are equally happy in the shade of mature trees, and in the full sun of the Savanna.
The blossoms are beginning. In the photo below starting top left: collards, lilac, tulip, brunnera, fothergilla. Collard greens might seem like an unlikely ornamental, but the yellow masses add eye-catching spots of early color in the veggie garden.
The woodland gnome has a temporary home beneath the azalea. As the season progresses he will migrate in search of the most spectacular blooms because that is the nature of gnomes.