Dogwoods, Azaleas, and Wisteria! Oh My!

For me, the key is to appreciate what an individual place can offer.

It is rarely a redbud is spied here in northern Colorado, and never a dogwood.  But I generally don’t have to fight rot in my iris rhizomes, and we don’t have chiggers or fleas either. So I can call it good.

My growing season keeps me from having homegrown tomatoes until August, and often freezes them in early in October.  And that is truly grievous.  But I do not suffer with horrid and long, hot and humid summers.  In general, I don’t have to treat my roses for mildew and black spot.

See.  Life is good wherever I am.  But I must say, when Eldest drove me toward her home, and I saw the dogwoods, I was Thrilled. To. Death! What an unlooked-for surprise.

The azalea and rhododendrons were crazy blooming, too.  Some bushes were so full, I was thinking there weren’t any leaves there!

Wisteria is just so…grapey looking!  And smelly, or fragrant, depending on one's particular take.  But cool, too.

The thing about back east, and in the mid-south, and along the Missouri river valley, is this stuff grows free range!  Well, not wisteria in Missouri…but all the rest!

At the gardens, I also impressed my daughter by spying some early wildflowers.

 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

May apple

Trillium

Lady’s Slipper

 
And this one, which I think is another Lady's Slipper, but feel free to correct me (on this or any of the above).

She asked me how I knew these guys were there.  These are ones I never get to see, the ones I have mostly only read about.  These are special and uncommon ones for me to see.

So pretty cool.  And also, extra points that I can impress the youngsters, you know…