The winter was long, cold and wet—at least it seemed so to me. However, what the winter weather did for the garden was magical. The blooms on the flowering shrubs and trees are nothing short of stunning this spring! The branches of our cherry tree (Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan' or 'Kwanzan') are heavily laden with huge, double pink blossoms. With the spring heat wave, some days reaching 90°F, I was concerned that the tree would blossom one day and turn to green leaves the next. However, I've been surprised to see over a week of blooms and it is still going strong.
Every spring, I tell myself to plant bulbs or sow seeds for spring flowers beneath the cherry tree. Every fall, I run out of energy, or forget about this plan.The tree sits by itself, outside the cottage garden fence on a peninsula wrapped by our stream. The small bit of garden is too small for a chair or bench and there isn't enough head room to stand. I have to go through shrubs and step over the stream to get to this space. Therefore, the spot is largely ignored (except for weeding) until the cherry blossoms draw my attention.
And so it goes. The cherry tree is a star for a short time, then fades once again into the garden background.
Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks/copyrights/patents owned by those respective companies or persons.
