Spring in the South - My backyard

Our neighborhood is alive with birds, squirrels, and flowering trees!  I love Spring, don't you?  This post writes itself with the photos I made this afternoon of our yard.  Our yard is all natural with only one flowering tree that we planted.  The rest pretty much grows wild.  But wild is beautiful!

The next 3 photos are of our flowering crab apple tree. We planted this one about 12 years ago and have enjoyed the fragrance and beauty this time every Spring.

Now take a look at that huge purple tree in the background.  Big tree's aren't supposed to be purple, are they?

Those magnificent lavender blooms are Wisteria vines that have taken over this huge tree.  Wisteria is a Southern native plant that vines out and grows over everything it finds to attach itself too.  Sort of like Kudzu, except pretty and not quite as invasive.

You'll see Wisteria in all shades of lavender - from very pale like this to very purple like the photo at the beginning of this post.

This is a bush we planted also.  I've always called it a Snowball Bush, but I think the correct name is Viburnum Microcephalum.  There are many different species of Viburnum.  I love this one as it blooms off and on all year.  We've had such mild weather this year that it bloomed all winter. 

I love how the blooms are green first and then turn the magnificent white.

I can't remember what this is - it's in the lily family and blooms in the summer.  I moved some bulbs this year and was happy that this little guy came up.  Below is a photo of my large ones that bloom every year.  This was from 2 years ago.

Here's another straggler of the Snowball bush..

A native dogwood tree in the front of my house.  These are native plants also.

Two little tulips.  I separated them this year, but think I did it too late because these are the only two that came up.  There's a few more bulb plants in this rock garden, but they'll bloom in the summer.

A close up of the dogwood.

Spirea - I have one little bush under the dogwood tree.

 There is as legend of the dogwood tree.  According to legend the dogwood was the size of the oak and other forest trees. Being firm and strong, it was chosen as the timber for the cross, during the Crucifixtion of Christ. According to stories, the tree was distressed for being used for a cruel purpose, and Jesus being nailed to it sensed this and told the tree, "Because of your regret and pity for my suffering, never again shall the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a cross. Henceforth it shall be slender and bent and twisted and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross, two long and two short petals. In the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints, brown with rust and stained with red, and in the middle of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see it will remember ..."

Closeup of the dogwood bloom. 

My neighbor's CrapeMyrtle tree.  My friend Linda's mother lived in the very same house many years ago and her name was Myrtle Lee. 

Our side yard.  A branch of this forked tree fell down and is pinned in the fork.  I think it looks cool (which is one way of saying we're too lazy to get it down).

Closeup of a redbird.  The yellow flowers in the forefront are from a Yellow Bell bush which is another native bush.  They're all over the woods and beautiful right now.

I captured this cute little guy before he scampered up the tree.

My Hostas are trying to force their way into the wide open spaces after hibernating all winter.  That's an Ivy bush in the background and a few weeds mixed in for fun.

The hitching post attached to the Walnut tree.

And finally, our dog Fox trying to stay out of the way of the camera.  He doesn't like to have his picture taken.

I hope you enjoyed the backyard tour today.  Are you having lots of blooms in your backyards?