Burst of peony beauty

Vibrant start. One evening, my dear wife Karen was calling me out to our backyard corner to look at a bud or three popping out on our beloved peony tree. The next morning, I was showing her this photo of blooming and great activity. Yes, this cornerstone plant moves fast!

Tulips, II

Six strong. The half-dozen white tulips looked even more striking when I gazed at them a week-plus into their reign from the other side of our backyard.

Next in

Awaiting their turn. Let’s stop at Lowe’s, suggested my dear wife Karen, and look around their garden department. Might as well make it a triple play, thought I, knowing how we’d already enjoyed our visits to neighborhood nurseries Chuck Hafner’s Garden Center and Ballantyne Gardens. We looked through their aisles and Karen found a few…

Feisty rhododendron

Bigger and better. The backyard rhododendron gained height, width and flower power this season, my dear wife Karen happily noted on a backyard assessment stroll. This is year three, I think. In any case, we sure are glad we decided that we had to have them after seeing how beautiful they can be during our…

Colorful corner

Thick and rich. My dear wife Karen’s front-yard gardening has hit a home run this spring in the right-hand corner, with a great variety of her favorites coming in strong. I stand and admire on my way to the car in the driveway, every time.

Hardy dogwood, II

Bursting with white color. Even more surprising to my dear wife Karen and I was the way our front-yard dogwood has kept its white blossoms loud and proud during the big rain we experienced in our part of the world. Note that I mowed between the raindrops …

Lilac Part II

Alcove view. I’m glad our backyard lilac is holding on to its blooms this rainy stretch. My dear wife Karen and I imagined we’d find the flowers all over the lawn after hearing the deluges continue for days.

A new trivia challenge

Family team. Elisabeth and George Three spotted a weekly trivia night listed for the Syracuse Polish Home and thought it might be a good family night. My dear wife Karen and I agreed. We got there early enough to order from what they called the Tavern Menu. George and I enjoyed a Kielbasa Bowl while…

Another season for backyard fig tree

Will transform again. It was warm enough for my dear wife Karen and I to pull our potted fig tree out from its winter spot inside our house and back on the backyard patio. It will go through its annual transformation in Central New York. Knock on wood. This is its third year since our…

Our own lilac finds its bloom

Been there. We’re thinking about going to the Lilac Festival in Rochester again because we enjoyed it so much our first visit last year. First my dear wife Karen and I get to watch the slow bloom of our veteran backyard lilac out by the shed.