Short jaunt on the Parkway

We wanted a nearby trip on the Parkway today, but as we set off north from the Folk Life Center we saw it was closed a mere 8 miles ahead. South, I knew already Graveyard Fields was closed for improvements, so we didn't want to head down that way. So we stayed VERY close. We went to the parkway headquarters and visitors' center. There we took a mile-long loop hike and saw these flowers. (Plus Calvin near the trailhead.) Then we came back to the Folk Life Center for a picnic lunch. We trouped around the gallery a while and then headed home. It was picture day for the current baseball season, and both Calvin and Briggs had mid-afternoon time slots. It was a nice short outing. And a good day for spring flowers.

Plus some fiddlehead ferns in memory of my dad.

Late spring flowers

These have been coming along a little more recently...

This coral honeysuckle is climbing on one of the supports for the deck in back.

Spiderwort is growing in the big garden out front.

Cranesbill  is a new addition to the area near the front door.

 This columbine has been in place for a few years and seems to like its spot near the front door.

This Exbury azalea is another new addition this year.  The area near the front door was a wasteland when we arrived.  We mulched it and wrote it off for a couple of years, giving us time to get most of the worst weeds removed.  Since then we have been adding to the area each year.

Spring flowers

Some of things things that have been in bloom for the past month or so.

 A rhododendron we planted a couple of years ago, beside the front stoop, bloomed this year...

Peonies given to us by some of the church ladies our first spring in Black Mountain.  They have bloomed every year, and seem to enjoy where they are.  There are some white flowered specimens, but I missed getting a picture of them...

This-n-that

Not too much happening this month. We did find this whopper of a tomato; God-only knows what it tastes like. It's more purple than red at the moment. We picked it green and it stayed that way for the longest time! There's a single corn stalk in the garden; not sure where it came from. But it has fertilized, and there are baby ears developing! There is a lot of Rose-of-Sharon around the lot. I've grown to detest it, but it does have a pretty flower. Here are two varieties: no color in the center of the bloom, and a red center in each bloom. That's a shot of how it spreads: there are shoots like this all over. This is why I detest it! Lastly, there used to be a rusting aluminum shed on that slab. We're taking suggestions on what should go here now. It's about 20 feet from the back porch and deck, nicely sheltered by trees.