April 28, 2008

Welcome, spring

By O.C. Stonestreet

Although spring officially arrived March 20, sometimes it’s difficult for me to believe it has really come again.

But I am no longer a doubting Thomas; spring has definitely come to our neighborhood in west Iredell. There are two sure indicators: the blooming (more like a subdued explosion) of dozens of species of spectacular flowering plants and my wife’s compulsion to get out in the yard and get her hands in the dirt. About mid-March, her eyes start to glaze over and she goes around mumbling “Got to get in the yard, get in the yard.”

While I am proficient at recognizing most of the common types of trees thanks to the Forestry Merit Badge and Mrs. Sue Lyerly in the fifth grade at Park View School, I am definitely in the back of the class when it comes to smaller forms of flora.

Sure, I can recognize roses, irises, buttercups, lilies and tulips, and I know the local names of most of the common weeds, but when it comes to all the other zillion kinds of flowers and flowering shrubs, I will be the first to admit that I am botanically challenged.

My wife, Judy, on the other hand, was taught by her grandmother, Sallie Goodrum Christenbury, to be on a first-name basis with a plethora of leafy life forms. Not only does Judy have a green thumb, but a green index finger, middle finger, ring finger and pinky as well. Over the years, Judy has introduced me to some of her floral friends.

My dog, Baron von Steinstrasser, and I truly enjoy watching Judy putter around in our yard. From our vantage point on the screened-in back porch, some 10 feet above the turf, Baron and I have been successful in adopting a supervisory role, being able to direct Judy in proper placement of new plants. Judy gets many of these in trade from two ladies at our church, Diane and Karen, whose surnames I will not divulge. 

Lest you get the wrong idea about Baron’s and my contribution to yard beautification, Baron is an expert in spot watering and I do mowing, heavy lifting and assist in leaf management in the fall.
about our yard

We have lived here just off Old Mountain Road for 16 years. The landscaping of our grounds was the result of efforts by a fellow named Alex whose house this originally was, and who was a real yard person. From testimony of neighbors Don and Arleen (another plant swapper), I know that Alex, weather permitting, could be found working in the yard at first light and still be at it when it was so dark you couldn’t distinguish your hostas from your hibiscus. He hauled in tons of rocks and set them about making what Judy and I refer to as “islands.” The islands are the homes of the trees, shrubs and flowers, separated by the rocks from the grassy lawn.

There was another couple who lived here a few years between Alex and us, but I don’t think they had the interest or perhaps the time to devote to the yard. After we moved here in 1992, it took Judy about two summers, with help, to get the flowers beds cleared and up to grade. We were amazed at the amount and variety of flowering life that has since come up.

The yellowbells were the first to announce spring’s arrival and they were wonderful to look upon for about two weeks.

Next to bloom was the flowering cherry tree and our camellia bush, which has dark red flowers resembling a rose. It is truly a favorite, but it always blooms too early and most of its blossoms get ambushed by a late frost. I have repeatedly taken a calender and shown it to the camellia, pointing to the word “March” at the top of the page, but if you have one, you know just how stubborn camellia bushes can be.

Next to bloom, at least in our yard, are the daffodils, or buttercups, and some small close-to-the-ground purple flowers that Judy does not know by name. Our dogwoods and azalea, in four shades no less, are, as I write this, just now blooming.

The last to bloom, but having the most flowers, will be Judy’s hydrangea, which if left to itself, would soon be the largest living organism in Iredell County. It will blossom with large balls composed of tight clusters of small bluish-purple flowers. We used a chain saw to trim it in the fall. Judy gets to oversee this activity, for I tend to get a little too enthusiastic with a chainsaw, which is like saying barbers in Marine boot camp get a little carried away in giving hair cuts.

That’s why Baron and I get to supervise. And we do it very well, I might add.