Twin Oaks in April

The young, bright green leaves of one of our saw tooth oaks in the lower field against the bright April sky.  This accompaniment of blue and light green only occurs in April at Twin Oaks, which is one reason the month is so special to me.

April is one of my favorite months of the year.  So many plants come to life.  It is the only time of year you can get spectacular blue skies and the bright green leaves freshly filling out along tree branches.  The number of flowers and shrubs that emerge in April is remarkable.  

This year we had a lot of clear sunny days in between the normal spring rain.  Easter Sunday was the worst day weather-wise, with numerous tornadoes across the southeast.  A couple passed within 20 miles of Twin Oaks.  Again, we were lucky.

Meanwhile, my property exploded with wonderful natural beauty met by a plethora of birds, squirrels and other little critters.

In March and into early-April, wisteria proliferates in the trees.  After it bloomed this year, I cut a bunch of it back.  You have to do that every so many years of it will actually choke the life out of whatever tree it is growing on. It is pretty and fragrant but also a nuisance. 

Wisteria in the tree tops.

It has this pine tree ensnared.

This gives you some idea of tightly it wraps itself around a tree.  I cut the vine at the base and paint it with concentrated Roundup.  That usually gets rid of it for a few years.  Don't worry, there will still be plenty next year.  It is a constant battle between allowing the beauty of it and protecting the trees.

One of my favorite things about April are the dogwoods.  This is a shot of twin dogwoods that have grown up together in our barnyard.  They were there in 1993 when we bought the property.  Actually there were five of them growing in a clump.  I selectively cut three of them and let the other two grow.  Overall, the number of dogwoods on our property has diminished through the years.  Jennifer planted a couple of new ones this year.

The dogwood blossoms look especially beautiful on clear sunny days.  They only bloom for about 10 days before gradually losing those blossoms and leaf out.

There were still patches of tulips around going into April.

More tulips.

And still plenty of Iris's blooming was well.

My favorite color of Iris.

Hibiscus.  Jennifer bought this in April.  It will flourish on the rock terrace until winter, then go inside to keep warm.

Jennifer planted little patches of white thrift last year along the top of the rock wall.  They will spread and eventually cascade down the wall in years to come.  These are all from thrift that was one of the first things we planted at Twin Oaks.  Time to start them all over again.

Money plant also known as honesty.

A beautiful spring time color.

Aesculus pavia.  Jennifer planted this 20 years ago.

It produced superb flowers in April.  This is behind the branch of the plant facing north toward the mulberry tree on the other side of my back yard.  You can spot a little Lady Banks Rose in there as well.

Solomon's Seal.  We planted two of these over the winter.  They are new to the terraced garden this year.  Always mixing the old with the new in nature at Twin Oaks.

Ajuga. This grows all around the path to the terrace and near the door to the house.  I usually don't mow this creeping plant in April.  It's purple flower dies by May.

In my back yard facing west early in April.

Same location two weeks later...

Looking east toward our Lady Banks Rose in the distance.

The roots of the Lady Banks Rose show how old and hearty it is.

Our spirea filled out in April.  It seems to glow on cloudy days. 

There was a lot of goose action in April.  Two geese headed south.

Four headed south, passing over my back yard.

Three more, this time over my front yard.

This one came very close.  I shot this over my driveway as the sun was coming up one morning.

We have a lot of chicken action too.  These come over into my backyard from a coop that my neighbor has.  It is nice to hear and see chickens without having to take care of them.  There are always fresh eggs around here.

This is how my clover looked at the beginning of April.

By mid-April the patch was looking impressive.

Gorgeous red clover.  It was an experiment this year, we've never had it before.  I'd call it a splendid success.

The red heads are beautiful individually as well as collectively.

Lots of bee action in the clover.

The lower field facing south.  Everything is lush and green on this sunny spring day.  You can see the clover patch in the bend of the unmowed portion of the field.

Grasses are also something I encourage in April.  This is a patch of rye that grows near our driveway.  I let in grow tall until the heat finally claims it in the summer.

A shot of my back yard facing south.  Our mulberry tree is in the foreground with a old plow that came from my great-grandfather's barn.

The way I mow my front yard.  I love the spaciousness of this area.  As you can see here I stop mowing part of it in February.  There is a silky type of grass that grows here that is so tranquil to me.  I believe it is a type of Stipa, though I am no authority on grasses.  I know what I like when I see it and there is plenty of this stuff all around my front yard.  It will turn silvery in the summer just before I mow it.

A shot of the silky, needle type grass in my front yard.

Another view of my spacious front yard.  Great for playing the dogs or daydreaming.  Also perfect at night for star watching.  The green branches of the original twin oaks can be seen in the distant center. 

This may not look like much but there's a story to it.  This is narcissus from my great-grandmother's front yard, which was across the road from my property for many years.  Jennifer and I dug these bulbs up probably in early 1994 and transplanted them here along our gravel driveway.  They never bloom much but they remind me of when my great-grandmother's rock wall was crowded with these during this time of year.  I was a young boy then.  This is my direct connection with those moments.  

As I said, they never bloom very much but they are intertwined with my memory of youth.

Avery used her fancy iPhone to take this shot of me enjoying a beer on a bright sunny afternoon during the April pandemic lockdown at Twin Oaks.

Highlights:   Lots of very windy days.  The woods fill in with leaves.  Bright sunny days.  Sweet shrub during the second week, which I blogged about previously here and here.  Our Lady Banks Rose blooms, which I previously mentioned here and here.  Numerous flowers and shrubs start to strut their stuff.  A lot more action from nearby geese.  This year's clover experiment in the lower field turned out even better than expected.  Escaping the pandemic, Avery and her boyfriend lived with us the whole month.  About 5-weeks altogether.