The Year of Moving Forward

The Year of Moving Forward
At our 4 person wedding reception in DC

Monday, March 23, 2009

Spring Time in Bessemer

The dwarf double flowering almond is one of the first things to bloom in our yard each spring, and it never disappoints. Except the flowers don't last long enough. But isn't that true of most flowers (and most other good things)?


In our little Zen Garden the maple tree is putting out blooms and leaves at the same time. People often comment that the leaves of these ornamental maples look like marijuana leaves. Speaking of (medical) marijuana, Loretta Nall had a great letter printed in the Montgomery Advertiser (although I can't link to it) about HB434, the Michael Phillips Compassionate Care Act. Here is a link to the letter at her site.


I'm hoping my cousin or someone else can tell me what's going on with this leaf. I found it a couple of week's ago in the back yard while preparing to plant a grape vine. I searched around and did not see any others that looked the same. Plant virus? I don't know.



The first Jonesboro Community Garden workday of 2009 was held Saturday, and several members of the Bessemer Historical Homeowners Association showed up to dig and plant and gossip about those who were not there. Not really, you know we wouldn't gossip.

We planted a dogwood tree, a magnolia, four fruit trees and several vines and other plants. But gardening is not just planting. Here the old growth is being trimmed from some ornamental grasses, and crepe myrtles were trimmed as well.



Five camellias were planted. Notice a couple of things about this picture. Near the center, behind the camellias, is a redbud tree. There are several redbuds and pecan trees and nandinas along the fence that we are going to save to be part of the garden. But the fence will be cleaned up as well, and this has begun to the left. The old chain link fence is there because this was a school yard and it kept the kids in. Or the creeps out. We still want to keep the creeps out.


The Bessemer School Board will meet Tuesday, September 24, 2009 at 6:00 PM in the board room at their office at 1621 5th Ave N. The fate of Arlington School is on the agenda. Let's hope they save it, and let's be there in support. If they choose to destroy it, in a few decades will progressive neighbors be working to create a garden on the site, like in Jonesboro? We have enough vacant lots crying out to be tended as it is, and we think we can have both significant historic buildings and beautiful gardens.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Joe - I saw this yesterday about the time I was leaving for work. I've seen similar sorts of spotting and patterns on red maple leaves here.

Virus or bacterium, but the spotting is probably due to hypersensitive response, where the infected cells commit suicide when they detect foreign protein rather than allow an infection to spread. That's the way plants do it. You get the site of infection at the center, and then a circular zone around it.