Sakura, Ume, and Hanami

The Sasebo Garden

April 1.  We took the tour with Deb Firstenberg and it was well worth the time.  The Japanese Garden was awash with seasonal color:  cherries, plums, and crabapple.  The early Magnolias and quince were almost finished and the earliest cherries were dancing away in the light breeze.  Hanami is coming up next week and the garden is in good shape for it, even though there are only a few cherries blooming just yet.  

 Spring Green Connection

April 2.  I checked the box on my second BioPark education event by helping out with the discovery station in the Pollinator Garden.  Lots of 4-6th graders running around as "bees" collecting nectar while the "flowers" stuck Velcro-coated ping-pong ball "pollen grains" on them. 

Tours

April 11.  I helped Ron Fredericks and Courtney out with a tour from the Unitarian Church.  It turned out to be a small group and we had a nice time wandering through the Dolittle, Spanish-Moorish, Jardin Redondo, and Ceremonial Gardens.  There was a pause for people to pop into the Mediterranean Conservatory and then we walked out to the Japanese Garden for that loop.  All in all, about 90 minutes. 

April 15.  Caro and I took Debbie to the gardens for a delightful morning stroll that went all the way out to the Sasebo Garden.  As the breezes picked up, we took our bento boxes to the Vitex Plaza and had a picnic in the lee of the glass houses. 

Iris Show

April 19.  Caro and I took Gert to the Iris Show at the Garden.  Lovely cut flowers were there in profusion, but it was difficult to photograph given the background and table coverings. 

Caja del Rio

Somewhere in this busy month of April, Jeff White visited NM.  Kent and I caught up with him in Santa Fe and we bounced out into the Caja del Rio until Jeff's van cried "Uncle!"  It was a gentle hike to the canyon rim, but the trail down to the river was loose and steep.  We had a late lunch at a scenic vista, explored the rim a bit, and returned the way we had come.  Worth a repeat to explore the deeper into the canyon. 

Turtle Update

Tootsie and Tutu seem to be enjoying their new turtle-arium home.  Tootsie has been snacking on meal worms, but Tutu is still stand-offish about food.  I've upgraded their lighting with a UVB bulb.  They weathered the latest cold snap (right down to 32°) and things look to be warming up for the little guys.  All the big turtles have been spotted.  Trudy hangs out under a fescue in the Bodhisattva Garden while Terrance is in the Hidden Garden near the Agastache.  No idea where Ten-ten hangs out. 

Peach Update

Despite the brief excursion down to freezing, the peaches are far enough along that no harm was done.  The Wisterias survived without a hiccup either.  My bonsai Wisteria is a very late blooming variety with compact inflorescences; it has yet to open its blossoms.  Stand by for photos when that happens.