A Few of My Favorite Things: Spring 2019

Blossoms on Bushes

Lilacs are some of my favorite flowers. I have always thought they were so pretty and they smell amazing. Our home was built in the 1950’s and came with a large amount of landscaping already done. I was so excited about the lilacs that I almost couldn’t contain myself. My great-grandmother, Dum (check out her Chicken and Dumplings recipe) loved lilacs and had them around her house. My Aunt Donna also had lilac bushes along the side of her home where I spent a good portion of my childhood. The gentile scent that fills my home when the spring breeze ruffles through the bushes always brings a smile to my face and makes me think of so many amazing memories with the women I loved.

A few facts about lilacs

Lilacs sadly only bloom for a few short weeks at the very beginning of Spring, as soon as the weather breaks and it’s warm enough for them, so you have to enjoy them while they last.

There are a few different types of lilac bushes including shrubs, bushes, vines and trees. Each type has it own unique needs for care. We happen to have the shrub variety, meaning there is a main base plant, and it grows several shoots, or whips, every year. In the shrub variety that we have, the blossoms only come on the second year or older shoots. After they have bloomed and are done for the summer, you can prune them back so you are left with the smaller shoots that will bloom next spring. This helps to keep the shrub in check and manageable. Ours are currently doing what they want and will be pruned this summer.

Tulips of Red

As I stated above, our home came with a far amount of landscaping already done, and it seems that I find a new plant every spring that I hadn’t noticed was there before. This year it was this amazingly beautiful red tulip. When doing some quick research for this post, I realized that this is more than just a simple tulip; it is a sign of good fortune and love for our home left by a former owner. The meaning of the red tulip is perfect Love, which made me giggle because there is only one planted here and Josh and I just noticed it today when we were working together on a couple of projects. Synchronicity, right? Well, we are perfectly in love with this little guy and are happy to have him on the TreadlingHome-stead.

Small Purple Flowers

These were some of my favorite flowers when I was growing up because they always grew and I knew it was time to plant our garden when they showed up. They are a very small purple to blue flower that grows in my yard (see the pictures I took this morning of them). They also grow in my parent’s yard, which is where I used to pick them from and give them to my mom when I was a small girl. Today, I am better able to apriciate their softness and the subtle sweet smell they emit if you lay in them as I often do.

What are they?

I am always amazed at the things I learn after a lifetime of living in the country (rural communities). It turns out that these small flowers are called Wild Violets and are native to the U.S. They serve as an integral part of the ecosystem for butterflies. Who know?

The wild violet is classified as a weed for most people and it is killed by common weedkillers used in routine lawn maintenance. Like most weeds, the wild violet is self propagating and will come back every year. Like most things in life, Josh and I don’t see these as weeds, we see them as a beautiful part of our natural homestead lawn that helps to fuel the ecosystem around us. We also keep the Dandelions in our yard as well for the same reasons. Find out more about the wild violet from the University of Maryland here.

Thanks for visiting the TreadlingHome-stead!

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