Looking up - literally

My neighbor and I were remarking on the astounding show from this white crabapple this year. While we were standing there I kept glancing over at the boughs looking for bees and pollinators. After all, this is a bee sanctuary. These spring-flowering trees are supposed to entice the bees because not too much else is blooming right now. But alas. I saw nothing.

Finally, in the conversation, I voiced my disappointment to my equally bee-friendly nabe. He just looked at me, then pointed UP. I looked. And was dumbfounded. Way up there I saw hundreds of insects flitting and buzzing and darting and swooping in and out of the topmost boughs. The sun lit the petals so they practically glowed against a sky as blue as a robin's egg. Ahhhhh. I think I just stood there and grinned like an idiot.

What a wonderful way to end a 3-day span of labor-intensive garden work. During those days I created a 47-foot long arcing privacy bed that will not only be the first display visitors will see when coming up the driveway, but will give me much needed relief from the main road, the golf course, and other homes that have removed a lot of trees and shrubs. I also made a bed around the late (and lamented) fallen ash tree as well as edged the 2 border beds along the driveway.

And I am still working with the vegetables, notably dealing with my annoying success with tomatoes. There is still a lot of seeding going on too and am sowing bee forage annuals like sunflowers, African daisies, and even more varieties of zinnias (have I mentioned I like zins a lot?). Gosh, and I thought I was busy in April!

(click on the red text to view project details)