Friday, May 4

Spring Brings.....

The Good: Dutch iris, a volunteer that I have NO idea where it came from. I know I didn't plant it. Behind it is my confused azalea, which blooms (if at all) in August.

Bearded iris, part of a flower bed-full. This is one of the first to bloom.

The Bad: poison ivy! I put an oak leaf under it so you could see it better. Ever since Hurricane Katrina, our yard has been cursed with much more poison ivy than usual. It used to be only in the woods around us, but now it is invading the grass and flower beds at an alarming rate. I can't always spray weed killer on it, so I am forced to don rubber gloves and pull it out by the roots. I read this week that as global warming becomes more of a reality, weeds and noxious plants like poison ivy will be even more prevalent. Already it is noted by gardeners that some plants formerly confined to the lower southern states are now tolerated further north than ever thought possible. It brings all sorts of good possibilities for gardeners, but I fear that the bad aspects of it will be worse. Have you noticed any changes attributable to global warming?

Note: I know that some people think global warming is a hoax. Please don't bother telling me if you think it's a hoax.

14 comments:

longspider said...

Beautiful irises... My hubby's grandfather grew prized irises in PA.

Well, I'll say to anyone who don't believe in global warmin to take a trip to Scandinavia where I'm from, and tell me what the explanation is for the eerily mild temperatures and lack of snow that is augmenting each winter... we were there in Dec. this year and temperatures were the same as in OK - only we had had tons of snow; they none.

Tony Gasbarro said...

I think global warming is a... wait a minute....

Okay... Never mind....

:-)

Chancy said...

Lovely photos Judy.

The weird weather in Georgia recently convinces me that global warming is real.

At Easter this year the temperature hit a record low in the 20's. Colder than it had been during the entire winter.

scrappintwinmom said...

Beautiful!

I've got a hydrangea that I planted last year, hoping it comes back - I have a black thumb.

David Edward said...

its certainly NOT a hoax, judy, but neither is there sufficient evidence that man's puny output of greenhouse gases in any way compares to events like Mt Saint Helens - or Mt. Pinatubo, which we have no control over. The earth was never made to last forever, nor were humans, we need to be getting ready for what comes next.
oops I just heard another sheep down the road passing gas!

Bobkat said...

Those Iris are lovely :-)

In the UK we have had bright sunny days for weeks. We don't usually see this kind of weather until June! I get annoyed when people say Global warming is a hoax. They need to open their eyes and see what is happening!

Michele sent me to say hi this time.

Eddie said...

Judy,
I can tell form here where it came from: the ground.

AC said...

My irises are really messed up from the late freeze. Only a few are going to bloom (and the dog knocked one over this morning jumping off the porch) and the foliage is all brown. Trimmng has been a big pain.

I have tagged you with the ABC meme (see the new post I made after declaring a hiatus -- short, very short) I hope you will be willing to play!

Bobkat said...

I have six Japanese Maples in my garden :) Three are deep reds adn three are green, some are deeply dissected and some have the more traditional maple-like leaves. This year they all sprouted leaf early adn I was so worried they would be victim to a later frost. But it never happened I am happy to say.

sage said...

nice photos... Poison Ivy was up here even before global warming--it's a fairly hardy plant and I am allergic--but it doesn't keep me out of the woods. We have it in our yard too, I just pull it up when I see it (and wash my hands afterwards or put on gloves)

Granny Annie said...

I thought my Iris were messed up from the late freeze, but they have finally come back. They don't seem as pretty as they were before the freeze, but we were happy to see them return. I am omitting all my clever antidotes regarding global warming per your request...oh so tempting though:-)

Anonymous said...

We had a botantist from the UNC Botanical Gardens come and talk to us as part of the Earth Day activities at work. He talked about 'invasive plants', and it was mind blowing. Who would have thought so much devastation could be wraught by foilage??

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Lovely Lovely Irises Judy...I bet when they are ALL in bloom, it must be awesome to see....! And that one that just grew out of nowhere...Do you think some birdie dropped that seed?
I DO believe that global warming is a terrible problem and the evidence of it is all around if anyone wants to really look...That is scary about the poisen ivy..., btw...Here I notice a number of things, but the most glaring thing is there are times when I can feel the heat of the sun..the "burning" heat of the sun that I do not remember feeling as a young girl, or even a young woman....And this year we are so far behind rainwise...Almost 12 (Twelve) inches behind what it should be....The weather changes are very noticeable....And that is happening everywhere...!

Shephard said...

I have only noticed what people point out. And then... I'm not so sure. But I'm not flippant about it either.

I love the last photo, esp.
~S