Springtime Continues

What a difference a week makes in the springtime garden. This morning I found my first tomato of the season. Wahoo! This is "Sungold" my "can't do without" favorite. After losing all of my precious seed- grown tomatoes last summer to some kind of blight by June 1st, "Sungold" is my one and only this year. And it's in a pot.
This tomato is indeterminate and just does not stop. It has grown to at least eight feet for me and produces up until frost. It is a bright orange color, about an inch in diameter and, to my taste, has the perfect balance of sweet, tart and acid.
Of course, this means that the nasty leaf- footed bugs are not far behind. The battle for the tomatoes in on!

The "Tangerine Beauty" crossvine has puffed up considerably over the past week and is about to burst into bloom any second. I've really enjoyed watching the bud development on this vine and the lovely colorations. At this stage the ends of the "balloons" are a purply shade and with the orange creates a distinctive look against the charteuse new growth. I almost expect to see little puffs of smoke shoot out when they open.      

The yellow columbines (Aquilegia chysantha var. Hinckleyana) have begun to bloom this week. Their exotic blooms pull me out to the side yard where they are planted in the shade of a cedar elm in the worst possible soil. They are putting on a great show this year and I think my efforts to give the tree extra water last summer with the soaker hose has benefitted them as well. The red columbines are being slow pokes and are not even thinking of blooming yet.