What We Came Back To

We came back from a trip to Boston to see a daughter and son in law we had not visited since before the pandemic, and this is what happened while we were gone.

What a sight to welcome us home. This crabapple did not bloom last year at all -- it wasn't that the buds got zapped by frost and failed to open, it simply had no flower buds at all.

But this year has made up for it.

It's still a young and awkward shape, but growing well and back on track with the flowering business. The buds start out dark pink and then turn white as they open.

And another surprise when we returned: the tiny brand-new serviceberry sapling I planted last fall by the rain barrel has one -- and only one -- flower blooming.

It has no leaves yet, they aren't quite ready to open. And no other blooms, just this one stuck on a bare branch like a toddler's art project. 

Our trip east was great, our long overdue visit was so gratifying, and on our return home after the afflictions of air travel (no mishaps, just the usual misery) we were rewarded with these pretty blooming trees.