June Is Bustin' Out All Over ...And So Are the Cottonwood Trees

Around fifty years ago a piece of prairie on the outskirts of our town was scraped off and remade as a housing subdivision. Streets, sidewalks, and houses were built. People moved in (among them my parents). The new homeowners immediately began the work to beautify the barren neighborhood. Lawns and trees went in. Now, on the high plains of northeastern Wyoming trees are not common. They need more water than nature usually supplies. So a wide variety of trees were planted and carefully tended and watered. Among them were many cottonwood trees. Being a fast-growing soft wood variety, a cottonwood tree could grow into a real shade tree much faster than most types of trees. We are now surrounded by many mature trees of every type, but the tallest are the old cottonwoods. Unfortunately, 50-odd years ago people weren't getting the cottonless cottonwoods. I don't know if they were even available then.

That means that every spring we get cotton! And there is something about the cotton season that really sets off allergies.

Surrounded by Cottonwoods

Nearly forty years after my parents moved into this neighborhood,  my daughter and son-in-law bought a house around the corner from Mother's house.  A few years later, newly widowed, I made plans with my kids to build an addition onto their house. The addition is an oversized three-car garage with my home above. It is a convenience for us all. This is why my "yard" is my big deck. I can look out over the neighborhood from my aerie. To satisfy my need that arises every spring to plant something, and to surround myself with the flowers I love, I now have 30 pots bordering the deck. Through the long, barren winters I look forward to the return of flower season.

When I planted my flower pots this spring, the little plants were definitely on the scraggly side. They desperately needed out of those tiny greenhouse planters. The first couple of weeks after they went into my pots nothing much happened. The nights were still cold, which slowed them down, and they needed to establish their roots into the new soil.

The past few days have been lovely and warm, with mild nights. And I can almost see the little plants grow! New, thicker foliage is appearing. Blooms are popping out. June is bustin' out all over! (A nod of thanks to the song from Carousel.) The only plants that are a little slow are the ones in the few pots that are in the shade through the morning. The pots that look somewhat bare will soon be overflowing with an abundance of blooming plants. I love it!

Geraniums, Petunias, and Violas 

I have lots of pots of petunias

It won't be long until the pots are overflowing with flowers.

My first zinnia bloom (others are opening now).