Such a NICE colorful Spring!

I really think the trees are the prettiest I have ever seen.. EVER. Yes, we are having an Early Spring, following a warm Winter.. We needed an easy Winter after 3 or 4 doozies in a row. I took a lot of photos of the blossoming trees in front of my office in Coralville. They are Bartlett Pear trees,, NO pears..They look great in the Spring, and the little (bitty) fruit that does form, stays on all winter, OR until the Cedar Wax Wings hit the trees enmasse in the late Fall as they meander south, then they make a visit early Spring to hit them again....Our tulips look good too. I am a sucker for a yellow tulip. So nice, so clean and fresh looking.. The BIG rumor is the the Pella Tulip Festival will/could be the Pella NO Tulip Festival, as they are blooming NOW, about a month early...So, most likely they have faced a cold Spring with no tulips, now this.. I hear they are importing tulips from farther north for the event. I have never been there, but I know it is beautiful.
..When I was kid here in Coralville, my Grandparents lived in their original house and BIG yard here in the old part of Coralville. Their house, built in 1920s is still looking good.. I drive past once in awhile to relive things..THEY had the most beautiful peonies ever.. They had snow white and dark red.. (dark red)  They lined the long drive, and for every 4 or 5  red ones, there was a nice white.....We liked the red so much that we planted a couple of the peonies in Coralville Cemetery next to the family plot. I KNOW they like that! I don't do much, if any yardwork anymore,, kind of miss it, but then again I don't. But I DO know nice looking plants, a nice looking yard, plantings, when I see them. .One of my favorites is the Redbud tree. Such little 'flowers', .. such gangly looking trees,, THEN boom, the leaves get BIG, kind of waxy, and shroud the trees in full color. Nice trees..Down in the older parts of Coralville,, ( 5th,6th, 7th, 8th, 9th avenues areas, we used to have a lot of  Elm trees..Dutch Elm took them out in the mid 60s..In their place people planted a lot of Silver Maple trees... Not good, this is the 'helicopter' trees.. The one that puts out the seeds that fall to the ground (or in your gutters) by rotating like a helicopter.. Not a long living tree, and they die from the INSIDE.. A big Silver Maple tree will always be rather hollow in the middle, thus prone to wind damage, falling on houses etc.....Keep an eye on these trees if you have one AND on one if your neighbor has one and IF it is growing over your garage, house, property etc.. If it falls on YOUR house or garage, YOU have to call YOUR insurance company for help.. NOT good, but that is the way it works.

NOW you know a lot of things about trees, flowers etc.........What fun!  I am still here in Coralville and I love it!!

Did you know we might be getting ANOTHER hospital in addition to the new one now being built near the Marriott?  See, it pays to read my blog!!!