A Walk Through the Garden

This morning while watering my fruit trees and flowers, I took a leisurely stroll through the garden. The weather was still cool, and it was rewarding to check on the progress of  the fruit. We wait all year for the it to ripen, hoping that nothing goes wrong. My goal is to have something ready to harvest and to eat each month. I'm not there yet, but am working on it.

The pomegranates are forming well. They look like they will be a bit bigger this year. I hope so. Usually they are sweet, but fairly small. I'm not sure why. Maybe I should thin the fruit. It's an enormous bush. I planted it twenty years ago, after buying it as a small plant from the nursery. I love how majestic it has become. It loves the expansive space. The red blossoms attract hummingbirds and monarch butterflies.

This little lime tree is finally bearing fruit. I'm so excited. This is the first year that the fruit hasn't been eaten  by grasshoppers. They used to devour the tiny balls each Spring. It's still a very small tree, but in time it will grow and spread. Citrus make just beautiful privacy plants. I love the year round greenery that they provide. Orioles, with their bright yellow and orange breasts, love them, too.

This blood orange tree was given to me two decades ago for Easter, by a friend. It's really come a long way. It took many years for it to look healthy and strong. I mulch it heavily with leaves and straw, which it seems to like. These oranges have a beautiful color once they are ripe. They are red inside; with a marbled orange/crimson color. They are part grapefruit, and make a delicious gourmet sorbet.

The navel orange tree has some fruit, too. I think this one must be a dwarf. It's smaller than the other trees, but the oranges that  it produces are to die for! They are the sweetest and most delicious ones that I have ever tasted. I love snacking on  them,  fresh off of the tree. The peels make a wonderful  and non toxic citrus cleanser.

Carlie is taking a nice snooze on the shady front porch while I am blogging. The animals really seem to appreciate and take advantage of the garden. It seems like they feel the healing energy from being outside in nature, just like we do. What do you think?