Spring is in the process of sprung-ing here in Richmond and we’re boiling over with excitement. Warm weather? Yes please. Green trees? Bring it. Flowers blooming? Duh, winning.
So to those of you who aren’t on the brink of spring yet, we thought we’d send a virtual dose of the season – courtesy of some photos of what’s starting to happen around here – like the little buds that are showing up on the hydrangeas that we’ve inherited.
Spring is especially exciting this year because we get to be surprised by whatever magically decides to pop up around the new house – and we finally get to see what our property looks like in all it’s bloomin’ glory. The daffodils are already on blast. Holla.
Oh and for those who don’t recognize the house above, it’s the back of ours. It’s definitely different than the original brick ranch facade in the front, right? We think it’s really funny that the addition was only built about 10 years later (in the 70’s instead of the 60’s) but it has such a different vibe. Someday we hope to unify things. Not sure how yet, but maybe it’ll come to me in a dream. Sidenote #1: I once had a dream about tiling our old shower surround with white subway tile about a year before actually deciding to embark on that adventure (and to use white subway tile).
But back to the weather. Even Burger is itching to get outside and kick off what will be many months of bug hunting in a new backyard. Here he is gazing longingly out the living room window. Sidenote #2: This shot of the bushes makes Sherry twitchy because she wants to trim them like crazy.
As for the temp, the daily highs around here have been wavering between the mid-50s and the high-60s, even stretching into the 70’s a couple of weeks back. And that means yard work is quickly creeping to the top of our to-do list (especially since we got started a few weeks back). Which reminds us, we owe you a more official “tour” of the exterior of our house. So put that in your “stay tuned” folder.
The only bummer that spring has sprung on us has to do with the tree in the front of the house. It has grown (or was planted?) crazy close to the foundation…
… and stretches up the side of the porch, sort of feathering out over the walkway to the front door. We’ve always known it probably has to go (aka we should take it out before it takes out any of the house). But it’s charming, darn it.
Especially covered in white blooms. See them below? Sidenote #3: I just typed “see them blow?” which was oddly entertaining to me (I dunno, kinda like “thar she blows”), so I stopped writing this post and told Sherry about it. She only found it marginally funny. Maybe it was a you-had-to-be-there thing.
Anyway, don’t those white flowers in the picture above (not blow) make you love it? Maybe white flowers are the tree equivalent to sad puppy dog eyes. Seems like a shame to remove that sweet little tree now. Especially since we don’t think we can save him since he’s basically on top of the house (so we anticipate a crazy root situation when we start digging). Oh and while we’re on the subject of said tree, does anyone know what it is? We have no idea.
Despite our little tree drama, we’re ready to enjoy spring to the fullest (holy buckets, it’ll be Clara’s first birthday before we know it). I wonder how good she’d be at mulching. Hmm…
Is anyone else getting a good dose of spring fever yet? Are temperatures up and flowers out in you area? Who’s shoveling snow today?
Pamela says
That feeling of a burgeoning spring in a new home that you bought during winter is priceless! Same happened for us in ’09 and it was so exciting to see what emerged.
We had to unfortunately chop down two fairly young trees that were up against the house(!)…not sure what previous owners were thinking planting them there. We left a bush that looks curiously like your tree because we couldn’t bear to part with it. We always thought it was dogwood but after all of the camellia comments above I’m rethinking! HAPPY SPRING…almost!
Alicia says
I scraped 1/2 inch of snow off of my car this morning in Kentucky. Now the sun is shining and we’re approaching 55 degrees. The old saying, “if you don’t like the weather in Kentucky, just wait a few hours” proves true again!
Meredith says
Alicia, I’m from Kentucky too and I know EXACTLY what you’re saying! You made me laugh out loud!
Kelly says
SO very jealous! The midwest isn’t seeing any of this beauty yet. Please soon!!!!!!
Chrissy Henry says
It is pretty warm here in Minnesota today, 40 degrees actually… It’s a heat wave!!! But we still have plenty of snow and supposedly another snow storm to hit tonight. True spring time is still about 3 weeks off for us. But I can’t wait for green grass and flowers and warm weather.
Thanks for the pictures, if I close my eyes real tight I can imagine there is no more snow!!
Jamie M says
I’m in Texas, but originally from Oregon. I think we had about 2 weeks of “winter” here in Houston. Now its in the Mid-70’s. The warmer air is nice, but it’s getting too hot, too quick! I wish we ha d a Little more “wet-spring” weather here!
Kimberly says
Bwahaha. I laughed out loud when I saw “duh, winning.” Y’all are just too funny. Loving little Burger in the window. He’s so sweet. :)
Jen. says
Inherited gardens are so much fun! Our house’s previous owner was a Master Gardener who loved perennial wildflowers, and I’m itching for our second spring in this house to hurry up and get here already! Last year, I thought everything was amazing when it hit half a foot high. Little did I know we had two months of flowers ahead of us, and some of the plants would grow another 2-3 feet. :)
Ally says
Any chance you guys might be willing / able to do another one of these for your new home? http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/06/the-lay-of-the-land/ Architecture major here, so I love a good floorplan. Or site plan. Basically, viewing layouts from above is good in my book.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we’d love to do one on those soon! Maybe when we share more exterior shots!
xo,
s
Amanda says
Also a landscape architect. And I definitely think theres a shot you could successful transplant it. By growing in a constricted space (next to your foundation) it probably already has compacted roots and its growth may already be stunted. This means that it should be easier to keep a compact root ball, at least on the side of the house. I don’t know if you know this or not, but thats the key to successful transplants. Once you have it in an area that allows it to have 360 degrees of root growth this tree should be very happy (it may go through a shock phase, during which you should baby it) If its growth is all on one side due to its former location then you may be able to prune or train to be multi-dimensional or should put in in your border facing out. Just some tips. Some people think they’re obvious, some do not.
Kim says
Brick is very labor intensive and therefore very expensive. Even veneer. So therefore why people do siding. We just put board and batten on our addition, and it goes nicely with our brick (same age home).
Katie Thomas says
Love this post- “I wonder how good she’d be at mulching…” hahaha.
Laura @ Starting Out Fit says
I am jealous.
There are most definitely 0 signs of spring up here so far. I’m in Ontario and it’s snowing as I type this… haven’t seen the sun for days!! It’s quite depressing actually. :( I may, or may not have tried to smell the blossoms on this post through the screen. ;)
Leanne says
We have about 6 crocuses coming up around our trees, so far! And the paperwhites are following slowly. Can’t wait!! Then my grass will fill in, and we can play on it for real this year!
Brianne says
We’re in a blizzard warning in Fargo, ND this mid-March day. Gross! This post gives me hope. AND gives me ideas of moving to Richmond. Enjoy the blooms…we’ll join you in spirit and wait for the life of spring to show up here in June.
Tamara says
Looks like a white camellia “bush”…
Emy says
Oh my ! That post totally made my day ! Can’t wait to see those bloom and to walk in the sun… I’m from Quebec (Canada), and we had our last snow storm a couple days ago… yikes ! Now it’s freezing rain, dead trees and grey skies. Yes, that’s how life is up North ! I will keep following your Spring blogging, close my eyes, and imagine it’s Spring here too !
Sarah T says
It is DEFINITELY not a dogwood and even more definitely not a magnolia. I’ve had both in my yard before. I am quite sure it’s a camellia. I used to have one with pink blooms.
Bruce says
As a Bon Air neighbor of yours, I strongly believe your small tree is a star magnolia. Google images and match the leaf shape as well as the tissue thin star petals of the flower. While it could be a Camilla – the texture & delicate appearance of the leaf points to the magnolia. Need a better close up of the leaf, bud and flower to be 100% positive.
HTH!
r8chel says
Whaaaat? You have daffodils blooming already?? Lucky you!
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
Well here on Long Island, the Daffodils are just starting to come up, but not open yet. And I noticed our Hosta’s are coming up to. I will have to look around the yard this weekend, they say 50 degrees for Saturday. I think a little outdoor work is in order. I need to feel the sun!!! I’m done with the winter now. Thanks for sharing your pictures with us. Can’t wait to see the rest of your backyard.
Susan says
I agree it is a camellia, probably C. sasanqua. It is worth trying to save; wait till it is through blooming. Try to get as much of the rootball as you can; have the new hole already dug; keep it watered during the first year. Good luck!
Ange says
I know heaps of people have already said your tree is a Camellia. I agree. In my experience the roots are not too damaging to the foundations, we inherited 4 of them right up against our house which didn’t give us any problems. Judging by the photos ours looked just as tall as yours but much bushier with green leaves all the way top-to-bottom.I understand you wanting to move it further away, you should be able to transplant it. You don’t need to save the full root system to make that work. Also as mentioned you can take cuttings & start up new little shrubs. Aswell, the branches/leaves go nicely in floral arrangements. If they are healthy they have a beautiful sheen on one side & more of am matte the other and do well for a long period once cut. The leaves are often used for buttoneires for grooms/men in bridal parties.
Robbins Landscaping, Inc. says
So excited for this year’s early spring!
We’re pretty confident that that is a camellia sasanqua! Not sure what the cultivar is, though…
If you’re feeling really adventurous, you might be able to make an espalier out of it? Link to photo below.
Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed your ‘shout out’ to the spring landscape!
Sarah
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blogs.chron.com/lazygardener/EspalierBLOG.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.trojani.co.cc/espalier-camellias.html%26page%3D5&usg=__UMtFILXG2dDIrvu9vrZ27cQL4HQ=&h=295&w=500&sz=271&hl=en&start=0&sig2=Vg7sBcAt2nNEHIPzBmBmSQ&zoom=1&tbnid=F6lsfmZK58j7VM:&tbnh=100&tbnw=170&ei=Bph6TYy4OaaY0QGH9cXnAw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcamellia%2Bespalier%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1023%26bih%3D557%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C114&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=534&vpy=127&dur=270&hovh=172&hovw=292&tx=128&ty=102&oei=Bph6TYy4OaaY0QGH9cXnAw&page=1&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0&biw=1023&bih=557
Amy says
It’s looking lovely in Durham too! http://www.trianglehoneymoon.com/2011/02/22/hints-of-spring/
Clare says
We have some daffodils in our front yard and they make me so happy! I hear the birds chirping every day and I love it! Spring is almost here! Dont forget to set your clocks forward on Sunday!!
Mandy says
I”m sure this has probably been mentioned already, but you can always transplant the white flower tree to another spot
Kate says
Looks like a camellia to me. White camellias like that one are the flower of women’s suffrage, all the bluestockings used to wear them.
It’s autumn here and it’s definitely getting colder at night – I can feel the snap in the air. I suspect we’ll see a bit of colour in the trees in the next few weeks.
Liz says
Totally random, but I just gotta throw this in: If not for you mentioning how awesome Dexter was in one of your posts a few months back, my husband and I never would’ve watched it. Anyway, it’s our FAVORITE. SHOW. EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We watched all five seasons in like a month and we ordered Showtime so we can watch season 6 in real time, cuz we’re obsessive like that. Anyway, I owe my Dexter love to you!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
I’m right there with you! Best. Show. Ever!!!
xo,
s
Rochelle says
We just got blasted with snow again here in western PA. My cat Chester is going crazy wishing for spring- see http://www.myexperimentallife.blogspot.com. I actually enjoyed the day getting some cleaning done even though I did have to shovel snow to get the kids to school!! I thought Punxsatawney Phil predicted an early spring….hmm…just not for us here in PA.
Nikki says
Jealous! You lucky ducks I can’t wait for Spring to come here.
That poor tree is terribly close to the house…too bad Perhaps you could transplant it? : (
YoungHouseLove says
We’d love to! That’s the plan. We’ll keep you guys posted as to how it goes.
xo,
s
Kari says
I vote for Camellia as well. It might be an idea to ask someone if you need to move it. When we had our house inspection done, we asked about a lilac tree that is planted super close to our foundation and he said it would be fine..so might be worth an ask!
Crystal says
I don’t know if anyone wrote this yet, but I watched DIY network recently and watched an episode that stated that the roots can be anywhere from 50% to 70% larger that the circumference of the branches. If they have been trimmed then the top circumference could be even further off from what the roots actual growth. I just wanted to give you a heads up.
Vics says
I feel like we’re already passed Spring and approaching Summer…. This week here in Southern California we have high in the 80’s. Still colder at the beaches though =P
Ronda says
You really should google “dogs toxic plants flowers” because I think I see some issues…
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the heads up! He doesn’t usually eat anything but bugs, but we’ll check things out to be safe!
xo,
s
Sheena says
Bahaha love the Charlie Sheen play.. Winning!!! :)
Paula M. says
Such a pretty tree! I vote for calling in an arborist to tell what best to do with it and when it would be safe to move it so that it can bloom somewhere else. Look at those lovely blooms! Surely it can be saved, just moved?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re gonna give it our best shot and keep you guys posted. Fingers crossed…
xo,
s
Amy says
we got 12 inches (at least) last night of icky, heavy wet snow. gross, gross, cold mid-30’s day. SO JEALOUS of your beautiful green!
gogreeno says
Definitely saw a flower in the yard yesterday and did a full on happy dance…that embarrassed my husband :) I have a random question but do you know where I could go to create my own mood board? Is there a website or anything? Thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! Polyvore.com and mydeco.com are both free! Have fun!
xo,
s
Stephanie says
Before you chop down your camelia, you should find out if you can cut it back and transplant it. There is a lady who works at Cross Creek Nursery (Wendell?) who knows all things plants and lives in Westover Hills. She could tell you.
Ali says
Ohh! Color me green with envy! Looks like it’s beautiful down there. We are having the WORST blizzard up here in North Dakota today — so bad that on my way home from work I ended up in a ditch, hung up in a barbed wire fence against a tree. I was only going 10 miles an hour. I’m fine, but my car’s a little beat up. Time to move!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh I’m so glad you’re ok!
xo,
s
Sarah says
Still a little snow here in PA, but I bet you guys are so excited to see what blooms. We moved into our house two years ago in the late fall, so come spring, we discovered something new each day. My grandma passed away that spring, and after we were out of town for a few days for her funeral, lilac bushes that we didn’t know we had were all in bloom. Lilacs were her favortie flower :)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so sweet. What an amazing surprise.
xo,
s
Mrs Bok says
Lovely to see spring arrive. It’s just gone autumn over here but it’s a beautiful warm day! Was thinking back to the start of your blog…you have come such a long way, thank you for sharing your family and love with us all. Still a fan all this time later!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Mrs Bok! Sometimes it feels like we just started blogging yesterday and other days it feels like it’s been decades since we put that first post up. Such a crazy ride. Thanks so much for caring to drop in on us after all this time!
xo,
s
Meagan says
Same problem. My husband and I just moved into a home near Virginia Beach, VA. Not being from the area, or growing up anywhere near the area, we have no idea what to do with the plants/yard. Some of it looks dead, but we’re afraid of cutting it down. Have you found any resources for finding out what kind of plants our on your property?
YoungHouseLove says
Someone posted a link to a group on flickr that helps identify plants. Sounds awesome!
xo,
s
Kathy says
It must be nice for you to see what surprises are coming up in the yard of your new home as spring approaches.
10 years ago when we bought our house in December, I kept saying that I was going to plant a lilac tree because I’d always wanted one… and when April came, I was shocked when the bare branched tree outside our front door bloomed profusely with big purple lilacs!! It was like a gift! I still love that tree and can’t wait to see and SMELL those blooms.
YoungHouseLove says
It was a sign! Love it.
xo,
s
LindaS says
Ive moved a Camellia before – planted in a similar position but about 4-5 times as big. Who knows what the previous owners were thinking!! The root ball is quite fibrous so it could be easier than you think – best to do it in the cooler months and give it lots of fertiliser before & after the move. Transplanting is always worth a go!
Rachael says
Spring? Whats Spring? We’re in Canada, and for the past 3 days all the snow melted with above freezing temps, and this morning we woke up to another 3 feet of it, with a forecast of freezing rain tonight. Grrr! We tend to get no Spring at all, and usually jump right into 25+ degree weather(which is high 80’s to those who don’t know Celcius)…I guess we can’t complain about that! Warm weather is better than bad weather!
Azure says
I don’t know if someone has said this already, but camellias should be transplanted while they are blooming. So now. Also, camellias are notoriously hard to transplant, so don’t be too surprised if it doesn’t make it. Finally, camellias grow very slowly so if you took a cutting, it would probably be 10 years before it got to be waist high. Better just to buy a new one.
Azure says
Also, it’s probably not that dangerous to your foundation since the plant grows so slowly. The roots are the opposite of invasive. (Vasive?)
Denise says
I agree with Renee – it looks like a Camellia (c.japonica). They typically bloom in the spring and sometimes in a mild winter, so you might want to prune and/or transplant it after the blooms fade. I noticed that it was blooming when Sherry’s mom was raking leaves in your front yard.
Sherry, a large, shallow bowl of floating camellia blooms would be beautiful on your new dining room table!
BethanyB says
DC area… cold. but I managed to not give in and still took the baby ( our miniature poodle) out to the dog park for two hours!