Happy Easter!

Every March/April in Virginia Beach the Bradford Pear Trees explode with blossoms. Chris and I were always aware of them since they are a favorite in landscaping around this area and are quite common. The thing we never noticed before (at least until we got our bees) is that these babies are LOADED with flying insects. Bees, wasps, butterflies. The flowers smell kinda like stinky cheese and it attracts swarms of insects. We had just finished refilling the hives with sugar syrup and stopped by one of our Bradford Pear trees on the property and the trees are literally covered in bees. Got a good shot of a bee up close with its pollen sacks filled with yellow pollen. Heres Dumpling in his bee suit - asking me "do you see all those bees?! Couldnt figure out what that stinky smell was til i stuck my nose in a bunch of these!

The bees must like it. Captured one in action! Love the color of the sky against the white flowers.

Update on the Seedlings:

Planted over 1,000 more seeds this weekend. Its an exhausting process since I have to hand sift the compost, then sift the peat moss to make the soil recipe (about 300 blocks at a time), then punch out the blocks 20 at a time using the soil block maker, then label the varieties and finally place each seed in the divot of each tiny soil cell. Some seeds are so small I use a toothpick dipped in spit (yes you read that right! It's a idea I read about this winter and so thankful - it has saved me lotsa time. The method allows the seed to stick to the tooth pick, then releases when it touches the soil) Brilliant!

Ageratum (Purple Floss Flower) is the fastest, most robust seedlings I have seen of the entire batch started thus far. They literally started germinating in a matter of hours after they hit the soil blocks and are thriving under the lights. Starting another batch of 80 more today, and will be ordering more. Only got 200 seeds of these, so next time will be ordering thousands!

Sunny D is modeling our newest gardening gadget- The earthway seed planter. This baby is going to save our backs this summer. It works by creating a furrow (rudder like attachment), plants each seed for us by turning a plate inside that drops the seed according to our spacing, then covers them up with a chain that runs behind in perfect rows. We just have to make sure the soil is extremely fine tilled or otherwise the seeder will get clogged. It came recommended from "The Flower Farmer" book and set us back about $120 - but I am sure it will pay for itself in the first use and we will use it everyseason for years to come! Its good for flowers but also for planting rows of anything, like corn or beans.

Sweet peas are really happy out in the greenhouse. They are getting their first set of tendrils and I will place them outside once they start getting big enough to start climbing around each other. I am relutant to let them out to part with the safety of the protective greenhouse just yet - I have heard slugs can devour them in an evening...

Only planted about 100 of these. Wish I would have started more - have a feeling I will always be saying that! but we will also plant them in the late fall, so they will be ready for early spring next year. (got a late start in March so hopefully they will put out some flowers before the intense summer heat begins)

They seem very happy!