A Walk In The Park: Early Bloomers...

When we're not walking in the woods at Le Rustique, we live on a typical city lot with just a postage stamp for a backyard. Years ago we converted what little grass we had back there into an all-brick courtyard reminiscent of the French Quarter in New Orleans. (That project is a story in itself, and maybe someday I can share it with you here.)

When we crave a little more terra than firma, we head to historic Tower Grove Park - this country's most beautiful wooded Victorian walking park, just a block away from our city house

Just like most places this winter, the weather has been unseasonably mild in St. Louis. My magnolia tree in our back yard is in full bud, but some of the magnolia trees in Tower Grove Park are even farther along - way too early.

Though this was taken early last spring, this same tree is already showing its colors - way too early for this
part of the country. It will surely get nipped and deprive us of a full season of beautiful big flowers.

Chances are pretty good that we'll have another frost, and maybe even a hard freeze. If that happens, I sure hope these early bloomers can regroup and become late bloomers for a showy encore.