BAM! SPRING.

While the spring flowers are starting to bloom, the forest is taking its sweet time and waking up very gradually. Many of the trees have buds on them and we were just telling guests the other day that it will probably be several more weeks until we see real color return to the deciduous trees. And then bam. Or BLOOM, as the case may be. This tree across our little lake exploded with yellow flowers in what seemed like less than a 24-hour period.



We love when spring makes a big statement every now and then.

MORE SPRING

We've got more spring photos for you to enjoy, but first...

Check it out: success! (see end of linked post) Our iris seeds are germinating. The photo below was taken this morning after breakfast. The seeds were emptied out of their temporary abode (plastic baggie) onto a towel to keep them from sliding off the table.



We planted the iris seeds today. They're a little bit behind their already-in-the-ground counterparts, so we'll see what happens this year.

The tulip shown below gets a gold star for being the first tulip to bloom in our garden. Unfortunately, it appears that we may have planted him too deep because he doesn't have a stem!* This fall, we'll be moving him up a little to see if that helps for the following spring.

* UPDATE: We also read that short stems can occur when the bulb does not have a sufficient chilling period before planting. When the bulbs are being chilled, a growth hormone called gibberellic acid forms...hmmm...we did not refrigerate our bulbs before planting them in November. We're used to chilly Ohio weather providing plenty of chill time when the bulbs arrive from the grower. Hopefully this tulip and his other short stemmed buddies will have longer stems next year.


Needs to chill

The hyacinths are blooming and smell great, like lilacs.



Finally, we have no idea what this is...do you? The bud has a tulip shape, but it's facing downward and the leaves are unique. We have a bunch of clusters of these flowers. We'll let you know what the blooms look like.

A MOMENT OF CHANGE

Another winter is fading fast into beautiful spring in the mountains. It seems like yesterday that we had a snowfall here, an ice storm there, brown everywhere (except for the tough-as-nails evergreen rhododendron and mountain laurel).

Now, the crocuses (shown below), daffodils and forsythia are in bloom, the irises and tulips grow by inches daily and the creeping phlox and hyacinths are getting ready to flower. We look outside and smile as we see trees with red buds on them. Green leaves aren't far behind.



We took a few photos of our spring color this week to share with those of you who might still be under winter's white blanket. Enjoy!

One of our orchard trees has blossomed at the same time as the forsythia:



A cluster of daffodils popped out unexpectedly near the orchard:



The creeping phlox in the Pool Garden has started blooming just a little:



Tulips are growing rapidly among the already-blooming crocuses:



Forsythia:

UPCOMING SPRING EVENTS

Spring is right around the corner! With that in mind, we will be bringing you photos on Friday of what Spring looks like here at the Inn on Mill Creek.

To get you in the Spring mood, we've heard about the following events coming soon to our area, which we share here with you:

• Enchanted Easter at Biltmore will take place March 23 at Biltmore Estate. The fun day for kids includes photo opportunities with Peter Cottontail, mural painting, storytelling, magic shows, grape stomping at the winery and Easter egg hunts at noon and 2pm on the front lawn (please bring your own basket for collecting eggs). Plus, admission is free for kids now through April 4.
  


• The 4th annual Asheville Artisans Bread Festival will take place on March 29. The festival, free to the public, brings together 15 local artisan bakeries and hundreds of bread lovers for a celebration of great bread and pastries. From 10am -2pm, the bakers will be sampling and selling bread at Greenlife Grocery in Asheville (70 Merrimon Avenue). From noon to 6pm, there will workshops and lectures on bread baking., featuring Peter Reinhart, the well-known author and baker from Johnson & Wales University.
  


• The WNC Orchid Show and Sale will take place March 29-30, at the North Carolina Arboretum. The show will include trail walks, demonstrations, exhibits and the opportunity to purchase orchids from a variety of vendors. More information available here.
  


• The Land of the Sky Symphonic Band will perform a benefit concert at the Greenlee Theatre on April 5, at 7:00 p.m. The symphonic band includes both amateur and professional musicians who live in McDowell County and the surrounding area. The concert will feature selections from Gordon Jacob, Julius Fucik, J.S. Bach, Glen Miller, Sousa, Bernstein and more. All proceeds from the performance will help fund the construction of a new artisan gift shop located at the McDowell Arts Council Association in Marion. Tickets for the concert are $25 and you must reserve your seat by March 29. To purchase tickets or learn more about the event, please contact the McDowell Arts Council at 828.652.8610.
  


• From April 5 to May 18, enjoy the Festival of Flowers at Biltmore Estate. During Festival of Flowers, the Estate's seasonal beauty is showcased with a stunning tulip display in the Walled Garden, cascades of native and exotic blooms in the natural gardens and walking trails, and delicate arrangements inside Biltmore House. On the weekends, Biltmore's Winery joins the celebration with a commemorative Festival of Flowers wine and music, wine programs, and childrens activities. In the Farm Village, blacksmiths, woodworkers, and farmers demonstrate their skills on Saturdays and Sundays. More information is available at the Biltmore Estate website.

HAPPY HYACINTHS

The hyacinths started peeking out a couple of weeks ago and now they're really starting to come up in full force. They grow very rapidly! This is our first year growing them, so we're anxious to see when they bloom. Here's our little grouping:

This is the color we have:

We're going to pick up more next year...and possibly add some white. These are just below the roses, near the solarium. This Spring, we'll also be planting lavender under the roses. We hear that lavender and roses grow well together.

REDECORATING

Please forgive us for light blog posting lately. During the past several weeks, during moments when Brigette is not watching over the gardens like a hawk, measuring each spring bud poking out of the ground and meticulously writing its growth down in her garden journal (yes, she is that fanatical over gardening), we've been working on redecorating and photographing the guest rooms. Soon, we'll be giving each of our seven rooms its own sparkling new page on our website. Here's a preview:

SPRING AT CHIMNEY ROCK

Our friends at Chimney Rock Park a half hour south of us have some great activities planned for visitors this Spring (17 days and counting!):

Rock Hop Guided Hike

March 15 (a little before Spring officially arrives) -- Take a rock-to-rock hike off the beaten path, up one of the Park's stony ravines. Natural history interpretation of everything seen along the way will keep your eyes on many things, other than rocks. But do remember to wear good hiking shoes, and a walking stick may help stability. Moderately strenuous. Call 800-277-9611 to register.

"Early Arrivals" Guided Bird Walk
April 13 -- The Park's 2008 “Simon Says” Series of Guided Bird Walks begins with this stroll to spot Spring migrants like Black-throated Warblers, Black-and-white Warblers, Scarlet Tanagers and Blue-headed Vireo. Join world-traveled ornithologist Simon Thompson for this and all of his terrific bird walks. Call 800-277-9611 to register.

Every Day is Earth Day

Chimney Rock Park celebrates Earth Day every weekend in April. Join the Park staff for Guided Hikes as well as programs focusing on recycling and conservation.

"Gorge-Us with Wildflowers" Guided Hike

In the Hickory Nut Gorge, Spring can come early, and you can expect in Chimney Rock Park to see a good example of Spring bloomers from late March through May. Learn plant identification as well as flower appreciation walk along the Four Seasons Trail. Call 800-277-9611 to register.

And don't forget -- we have individual Chimney Rock tickets available here at the Inn, and, for those of you thinking about coming to visit for a few days, we've put together a package starting April 1 that includes tickets to Chimney Rock. Check our packages page for details.