We bought our house in the late summer, so it wasn’t until the next spring that I was surprised by the beautiful white blooms on an overgrown bush in our side yard.  To say it’s overgrown would be a bit of an understatement because it’s literally falling over to one side under its own weight.  I wasn’t sure what it was, but my keen-eyed Instagram followers told me it is a mock orange bush.  They are apparently prized bushes for their fragrance and beautiful blooms, and I can see why!  I feel like having a mature one in our yard is such a gift.  Jeff wanted to take it out, but I am willing to lie on top of it in protest to prevent that, if need be.  It won’t be necessary, though, because he has heard my pleas to keep it, but it does need to be trimmed back. 

Last year, I designed and built a couple of vintage-style trellises to add some interest to a large blank wall of siding on the front of our house.  (You can find plans and a tutorial HERE.)  When I started the project, I wasn’t sure what kind of trellis-loving plant I was going to grow on the trellises, but I moved ahead, confident that the right solution would present itself.  I was surprised to find some espalier apple trees at Home Depot, of all places!  I didn’t want to buy them on impulse, so I waited a couple of weeks.  In that time, I started thinking about those trees to the point of obsession.  They’ll sell out, and I’ll miss the chance to get them!  I finally stopped at Home Depot one morning after dropping the boys off at school and bought two of the last three trees. I was initially