Grapes

I love when the grapes flower. They have the most sensuous colors, moving from from diametrically complimentary anthocyanin fuschia to intense chartreuse effortlessly.

I pruned them rather later than I could have so they drip sap. They are trained up 4 x 4 posts and provide dense shade on the western wall of my house and the back deck. I do have to keep pinching them back all summer or else they will completely cover the area so you can't use it.
These are native concords and are the only variety to have survived my neighbor's investment in True Green lawn care. The wine grapes were very sensitive to the 2-4-D overspray and died. It is easy to spot that kind of damage as it makes the leaves look like duck feet. The Concords however have survived and I made cuttings to fill in.
In the winter they are just sticks like you see here. In a few weeks they will leaf out and begin to lightly shade the deck. The first week of September will bring a harvest of more fruit than I want so the squirrels will be fat.