the winter seemed particularly long (as it frequently does). and spring in our neck of the woods is reliably akin to traveling along a road that rises towards the sun (ah, warmth!) then, just as quickly, dives back down into shadows. until, quite suddenly, it is summer. the forsythia is already half-leafed in green; daffodils are long gone; and the camellias are bruising almost as quickly as they bloom. the nights are still cold, but that is about to end. i am planting seeds tomorrow!
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| sweet almond |
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| tulips |
emerging, first, as rosy stalks pushed up from the dirt.
then, ugly and wrinkled, they start to uncurl.
smooth green buds already formed.
i can hardly wait!
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| peonies |
i have this idea that, one day, i will take care of my moss garden. it is looking quite parched & could probably use a thorough misting. it's a treasure of lily of the valley and small blue irises, both of which are marching towards the path.
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| lily of the valley |
right now, my efforts are concentrated at the edges of the yard, with central swaths of both front yard and back preserved for highly local sporting events. and, then, there is the oasis by the light pole. each spring i am inspired to plant one or two new (and, hopefully, more neglect- and dog-resistant) plants to replace those lost along the way. i kind of forget what's there (i realized after-the-fact today that an orange poppy may be joining this coral rose....oh, my) and just happily plant away. it is my statement to the world. what statement is anyone's guess.
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| what goes well with coral roses and orange poppies? why, purple, of course. |
apart from all the spring flowers, there are lots of
leaves unfurling. it's so amazing to me that they, somehow, push up through the hard winter earth. they are bruisable, tearable, translucent in the sun. how is it they are so strong?
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| hosta |
the earliest of the spring flowers are already waning. the pink andromeda has turned orange and the bees are moving on to other nectars.
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| andromeda |
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| underneath the hellebores (lenten roses) |
and look here - the arum maculatum is back!
the leafy ladies are crowding around the hellebores,
and i have spotted new outposts all over the yard.
they are the subject of one of my favorite posts,
which i wrote last summer & you can find
here.
tomorrow....
seeds are in the ground;
rabbit fence goes all around.
we will see who wins.
