-
Flora photos for spring
I took these photos last week when I visited the Woods. I usually work there but because we’re sheltering in place, I work from home. I took these photos, uploaded them and forgot about them. Several staff took photos for our website and several of them were almost exactly the same. I guess we all know the beautiful spots in the spring! I did have a few that others did not, and vice versa.
-
A new normal?
So, a lot has changed since October, when I last posted to my blog. I think my writing has been hibernating, afraid to come out for fear of frostbite. Is that possible? In a week, it will be April and of course that means taking part in the Blogging A to Z blogathon. I’m not sure I’ll make it – okay, that’s not the right way to go into this event. Yes, I’m sure I’m going to blog every day (except Sunday) in April, fully completing the A to Z blogathon! So, Covid 19 happened. Today the first death in our county was reported. The only data that we have…
-
“P”ansies
Pansies have been one of my favorite flowers since I was a child. I love the color combinations (deep blues and purples with dots of yellow and white). These pansies were just planted at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods where I work, and a few days later, we received a cold, wet snowfall. I walked by them and they were all curled up, as if they were trying to keep warm. I thought for sure they were dying, and that our late-spring weather had done them in. Several days passed and they sprung back as hearty as ever! The weather warmed up again, spring has continued, and so have these pansies. Although they…
-
“A”pril is here – no foolin’
So, it’s April 1 and the beginning of the A to Z blogathon. It’s also Easter Sunday so I thought this photo was appropriate. It was taken on my way to work one day last year about this time. Believe it or not, we got a few snowflakes just an hour ago but the daffodils are in full bloom and the dogwood blossoms are about to open. Happy spring to everyone, whether you’re celebrating the Risen Christ and the joy and blessings that His living spirit bestows on us daily or you’re celebrating the awakening of plants, animals and a warmer spirit that will lead us into the coming months.…
-
#AtoZChallenge: Bouquets or garden flowers?
One thing that I look forward to in the spring and summer is the variety of flowers and plants that spring up around our house. We have several rose bushes, iris, lilac, lillies – all make for a beautiful, fragrant bouquets inside. However, the dilemma is that once I cut the flowers and bring them inside, they don’t last very long. And, they aren’t visible and make for a barren landscape outside. I also struggle a tiny bit with the question, “Who am I to think that I should cut these blossoms and hurt the plant, just so I can have beautiful flowers in the house for a few days?”…
-
Accidental gardener
You’ve heard of the “Accidental Tourist”? Well, I’m more of an accidental gardener. The plants that I pay more for, that I put a lot of thought and care into, are the ones most likely to NOT survive. At least it seems that way. My husband and I have been trying to get a rose garden going and some plants do well while others wither and die, never making it to season two. Then there are the plants that I buy at the end of the season, from roadside nurseries or the “leftover” pile at Menards. These include discounted plants that even the stores don’t think are going to last…
-
A to Z Challenge: “W”inter ornaments
We’re well into spring and it’s wonderful to open up my window while I’m getting ready for work in the morning. I feel the cool air, smell the budding plants and hear the beautiful songs and communication between the birds. It’s just about the best music around. I ran across these photos of how beautiful birds are, even in winter, when everything else is asleep and regenerating. Even though it must be freezing out and quality food and water are scarce, the birds still appear on the stark, bare branches of the trees and brighten my day. It makes me even more grateful for birds. No only are they beautiful…
-
A to Z Challenge: “N”ame this plant…
At the end of last summer, I found three plants whose tags said they were good in shade and partial sun. They were also on sale, which meant if they didn’t make it to next spring, I wouldn’t be out a fortune. I do take it personally when plants die on me but that’s another story. To my great surprise, all three survived the winter and are now flourishing. The problem is, I can’t remember for the life of me what they are. I’m hoping that a kind, knowledgeable A to Z Challenger will help me identify the plant. Here’s what I remember: it is a perennial that stays low…
-
A to Z Challenge: “L”ilacs
The fragrance and the complex, beautiful color of the flower clusters are two of my favorite things about lilacs (Syringa vulgaris). We had a lilac bush outside my bedroom window at the house where I grew up, in Denver. Since we didn’t have air conditioning, I’d get a sweet spring breeze when I opened up my windows during the day, to smell the intensely fragrant air. Between the lilacs and the snowball bush, it was heavenly! At our home in Indiana, we have a resident pink lilac bush that has a very subtle fragrance also near our bedroom window. And, we purchase an old fashioned, deeper purple lilac bush which…
-
A to Z Challenge: “F”orsythia
O forsythia, forsythia, wherefore art thou Forsythia? (I don’t know why but this plant’s name just seems to lend itself to Shakespeare!) Why are all the springtime blooms bright and cheery? I’d like to believe it’s to remind us that winter is on its way out, and that summer is coming! I talked about the daffodil in all its glory! Another bright yellow flowering shrub to quickly shake off the winter chill is the forsythia plant. Its slightly bell-shaped blooms can range from buttery yellow to warm gold. Did you know it’s part of the olive family? I had no idea. They were named after English horticulturist William Forsyth (1737-1804).…
