The Earth Laughs in Flowers

I may have mentioned this before…

and most likely will do so again,

….and again.

I love this time of year!

I wait all winter for my garden to awaken. 

It is a treat well worth waiting for.

A few moments in the garden bring me a sense of peace in a crazy daisy world.

I start my day with a hot, fresh brewed cup of coffee in one hand and my camera in the other.

So I can share…

The robins are here, bright and early, snitching strawberries. 

Strawberries I have let roam as ground cover wherever they please. 

They are tucked beneath roses, along walkways and hidden beneath over grown perennials.

They are a treat and I set my camera down to pick a few.

I actually do get some, even if the robins are making a feast of them.

I could be irritated that I lose most of the berries to the birds, but they are so comical as they wrestle with a berry that is nearly as big as their own heads….

…it makes me smile instead of annoyed.

Bumblebees are perched on blooms. 

Still and silent.

 

The morning mountain air is still too chilly for them. 

They wait patiently for the suns warming rays to come over the trees.

I can’t say that I blame them…

40 degrees in June is just too cold. 

Even at night.

Warmer days and nights shall come…

 

At least that is what I tell myself as a shiver runs over me.  Brrr. 

How is your weather?

Are you sweltering as we still sweater up?

I will look at the bright side…

at least it isn’t SNOWING!

Time to head to the studio and paint my day away…

I wish you sunshine and warm temps on this fine day. 

I love Sunday Mornings

I love this time of year.  The sun is up by 5 am and the birds are especially tuneful. 
The neighborhood is quiet (everyone sleeping in, I suppose) and my garden  beckons me. 

Grab a coat this time, it has turned cold this week.  I mean fah-reezing. 
Literally, 32 degrees.   I can prove it. 

One of my San Romano tomatoes just curled up her edges and will now need a bit of a trimming. 



Poor thing.  The other, not three feet away looks fine, but my Basil just completely gave up the ghost and I will have to replant.

I have extra Basil tucked away in the greenhouse, just in case of such an occurrence.  We are in the mountains and cold can strike even in June, and I gotta have my basil come Fall.

 I make the best Pesto. 

 It is my taste of summer throughout the winter months. 

Do you have your coffee or tea?  Wrap your hands around the warm mug to keep your hands warm and we will see what has bloomed.

Can you smell the faint hint of wood smoke in the air?  The campers up at Big Trees State Park must be enjoying a cozy camp fire on a chilly morning. 

Beverly Sills.  This is my only Pink iris.  I think I need to add more pink. 

 

This guy below is not as flashy as some but the colors are subtle and interesting.



I honestly used to know all the names of my Iris and I had a map drawn of where everything was.

 I kept it  in my desk drawer to refer to when I forgot plant names but when we moved for a year and then moved back I just tossed my beloved plants, bulbs and corms in the ground without rhyme or reason.
 
I was in a hurry.

Dutch Iris in blue, I had some called Tigers Eye that was striking but it has not come back.  



A friend gave me this one, it is smaller than the Bearded Iris but quite lovely. 
 


I call this one Lemon Chiffon.

Not because of its color, but because of its scent, it smells faintly of Lemon Chiffon pie.

I came in the ‘scented’ collection I bought from Schreiners.



Icy Blue



Elise’



There is an iris just to the left of this one, it is called Starship Enterprise.  It is my favorite one of all, it is just starting to open so be sure to come back to see it.  I am sure it will be ready to photograph tomorrow morning. 



I must not forget Josephine..one of my clematis, she has been putting on a show herself.  She is close in coloration to Nelly Moser but just slightly a darker hue of pink.



My cup is empty, time to get a refill. 

I am going to sit in the garden and just enjoy the quiet of the morning, sip my coffee and dream of where I want to move what plant, what I would like to add or take away. 

Half the fun of a garden is changing it around. 

The other half is being surprised in Spring by what comes up because through the long winter months, buried beneath all the snow, you forget what you have done.
  
Enjoy this long, fun weekend.  I know I am. 

Come on back, I will be sure to share Starship. 

May Morning Walk

Good morning. 

Would you like to join me on a fine early morning walk?

Grab yourself a hot beverage of choice and a sweater, the morning air is chilly, and join me.



The robins are singing their sweet song of spring, they serenade us as we mosey along the garden path. 

Fresh iris’ have opened.



Nearly all take our breath away.  Each has a unique twist, some release a sweet perfume.



Their names even sound delicious, Boysenberry Truffle. 



A few yellows are adding contrast to the many shades of purple we have in the garden. Some garishly bright..



and some delicately subtle. 

A few roses have started to open, a bit early for us here on this mountain but welcome all the same.

Dream Weaver



A little darker and one that supposedly will do well in the shade.

Zepherine Droughn



Now we must walk on past the old straw bale raised bed, it has done its duty and now it is seeing new life.



Last year it held big fat Brandywine tomatoes and some Tromboline zucchini, which soon grew so lush it camouflaged the entire bed, and they were so delicious. 
 
Now the rich compost is being used to start new beds and heavily mulch others.  No waste here. 

Once past the straw we turn right, and what greets our eyes but a rather shabby looking chicken house…



Cecile Brunner is glamming it up with her abundance of blooms whose spicy scent greet you as you approach to collect the eggs. 

And a sweet surprise as we glance along one of the garden beds, planted with seeds.



A humble green bean shoot.  How such a small event can make your heart sing. 

There were a few popping up in this row, now to plant another. 

I hope you enjoyed our morning walk. 

Come join me again, we shall do another soon, very soon.   I promise.

My April Garden update

Remember me waxing poetic on the LACK of snow on my garden this year???

Well, I was smacked with the REAL Spring as known in White Pines this morning.  Sigh.



My last post of my lovely flowers I put up on Saturday: My Garden in  April 2013



My lovely fuchsia  Hyacinths are under there somewhere.



I had just brought my bamboo out of the greenhouse to separate and the snow has it bowing over.  I need to go shake it off.

I hear there is more to come this week.  My poor Grandma Jo peach tree was full of blossoms too and I was just thinking that I would actually get some peaches this year unless we had a bad freeze. 
Bother!

Oh well.  It is not as if I am not used to the capriciousness of Spring here in White Pines. 

Off to work I go this morning…

Cheers and sunny skies to all…

My Garden in April 2013

No snow blanketing my little patch of dirt this year in April and lovely mild weather to enjoy.  Sigh, though I have had little time to spend in the garden so far, what time I have had I have enjoyed to the full. 

I am going to try to photograph my front garden at the beginning of each month.  A sort of photo journal of its transformation through the season.



It is still rather barren looking but the tulips will soon be blooming in vibrant red then they will be followed by the Iris and then there will be an explosion of color as the roses, delphiniums, lilies and oh so many others vie for attention.
That usually is about the first of July.

The ski resort should be closing soon and work on the mountain will slow so I am assuming I will have more time at home.  For a bit anyways.
This past week I have spent time in the greenhouse propagating petunias, and geraniums.  I will share that soon too.

So here is what is happily growing this week.  This little patch of Canterbury Bells will get separated, some transplanted to other spots in the garden or potted up. 



Baby Blue Eyes Forget Me Nots, these little guys have been reseeding themselves too and I will transplant some to the side yard.  Right not it is cool enough that they will suffer little shock.



I cannot remember which Clematis this is, I will have to photograph it in bloom and keep a record. 



These Hyacinths are a bright splash and the scent follows you as to walk up the path.



Another just a shade different but just as bright.



The Muscari provide a refreshing contrast in blue.



I was so focused on capturing a clear shot of this daffodil that I completely overlooked it has friends visiting. It is looking a little weather beaten, it has endured a couple of pounding rains this past week.



My stacked buckets planter with violas.   The background is distracting and one of my main goals this season is to block that view of our crowded and cluttered driveway.  I have a few ideas and will implement them soon, I hope.  (click on photo to view the making of this)



I planted a couple six packs of these lovely Pansies in the barrels by my front porch.  They will fill in nicely and do quite well for most of the summer, the barrels only get morning sun so the heat of summer will have little effect on these beauties.



I have also been working on sprucing up around my studio.  I will share more on that soon… I have to run and get my husband at the airport.  He has spent the week in Texas working on finishing up a machine he helped design. 

I have missed him.  There was no one here to have my dinner waiting for me as I returned home from a hard day scrubbing vacation homes, nor anyone doing laundry. 

Sneaky stuff, it piles up and you run out of essentials.  I am so accustomed to him having it done that I was baffled as to why I had no ‘unmentionables’ in my drawer just waiting for me.  I had to do laundry yesterday.

I will be back with more to share…

Pamela