Spring Posies

Spring amazes me. It always comes-- whether winter was warm or cold, wet or dry, seemingly endless... Spring comes.

The first bloomers in my yard are the crocus. Hello flower.

 My purple hyacinth are next. They smell like heaven.

I try to teach my kids, boys and girls alike, to stop and smell the flowers. 

I took a start of forget-me-nots from my mom's house, and they are blooming this year!

The vincas are greening up and blossoming. These are still messy to clean up every year, but hopefully they spread more and I won't have to worry about cutting them back every year.

I have quite a few varieties of fdaffodils, and more blooming this year than ever before. I think they're finally comfortable enough to show their colors.  

The crabapple trees were in all their glory for Easter. These are also very fragrant--I love to stick my nose in alongside the bees and take a deep breath.

Thankfully the crabapples weren't bothered by the frost we had a week or so ago! My redbud tree wasn't so happy... half of it's flowers froze in the bud, poor thing.

Happy Earth Day!

The Earth is so beautiful. I love this time of year when everything is fresh and new. It is so fitting that the seasons coincide with the rebirth and renewal we celebrate at Easter. As a speaker at church said on Easter morning, all things testify of Christ!

 

 We had a lovely Saturday working in our little corner of the Earth.

We planted a few new trees, mowed the lawn, got the garden drip system running, and enjoyed the sunshine.

The yard is in full bloom! The weeping redbud is just gorgeous.

The lamium (dead nettle) ground cover has been blooming since February! This is a no-fail, no effort little performer!

The bleeding hearts have doubled in size in a week and are getting buds on them.

The bulbs are getting showy. This is a double yellow tulip.

We have three different varieties of daffodils.

Love the pops of color all over the place.

The flowering pears and spring snow crab apples are also blossoming.

Maddie celebrated Earth Day at school by picking up 100 pieces of garbage!

Sunny Days

... are chasing the clouds away...

It's been so nice!!! I was feeling a little grumpy that the snow was already gone because it left brown ugliness in it's wake. But then we got out and started playing, and I remembered how FUN it is to be outside! It's a whole new world... a new fantastic point of view...

And then we found some signs of life! Ella spotted some little green daffodil spikes and sent the neighbor kids on a flower scavenger hunt to find them all around the yard. She even stole the camera from me to take pictures of them.
 

 

I hadn't planned on it, but I just couldn't keep my gardening instincts at bay and I had to start pulling up dead stuff. I always forget how much I LOVE gardening!

 

I don't miss these little buggers... and so it begins.

I took the chance to prune a little... pears are notorious for water spouts. Check out that one that takes up the length of the photo! It had to be put in it's place.

As I was putting my bucket away I noticed this little pot forgotten on a garage shelf... what a reward for being lazy and leaving it there all year! So I brought it inside to water and watch.

Welcome Spring

The first day of spring looked like this! It was cold but I had a daffodil blooming for the first time ever! I think some of the new ones I got from a friend were earlies.

Three days later looks like this! March is sure fickle.

As my preschool daughter reminds me often, in like a lion, out like a lamb. Here's hoping!

Tulipomania

Definition: An excessive love for tulips. A violent passion for the acquisition or cultivation of tulips. People going crazy for tulips....

There really was such a thing. For a period of time in the Netherlands in the 1600's, tulip bulbs sold for as much as 10 times a Dutchman's annual income.  

"The story of the Semper Augustus, the most celebrated and expensive tulip for most of the seventeenth century, is a reminder that beauty did in fact underwrite the mania... The consensus was that the Semper Augustus was the most beautiful flower in the world, a masterpiece. 'The color is white, with Carmine on a blue base, with an unbroken flame right to the top.' 'Never did a Florist see one more beautiful than this.' There were only a dozen or so specimens in existence."

This quote comes from a book I am reading called The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan (yes, the same one who wrote the best-selling food books The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. That's how I found this one!). I figured since I can't be outside working with plants, I can be learning about them, and this book is an eye-opening read! The subtitle is "A plant's eye view of the world," which is obviously a different view than I am used to taking. We often think of ourselves as domesticating plants, but he makes a persuasive case that plants have, in fact, domesticated us in many ways.
 

I am loving the section on tulips, and learning so much about their history. They seem common to most of us, lining flower beds and borders everywhere you look in the spring. But forcing them indoors in the dead of winter has definitely made me appreciate them more--a bright bloom of color when, and where, you least expect it. Maybe I am developing tulipomania myself?

Pollan speaking again... "Looking on my own tulip... I can see it has the classic form of the single tulip: six petals arrayed in two tiers (three inner petals cupped inside three outer ones)... the petals look soft and silky but are not: to the touch they're unexpectedly hard, like orchid petals... The long, curving stem ... is nearly as beautiful as the flower it supports."
 

The daffodils are in full bloom on the kitchen table too. As always, I am in awe of the wonders of nature!

Valentine Flowers

I was really hoping my bulbs would be showing their colors for Valentine's Day, but alas, they are still working on it. The growing things in my kitchen make me happy anyway!

While Mike doesn't love the cliche nature of Valentine's Day sales, he is a sucker for giving me flowers for special occasions. There's nothing like a dozen velvety, spicy-sweet smelling roses under your nose! The deep fuchsia color he chose is gorgeous.

Hats off to flowers for making a day great!

Forcing Bulbs

'Tis the season to plant your bulbs for indoor displays. Anyone can do this, so listen up!

Amaryllis bulbs are for sale at most stores now, and it's a good time to start them if you want flowers for Christmas! The instructions are easy:

1. Use a basic potting soil (sometimes they come with a soil mix).
2. Find a container, such as a plastic or clay pot, and fill soil to within about an inch of the top.
3. Plant bulb, leaving the top third out of the soil.
4. Water in and keep soil moist.
5. Keep in a light area, but out of direct sunlight, and watch the magic unfold.

I planted mine a week ago and it's already taking off!

Now is also the time to force bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths for indoor enjoyment during the winter.

Believe me, it is so worth it to have the beauties in your kitchen in frigid February!

These steps are also quite simple:

1. Procure bulbs, from transplants in your garden or from a home & garden store.
2. Fill pot with potting mix about 3/4 to the top.

3. Place bulbs on top of the soil with the 'nose' up. They can be pretty close together.
4. Dump more soil on top of the bulbs, until most of them are covered and you can only see the tips.
5. Water thoroughly.
6. Place in a dark, cool place for 12-13 weeks. This is called cold treatment and will prepare the bulbs for blooming. They need to be between temperatures of 35-48 degrees and never allowed to freeze. Here in Utah, my garage is a good place to do this. I put some boxes or paper bags on top of my pots to keep them dark. You could also use a basement if it stays below 48.
7. Mark you calendar to bring pots inside. If you plant now, bring them in at the end of January or beginning of February. Once you give them light and water, they will bloom within about 3 weeks!

Bulb Planting

October is the month to plant bulbs. I had a small cache from this trip drying in my garage all summer, and it was time to get them in the ground. The key is to get them in before the ground freezes, and it is vital for bulbs to have a winter dormant period, or a period of freezing for 6 weeks or more. 
 

They don't look like much mow.... just dried up old brown papery things... but they produce such beauty!

I tossed mine out it small clumps according to type. A bunch of tulips here, a few hyacinth there, a group of daffodils together... I figured that would look most true to nature. Ella is demonstrating planting technique: the bulbs need to be planted about twice as deep as they are tall.

And the wait begins!