Apple Blossoms

It has been so mild this spring that the flowers seem to be ahead of schedule. I already have a few peonies, iris and even poppies open in the garden, flowers that usually come in June in New Hampshire.

The fruit tree blossoms have passed. They were beautiful in mass and as individual blooms carrying the promise of fruit next fall. The deep pink maroon of the unopened buds is lovely with the chartreuse of the new leaves.

It is a dry spring and I had to drag out the hoses today to water seedlings and transferred plants. I bought many large annuals last week that I hope will quickly fill garden gaps. I planted tithonia, the new double click cosmos, larkspur, agrostemma, hollyhocks in six packs, annual asters, verbena bonariensis, and lavatera. Now I will anxiously hope for rain.

Find of the Day: I love the simplicity and the elegance of the lines and shape of this handcrafted sterling silver gingko leaf ring from esdesigns on Etsy. The ring will be made to order in any size.

Lilacs

Lilacs are the state flower of New Hampshire. I grew up in Southern Connecticut where lilacs bloom in April but here they don't bloom til the second week of May. They are welcome at any time; it is impossible to imagine a New England spring without the scent of these beauties.
I like the newer hybrids with their huge blossoms and rich colors but for aroma I don't think the old fashioned lilac species can be beat. Old lilac trees can be huge and unless they are pruned you can end up with blooms across the top that can only be enjoyed from a second story bedroom. But an old gnarled lilac bush is a lovely site even without bloom.
Be careful if you do prune because the blooms are formed on old wood, if you prune too much there will be no flowers in the spring.

Find of the Day:

Landing in Flowers is a ttv (through the viewfinder) photograph by Barbara Carter from her bird series. It has a beautiful subdued painterly quality, tranquil, elegant. Ttv photography is difficult with stationary objects, amazing with this living creature.

Visit Barbara Carter's Etsy shop to see all of her bird images.

The Last Daffodil Days

Yes in northern New England we still have a few lingering daffodils in mid May. I thought the very hot April days we had a few weeks ago (90 in New hampshire in April is not normal!) would shorten their season but the cool rains which followed seem to have prolonged the blooms.
I am very partial to the pink cupped beauties like the daffodil in the first picture. Another frilly ballerina.
The doubles are as lovely as a rose or peony.
Last summer was very wet and cold and I had a difficult time keeping up with the garden. The weeds thrived on the wet climate and my neglect so I am just now seeing the garden through the weeds. It is a huge job but very safisfying.
I am also doing some consolidation, there is just too much garden for one person to manage especially the beds carved out of the back field. I am giving them back to the field so the plants have been moved to older beds except for the peonies which I will move after they bloom.

Find of the Day:

A room full of stars, magical. I would love these stars in any room; imagine a sun room or green house full of stars, decorating the ceiling, dancing in the plants and flowers
These are hand crafted Moravian paper stars from the Starcraft on Etsy.

The First Daffodils of 2009

I'm very excited my daffodils have begun to bloom! Today I worked in the garden (with help from my little dog Rory) raking off leaves and weeding.

i took the top picture today using the TTV method, shooting through the viewfinder of an old Kodak with my digital camera. It is a little unwieldy holding both camera but very interesting.

The second photo is a daffodil photographed under water through the side of a vase. The frilly petals remind me of a tutu so I call this one Yellow Ballerina.

Find of the Day:

This is such a pretty necklace, the little glass flowers remind me of daffodils. The necklace is made of sterling, Czech glass flowers and Swarovski crystals. You can see it and more lovely jewelry at AliBaliJewellery on Etsy.

The Little Iris

The little iris have begun to bloom in the lawn with the crocus and chionodoxa. There are many varieties, the one pictured here is Iris histrioides 'George' which is a deep red purple verging on magenta.
But these iris come in many colors all shades of purple and blue, yellow and white. You can see a wide assortment in the Bent and Becky's Bulbs catalogue.
Unfortunately they are not very perennial for me and I have to replant them every few years. I think this fall I will try them in garden soil rather than the lawn; maybe they will be happier there.

Find of the Day:

Another new form of art, at least for me. This is traditional Japanese Temari, which means 'hand ball' in Japanese. It is an ancient art originally created to make balls for children.

This temari was created by Barbara Suesse, author of Japanese Temari:A Colorful Spin on an Ancient Art (available on Amazon). The ball is filled with rice hulls, covered with soft yarn and then embroidered.

So beautiful it takes your breath away. More of her work can be seen and purchased at her Etsy shop,
Japanesetemari.

Snow Crocus

The little snow crocus are still going strong in my front lawn. They have been joined by the larger purple crocus and other little bulbs but are still the stars in my eyes. I love the exquisite markings though they are so tiny you must get down on your belly to appreciate them.
I will plant more this fall for my pleasure and sadly the pleasure of the many little animals who love them just as much as I.

Find of the Day:

I have never seen anything like this; I am amazed by the ingenuity and creativity of artists like Jennifer Maestre who made this pendant.

It is made of pencils, this is not a drawing or painting or photograph, it is actually pencils carved and arranged then laminated and covered with epoxy. Beautiful, and original. Her work can be seen and purchased at her Etsy shop jenmaestre.

Glory of the Snow

My snow crocus finally have some company in the garden: Glory of the Snow (chionodoxa), puschkinia, and the little iris reticulata.
I am very fond of the chionodoxa which flower so early and so reliably. Although I like the little blue ones I especially love the slightly taller pink version, c. forbesii 'Pink Giant'.
For years I have pronouced chiondoxa with a soft ch, but at a party my friend Abby was talking about her blooms and pronounced it with a hard ch like a K. At first I did not even realize what flower she meant. We of course had a "discussion" of the proper pronunciation. Turns out, of course, that I was wrong (I almost always am in such matters). The correct pronounciation is Chionodoxa=KI-o-no-DOX-a. The KI is a long i. From Gr. chios (snow) and doxa (glory). Thank you Abby.
In any case they are a lovely easy flower and don't seem to get eaten by the little animals who live under the garden, I guess they are not as tasty as crocus.

Find of the Day:

I am always astonished by the work of glass artists: isn't this bowl amazing? Gorgeous, organic shape, and it is beautifully photographed. I would love to have this on a glass shelf in a window.

This bowl in by Heather Palmer of San Francisco and is available from her Etsy shop.