It’s not all flowers here in my garden.
I found this little colony of cup fungi while weeding.
I have looked in all my books, but there is no perfect match.
The white stalk and jelly inside do not fit with all the photos.
Anybody out there know their name?
FLOW
My friend Maria gave me a Coffee Tree.
It has tripled in size.
Now it is covered in beautiful white blooms.
Will there be beans?
That’s up to the bees.
Flow
For those of you that do not love sunny yellow, there are mellow daffodils.
Ice Follies Narcissus has a pale yellow fluffy cup.
Thalia is pure white and pointy.
I found a ’60 Days of Daffodils’ by Simple Pleasures that has many varieties.
This one with pink cups was a surprise mixed in a pack of others.
Love this double!
These Tazetta cultivars have a mystery source also.
If you are too mellow for yellow, there are many other daffodil colors.
Mellow Flow
These tiny, tough little flowers are showing off right now.
I love the lines down the back of the blooms.
Starflower: Ipheion uniflorum has the extra bonus of being deer resistant.
This is ‘Albert Castillo’.
It has done well and doubled it’s numbers each year.
The white blooms are especially lovely mornings, evenings and on rainy days.
FLOWER
I have a shrub circle down the hill from the house.
The shrubs are planted around a huge oak tree.
I have included one special specimen of each of my favorite types of shrubs.
I planned each to bloom in its own time.
The first to bloom is my one and only Quince.
It is the Quince of dreams.
Chaenomeles ‘ Double Take, Orange Storm’.
I found it while plant shopping with my sister.
It was in a too small pot full of weeds. I had to rescue it.
I told the worker that I was reporting them for abuse and neglect.
He gave me a discount.
My ‘Orange Storm’ has recovered nicely.
Stay tuned for more from the shrub circle.
FLOWER
If you are reading this blog, you all ready know that I am obsessed with plants.
Not the big-box garden center, common, cheap variety; but the expensive search-the-world-over kind.
My obsession sometimes leads to sinning, as in coveting someone else’s plants.
I am ashamed to admit this is true. Breaking a commandment over a plant.
(Yes, Gail K. I coveted your Edgeworthia.)
I have always wanted a paperbush shrub, but feared one would not survive in zone 7.
When I saw one blooming in a neighbor’s yard I almost ran off the road.
Thoughts of coming back late at night with a shovel crossed my mind.
Do they have a dog? Would the chickens squeal on me?
So I was thankful to find an Edgeworthia chrysantha at one of my go-to places for the strange and obscure.
It was dormant. It looked like a stick. There was no tag. I had to buy it on faith. Lots of faith.
Mr. Flower looked at the pot with the stick in it and the expensive price tag with a puzzled look.
“It’s on my LIST.” I said. “Gail has one…”
There is no arguing with a woman obsessed.
My new baby is sprouting leaves.
I hope these don’t end up being expensive snacks for our herd of deer.
But that’s another story. (Stay tuned)
P.S. Here is a picture of the bunnies. (Gail doesn’t have bunnies.)
FLOWER
The fairies wanted to celebrate the Spring Equinox by going on a camping trip.
I agreed only if RBG went along to chaperone.
They seem to be having a great time.
Of course Wingrid, being a ghoul, must sleep during the day.
RBG has taken up fishing.
I hope this won’t encourage her to retire anytime soon.
Peacock needs to keep slathering on the sunscreen.
There’s nothing worse than burned blue skin.
I hope all of you are enjoying this first day of spring as much as the fairies.
Flower
I have a new friend under the fig tree, Sweet Betsy, Trillium cuneatum.
It was sent to me by a fellow blogger, Marian St. Claire of Hortitopia.
I am happy to report that is blooming and spreading.
I learned about this plant at a writer’s workshop
when the two women at my table learned I was a garden blogger,
they both said their favorite flower was ‘Sweet Betsy’.
I was embarrassed to confess that I had never heard of Sweet Betsy.
I shared this story with Marian. She kindly shipped one to me.
That’s how we plant folks are.
Thanks Marian.
I love Sweet Betsy so much I may write a song about her.
FLOWER
I think we love daffodils because they show up just when we need them.
Flashes of yellow appear as winter is loosening its grip on the land.
I welcome the bright yellow blooms as they foreshadow the bright spring sunshine.
I have many types of daffodils in a variety of colors,
but my favorite is and always will be the Tete-a Tete.
It is named for having two flowers on some of its stems.
Some of mine even have three!
This make them look like bouquets in the garden.
FLOWER
floweralley 