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The Pandemic Pall

| Flower Roberts

The Pandemic Pall has covered us all,

yet the birds still fly in the clear blue sky.

The Pandemic Pall has us filled with gloom,

yet the birds still sing sweetly in the trees.

The Pandemic Pall is creating darkness,

yet the Bluebird still shines bright in the golden sun.

The Pandemic Pall makes us think of death,

yet the birds build their nests to raise their young.

The Pandemic Pall has NOT covered the entire Earth.

It has covered only us humans. (I wish I was a bird!)

It will be removed one day.

When we emerge from underneath this overspread,

Will our new normal be more respectful of the Nature we have previously plundered?

Will we help our hungry brothers and sisters in poverty,

so they do not have to hunt and kill their wild food from the forest?

Will we value the workers who were kept on the job while we stayed safe at home?

Will we have learned the lessons this virus is teaching us?

Our poisons spread to Nature and we spread Nature’s poisons.

We are ALL connected.

Flower

Another Slimy Spring

| Flower Roberts

A visitor sneaked into the bunny yard last night.

I spotted it this morning,  all fluffy and puffy.

It’s the ‘Same Old Slime Mold.’

This is the third spring it has visited this spot.

It must reside under the soil here and emerge when the conditions are right.

I think it is beautiful.

It will not last long. It will be brown and stringy by nightfall.

But for now, I will enjoy this lovely fungal flower.

Flower

 

Floral Floor Cloth

| Flower Roberts

I made this floor cloth over two decades ago when my children were small.

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How did I manage it? Why did I attempt such a thing?

I puzzle about things like this now that I am afraid of a pencil.

What made me believe I could make a floor cloth and paint my favorite flowers on it?

I think I get this from my dad. I get an idea and become possessed with it.

I found it folded and smashed under a pile in the workshop last week.

I laid it out on the gravel to examine it.

There were those flowers from gardens past.

The dahlia that disappeared and the Texas Star from my grandmother.

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The prolific Kwanzan daylily  that I should have declined and a Clematis I loved and lost.

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A white gladiola, a yellow Asiatic lily and a blackberry lily.

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A Japanese iris, bracken fern  and some bearded iris.

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Bearded iris, Cecil Brunner rose that got giant,  Bill Troutman poppy and a Sensitive fern.

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And my beloved pink foxglove.

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Maybe I’ll get possessed again and repaint it,

but first I need to get over my fear of colored pencils.

 

FLOW

 

 

Smother Lessons from a Vine

| Flower Roberts

I am a helicopter mother for my plants also.

So I overprotect the rare ones whether they need it or not.

I have had this ‘Blue Crown’ hybrid Passion vine for four years.

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When I finally got multiple starts by cuttings, I decided to risk leaving one outside.

Surprise! It stayed green all winter. The ones inside went dormant.

The ousted vine has climbed all over the fence.

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The two potted clones have finally started to grow.

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The one left out is covered in blooms. The protected ones are just now getting leaves.

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Will I be bringing one in next winter?

Yes. Just in case it gets super cold.  I will keep one stock plant inside.

Sometimes growing things need to be left alone. That includes children.

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Flow

First Double Bloomer

| Flower Roberts

Single blooming peonies have been in bloom for weeks. The doubles lag behind.

This is the first time Karl Rosenfield has bloomed here.

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I am pleased with its huge, full blooms.

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This one has a deep rich color and lush green foliage.

Stay tuned for my favorite which always blooms last.

Peonies are easy perennials but do not like to be disturbed.

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Flower

Amaryllis Outside

| Flower Roberts

I hope you did not toss that big bulb that bloomed over the holidays.

Here in the south, we can grow them in the garden.

I try several new varieties each Christmas.

Some have disappeared over the years.

I have wondered whether they were eaten or rotted.

I have found a solution that works for either problem.

I call it a “Rock Nest.”

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Here I have used some lava rock. You can use any rocks or broken pots or bricks.

The point is to surround the bulb with material to help with drainage

and to protect it from digging critters that snack on our bulbs,

I also amend the soil because we have quite a bit of red clay here.

Be sure to mark your bulbs.

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Also, take note of the height. Pink Surprise is tall and goes in the back of the bed.

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Moon Scene was short so it goes in the front.

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They like sun and warmth.

Don’t toss that bulb! Plant it outside.

Flow

 

My Morning Walks

| Flower Roberts

I take a cup of coffee out onto the deck each morning to walk and think.

I stroll back and forth clearing my mind and planning my tasks for the day.

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Flame azalea, Irises = Night Affair and Shipshape

Sometimes it ends up being more like pacing. Back and forth, over and over.

My cup empty, shivering in my pajamas, chilled.

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Single Peony

There are concerns. There are worries. I try to get these out of the way.

I took my camera on my walk today, so you could see what I see this spring morning.

I am surrounded by all this beauty.

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Krinkled White Peony

You are gardeners. You see the evidence of years of work.

This has been my oasis and my prison.

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Cardoon

I am still busy and useful and needed, but…

It seems so froufrou to be posting flowers during a pandemic.

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Fallopia ‘Varigata’ Persicaria Reynoutria(in a pot), NEVER PLANT THIS IN THE GROUND

That’s why I stopped blogging for a bit.

I was ashamed.  I was unnecessary.

But I was told that my posts were missed and my blog was needed.

So forgive my frivolous folly.

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I cannot save lives like my medical friends, but I can grow flowers.

I can share beauty.

I am not what I wanted to be, but this is me.

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Love Flower