March has been whacked out crazy weatherwise but today is springtime lovely. I ventured into the early morning garden to tour around and take some pictures. Tomorrow I've got weeding to do. Many hardy weeds overwintered quite happily. So far, most of the roses look good. I've lost few plants this winter, I'm pleased to report. My greenhouse is stuffed full and I have lots more seeds to start. This year in the garden, all shall be glorious.
“God’s in His heaven— All’s right with the world!” Robert Browning
O Spring! can I believe you, With the score of times you've lied? ~V. A. R., "The Return of Spring," Poems, 1867
Entry to my Memorial Garden.
Crocus are so cheery. I love them and this purple and whitte striped Pickwick crocus is my favorite.
'Tis the time of daffodils. The scent of daffodils is the essence of spring.
(These two images are of miniature daffodils)
I've planted hyacinths everywhere. Their fragrance is Divine.
Once upon a time, I was Miss Crafty, making everything from decoupaged goose eggs (how we wound up with the geese) to vintage Santas and herbal wreaths, and have renewed my hands-on creativity with Christmas card/tree ornaments. I first gained inspiration for this project from a talented lady on YouTube, Lisa, with Our Shabby Cottage. Her Shabby Chic style appeals to me, and I’m naturally shabby. The vintage images I’ve used include Joan Walsh Anglund from her little books I’ve loved since the 1970’s, though her work goes farther back, and old-fashioned Christmas images wherever I can find them. The local thrift store is a trove of goodies. My four-year-old grandson, Charlie, loves to treasure hunt there with his mom, great grandmom, and me. Amazon (of course) has many image choices in their craft section, and Blümchen, a German styled company, carries a wide variety of Christmas ornament making supplies–not to forget Dollar Tree and Walmart for general crafting. I’m sure there are many more stores, but these are the ones I’ve found.
For the background/card paper, I searched the house to find the Medieval sheet music from my old recorder days and used that until I ran out. I like the worn look achieved from using older music and further aging the paper with distress oxide. I also employ eye shadow to give an antique appearance. Our local thrift store has used sheet music that’s perfect for my needs. I’ve lost track of how many card/ornaments I’ve made thus far but discovered mailing them in bubble wrap envelopes is pricey because the post office considers them parcels. I’m not officially in the card crafting business, as I’m making these for gifts, but if I were to create card ornaments for sale, postage would take a big bite. Mailing is a major consideration for any online sales.
I allow my creativity to flow freely, and every card is different. That makes each one original, and if there’s something I dislike I dive in and disguise the error or remake the card.
Writing is a very different kind of self-expression from crafting, and I do love both. Gardening is also a hands-on form of inner expression, partly why I love it too. That, and the sights, sounds, scents… All the feels. No one said I can’t do them all, just not at the same time. I’ve been sick a lot this fall, and these card ornaments are easier for me to work on when I’m only half decent. Imagine what I could achieve if I were really well. Here’s hoping.
It takes me several hours (more or less) to craft each card, but it easily takes me that long to comprise a sentence. I’m still working on the opening line to my never-ending WIP. My inner editor is too loud. I need to ignore her and move along.
Meanwhile, these card ornaments are fun and make me feel like I’m accomplishing something. Before the craft bug hit, I was planting crocus like a mad woman, but then I used up the bulbs and the weather grew too cold. It’s wise to have varied interests.
For those of you who are interested, the online bulb sites are having mega sales now. Not that I’ve noticed. It’s this dream I have of planting my entire yard in crocus…
And God Bless Us Everyone.
I'm scoping out online used book sites for Joan Walsh Anglund books to rebuild my library. They're out of print.
Cooler fall days are the perfect time for inside activities. I've planted spring bulbs, as I do each fall, plus several new roses, and tidied the Memorial Garden. The vegetable garden is another matter. Maybe winter will eliminate the weeds, or the gardening elves. Meanwhile, I've turned my attention to my crammed shelves, bookcases, and wardrobes...
(Valentines from 1902)
My family saves letters, journals, photographs, scrapbooks, all kinds of memorabilia, from the people who went before us and I'm the recipient of much of this bounty. I'm not even sure what all I've been entrusted with, so am taking stock. One of my favorite finds is a scrapbook, circa 1902-1904, that belonged to my great Aunt Emily, whom I know of but never met in life. She died long before my birth. Dad gave me her scrapbook years ago, but I'd rather forgotten about it until my recent find.
Young Emily filled the now dilapidated pages with magazine clippings, pictures, Valentine and Christmas cards, and keepsakes valuable to a teenage girl at the turn of the 20th century. The scrapbook itself is beyond saving, so I cut out the best of the images she'd pasted in. Emily grew up the cherished daughter (one of three younger sisters and a brother) to loving parents, with a good, comfortable life, her father being a banker. One of the items in her scrapbook is her dance card from what may have been her debutante ball. A tiny pencil hangs at its side to enter the names of the gentlemen requesting a dance. No young men are listed, which puzzled me, as Emily was an attractive, vivacious girl, who boasted in a letter to her papa about daring to ride 'astride' when other genteel ladies rode side saddle, so it's not because she wasn't admired.
(Aunt Emily's dance card)
Christmas cards (shown above) were different in that era. The Valentine's cards are more familiar. Tastes have changed over the decades, but romantic love isn't out of favor, not entirely anyway, and definitely not with me.
(An assortment of cards and events)
(Valentine Verse)
After immersing myself in Emily's scrapbook, and remembering what Dad told me about her, I feel closer to this distant aunt. Dad said when Emily died it was partly the doctor's fault because he didn't appreciate the seriousness of her condition (kidney disease). She's reported to have said, "I told you I was sick," towards the end. I don't know if Emily could have been saved in that era, before antibiotics, if the doctor had been aware of her deteriorating health, but maybe he would have tried harder. Dad said Emily had developed the reputation of being a hypochondriac, which made the medical community downplay her complaints. I wonder if she truly was a hypochondriac or whether she was discounted as women often were in the past and still are today.
After Emily's death, she was laid out in the formal parlor in the family homeplace where friends and family paid their final respects. Dad remembers his grandfather, Emily's father, seated by her side, begging her to wake up because she appeared to only be sleeping. Dad said how cruel he thought it was that Emily had been made to look so lifelike in death. His grandfather kept Emily's picture on his bedside stand and kissed it every night. He never got over the untimely death of his beloved daughter. So sad.
I don't have Emily's picture as an adult and hope one turns up, but I found this lovely Edwardian lady in her scrapbook. Maybe Emily looked much like her.
I'm touched and inspired by Emily. Dad once told me the years of his youth, and those of his parents' generation, were a gracious time to live, if you could stay alive. There were many illnesses and injuries to carry you off in that era which we have treatments for now. I should add, and if you had money, always a plus.
Even with the risks of that era, I deeply appreciate the graciousness and civility my Virginia ancestors enjoyed. Maybe I'll pack some antibiotic and travel back, as I do in my time travel romances.
'Flowers really do intoxicate me.' ~Vita Sackville-West
The garden, in its magical wonder, constantly and continuously changes. So quickly the hours flow into days, then weeks, and months. Seasons pass. From the first cheery crocus spangling the dreary February landscape to the cherished chrysanthemums hailing a brilliant autumn, a succession of flowers take center stage to enchant, then fade, their time spent. If I've planned correctly, new blooms will appear in their place, and I won't have gaps. A short while ago, the roses were magnificent, and I reveled in their silken blossoms, white and peachy-pink petals fluttering to the ground like snowflakes in the breeze. Now that first long-awaited flush is past and only a few plants are left in bloom. The roses will revive for another riotous color fest, but the despised Japanese beetles are arriving and will plague the plants and me for weeks to come. Any gardener not suffering this scourge should rejoice daily.
(Climbing Ballerina Rose)
During the dratted beetle season, I look to the lilies for glory, and they do not disappoint. The oriental lilies scent the garden with sweet perfume and tree lilies stretch to amazing heights. I'm lily mad and forever planting new bulbs. They're rather like Easter eggs, in that I hide them and await discovery, particularly as I often forget what kind I planted and where they were tucked. Plus, one of the online bulb companies sent me potluck instead of what I thought I'd ordered. Adds to the surprise, I suppose. I really must pay more attention to who sent what if I want to complain, but I know I didn't order knee-high yellow lilies. Not that they aren't pretty, but not what I intended. A whole lot like life.
I do what I usually do, forge ahead and try again.
(Forever Susan Lily)
I did nothing but comfort my plants, till now their small green cheeks are covered with smiles. ~Emily Dickinson, 1865
(Gaillardia with bee on it)
(Bee balm with bumble bee)
The bees are summer-busy every sunny afternoon... ~Hal Borland
(Cream Veranda Rose)
(Fragrant Tree Lily)
Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers, where I can walk undisturbed... ~Walt Whitman
(Oriental Lily)
Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden. ~Robert Brault, rbrault.blogspot.com
(Heirloom Iris my mother-in-law, Nana, planted, also the purple kind below.)
If ever there was a need to nurture a place of quiet contemplation, inspiration, beauty, and food for the spirit as well as the body, it's now. All these benefits, and more, reside in the garden. For me, it's my bit of earth on our farm. For you, it's whatever form your garden may take. Whether you grow flowers and vegetables in a few pots on your patio, or a plant-filled balcony, in window boxes, raised beds, on a rooftop, or an actual plot, alone or in community, having a garden is vital. Especially in these uncertain times. You don't have to be a 'prepper' to see the wisdom of food gathering and the value of gardening. Growing plants nourishes both body and soul. I'm sounding my back to the earth call a little louder than usual because it's important.
I need to take my own advice when it comes to food growing. My challenge is that I prefer to focus on my flowers rather than vegetables and fruits. Both are essential, though obviously healthy home-grown produce doesn't take the form of roses (normally). Now readers will trot out the recipes for rose hips. I know. You can prepare edible concoctions from some roses.
I've got to put more effort into the food end of my garden. I'm trying. I dragged myself out yesterday evening before heavy rain came to plant more tomatoes and get some peppers in. Think I will do more with containers this year. Daughter Elise helped me put in two large, raised beds. I like them. I'll keep you posted on how container gardening works for me. Hot dry summer is a challenge, but now it's May, that gladsome time of year.
(Carefree Beauty rose growing in my bed along the road--for decades)
If you don't garden yourself, it's good to 'know a guy' who does. We're fortunate to have produce stands in our area that sell fruits and vegetables. Do you? It's not like the family are dependent on my produce, but having our own fresh picked tomatoes is desirable.
Good heavens. We're getting slammed with another storm, a real gully washer and windy. My poor garden. I stake and tie everything, but it won't all hold. I'd say the drought is broken.
Yep. And now we're under a flood watch. That's valley weather for you.
(I grew the foxgloves from seed. *All parts poisonous. A beloved flower of the fairies.)
(Foxglove with Lady's Mantle)
(My mother-in-law planted these heirloom poppies that come back each year, and the yellow iris below with foxglove and my bunny statue. Every garden needs one.)
(Foxgloves in my Secret Garden)
When overwhelmed and stressed and unable to think, I go out and garden, it's cheaper than a shrink. ~Author unknown
...the world very much alive in the bright light and wind, exultant with the fever of spring, the delight of morning... ~Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness, 1968
(Lily flowered tulips)
Spring, the great motivator, launched me into action and has me sowing dozens of flowers, sweet peppers, basil, tomato seeds, potting up dahlias (to give them a head start), digging holes for roses and scouring the garden for spots to plant the ten new ones I ordered. I'm adding two varieties of dwarf delphiniums, and salvia, violas, peach colored hollyhocks...I started from seed. More catmint, hardy geraniums, Oriental lilies, clematis, and lavender have gone into the Memorial Garden, or soon will. And the list goes on of roses, bulbs, and plants I've specially ordered or started from seed. I'm also putting in a salad/vegetable garden. It's downsized from before but will still produce plenty of greens and veges. Mixing flowers with vegetables and herbs is a favorite of mine and is good for attracting beneficials to the garden. I'm sprinkling seed around like a flower fairy.
Yes, I get quite tired, but after a good rest I return to the garden, digging, planting, dividing clumps of asters and phlox and, and. It's truly a magical place, apart from our crazy spring weather that seems bent on wreaking havoc. After several days of ridiculously warm days, we're windswept with a cold bluster and threated wih frost. This is a recurring garden challenge in the Shenandoah Valley in spring.
I've gardened forever, but my endeavors really took off when I decided to create the Memorial Garden after my dad and younger brother, Chad, died. This living memorial is also for my mother-in-law whose garden this was before me and who passed soon after my father. I got really serious about taking care of my plants and went stark rose mad. Once you catch rose madness, there's no return, so take care. I'm now committed to caring for dozens of roses with more on the way. Can you have too many bulbs or roses? Nae. I'm also taken with Oriental lilies...
Stay tuned.
A little madness in the Spring Is wholesome even for the King... ~Emily Dickinson
“The air was fragrant with a thousand aromatic herbs, with fields of lavender, and with the brightest roses blushing in tufts all over the meadows.” ~ William C. Bryant
(lavender in our garden)
I'm happy to report success with lavender these past few years and I've been encouraged to plant more varieties. Phenomenal, which has lived up to its name, is an outstanding introduction in the lavender world. The shorter Munstead variety has proven reliable, and an even smaller one called Lavance Purple has made it through the spring and summer. The true test awaits it. My thoughts as to why lavender has survived the past two winters here with its tendency to freeze and rot is because I planted it along my rock border, a low wall I'm building by adding every rock I find. The stones absorb the sun's heat and give the plants some warmth and shelter from icy winds. I also mixed small stones into the planting hole for better drainage. Fingers crossed for this coming season.
If asked to choose my favorite herb, lavender would be at the top. The scent is wonderful, transporting even, and has a calming effect. Some enthusiasts take lavender internally, but I have not done this. I'm probably missing out. I've also used lavender oil to heal cuts and skin ailments. The oil helps ward off biting insects and mosquitoes.
(bees visiting our lavender)
Lavender is a perfect companion plant for roses and beloved by bees and butterflies. When I envision old English gardens, lavender comes to mind, but this antiquated herb goes much farther back to ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece. It's a biblical herb. There is a heated debate as to which plant is meant by 'lavender' in early references. A costly oil made from the rhizomes of Spikenard, a plant native to the Himalayas, is called both spikenard and nard and sometimes confused with lavender. That is believed to be the perfume Mary Magdalene poured on Christ's feet, unless it was made from true lavender or 'nard' as the Greeks called it. And then there's an aromatic herb called spike lavender, related to lavender, also used by the ancients that enters into the debate.
I'm not sure we can know for certain which plant is meant unless we go back in time. It's also unclear exactly when lavender arrived in England as the herb we know, but it seems to have been in common use by the sixteenth century. Some monasteries grew lavender much earlier, as monks were the keepers of herbs and the knowledge of their uses during the dark ages. Bless them. It's not worth a knock down drag out fight over lavenders arrival in England. As a local country woman once said of her toddler's moods, it's all 'right mixy.' So if you used lavender in an English historical and have gotten some flack over it, don't worry about it. You can justify its use well back if need be. Lavender is a fascinating herb with an amazing legacy stretching back into the mists of time.
I grow lavender, enjoy its beauty and fragrance, and use the lovely oils. I also use it in sachets, but you can do more. Let me know if you do.
Liles reign in July. Their stately spires and glorious blooms take centerstage when the Japanese beetles are at their worse and my poor roses are frazzled and frayed. Two years ago, without realizing how big they'd get, I planted bulbs of a large white lily. The image accompanying the advertisement pictured the stalks towering over a small child, so I figured maybe about waist/chest height on me. I had not yet heard of tree lilies and missed the image of these flowers rising above a women. The first season they were big but not like this second year. They're taller than me. Lilies rise from the Memorial Garden like Jack's beanstalk, with an incredibly sweet fragrance. Their pure white flowers scent the air, especially in the evening, but it's always heavenly near them.
One of our Old Order Mennonite neighbors called me about these giants. She frequently passes our farm in her horse and buggy and has ample opportunity to admire the flowers. These lilies are like nothing she's ever seen. If I get around to it this fall, I'll divide this clump and give her several bulbs. I also grow the Star Gazer Oriental lilies and a variety of others. Lilies are magical additions to the garden. Last fall I fell all over Breck's lily grab bag sale and wound up with quite a few new varieties. Exciting! But I was busy getting these bulbs in until Christmas. Fortunately, the ground wasn't frozen hard. Last winter was mild.
Who knows about 2021-2022?
My main challenge with lilies isn't winter but spring. I mulch the bulbs well to discourage early growth. Even so, they are almost always lured out by an unseasonable warm spell in April and then zapped by frost. Every spring I'm out covering clumps of lilies to try and protect the sensitive stalks from the icy blast. If a stalk is hit, it's gone. Tiger lilies are more resistant to the cold. I also grow daylilies and they can handle lower temps than the Oriental and Asiatic varieties. These beauties are worth the battle, I remind myself on those chilly spring evenings. They are royalty. (White tree lilies below)
"Consider the liliesof the field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." ~Matthew 6: 28.
Lilies and I have a long history. I memorized this verse (part of a longer passage) as a child and proudly recited it for the entire school. Those were different days. It was a public school in Bristol, Tennessee. I've always liked this passage as it assures us of God's care, but also because of the lilies. I loved flowers even then. I checked to see what variety of lily is referred to in this verse and it seems they are a native red anemone. Very pretty, but not what I'd envisioned. I guess something got lost in translation. Just as well, the word anemone would have gone over my head as a child.
(Above: Red carpet of flowers in Shokeda Forest, Israel. Image by Zachi Evenor.)
If you haven't ever planted lilies, give them a go. Watch for sales. I have several dozen bulbs to get in the ground from a summer sale. I plant them in among the roses and other flowers. A perfect cottage garden plant, the look I aim for, and if you're seeking inspiration, lilies have that in abundance
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