Memory Lane
The dwarf huckleberry is budded and ready to burst into bloom.
Today is my birthday.
I awoke to thunderstorms and the rain has continued for most of the day.
I usually spend my birthday doing a little planting and meandering around in the garden. After all those are my favorite things to do.
But today, due to the weather, I spent a lot of time listening to the pattering rain – ensconced on the couch with my computer.
When the rain slowed to a drizzle, I went forth to plant.
First I excavated a hole for a batch of spider lily bulbs (Lycoris radiata) that my friend Jerry Palmer gave me. Then I planted 3 mysterious daffodils pilfered by my friend Pete from a field behind the Meat Pie Store we often visit in Louisiana.
The Optician, one of Marc Pastorek's ceramic heads, is thrilled that soon he will co-habit with a coral honeysuckle.
I headed to the back yard next. I had set several pots in place for planting and they’ve been waiting on me for almost two weeks. They seemed to taunt me every time I looked out the back window.
Their roots are in the real dirt now. The rain tonight will settle them in and the taunting will come to an end.
I planted a couple of coral honeysuckles (Lonicera sempervirens) from Dr. Dirt. I will train them to scramble up the posts that hold our Marc Pastorek heads.
I prepared three lovely holes for the native bellflowers (Campanula americana) that I got from Terri and Mike at Gro-Wild.
I admired one of my first year daffodils. It is a large golden trumpet called ‘California’. It looks like a keeper. Then I found the first flowers on an old favorite, the sweet little ‘Hawera’.
'California' is one of the newest dafs in residence.
I was surprised to find plump pink flower buds on my dwarf huckleberry (Vaccinnium darrowii) and glad that the early viburnums and the pearlbush (Exochorda racemosa) are still blooming.
Like many garden rambles, this one felt like a walk down Memory Lane. Almost everything that I planted or admired reminded me of one of my plant buds and brought a smile to my face.
I returned to the couch and my computer. I was wet and muddy
The dogs slept contentedly after their garden romp.
In my younger years, I might have considered this to be a boring birthday.
But… today was a good day.
You’re right, Lea. I love them all. In Mississippi when I was young we called them buttercups and the ‘Campernelle’ was the norm.
Lovely to get out in the garden after a rain!
I really like ‘The Optician’
My question is, Have you ever seen a daffodil that was NOT ‘a keeper’? Not me, I keep all of them!
Happy Gardening!
Lea
That little huckleberry is a lovely plant in or out of bloom, Bernieh. I really like the cultivar ‘Rosa’s Blush’. It has more of the pink new leaves than the norm
Sending belated birthday wishes. It sounded like a brilliant day to me! How lovely that you got it spend some of the day out in the garden. Loved the little Huckleberry flowers.
Thanks for the Birthday wishes, Terri & Bill.
My friend, Marc Pastorek, made 2 heads for us that are designed to sit on a 4″x4″ post, Gail. The one in this blog post is “The Optician” which represents my husband Richard (who is an optician). The companion piece is “The Instructor”. Marc made that for me before I retired from teaching. They are very cool!
happy b’day sistuh!
Love the sculpture…It’s fantastic. gail
a beautiful reflective birthday to you – and next time you come visit – stay a little longer!
MANY happy returns of the day!
always like to walk virtually through the garden. good to hear you had an enjoyable birthday nonevent
Thanks, Jerry. Those were some nice fat Lycoris bulbs. They’re sleeping in the dirt now!
It seems like some of my dafs bloomed realllllllllllly early, Elise. Others like Hawera will be closer to normal. I’m glad there are still some to come.
Happy Birthday, my friend. May you always have flowers in bloom and a place to dance.
What a wonderful birthday! I’m glad you got out despite the rain. Hawera’s a favorite of mine too – I love the little narcissi!