I got the May flower blues

Corydalis 'Purple Leaf'

Ajuga 'Black Scallop'

Salvia 'Mystic Spires'

Delphinium - 'I lost the tag, but isn't it gorgeous?'

 

Lavandula stoechas 'Madrid Blue'

Sitting on a bag of mulch

Warm sunshine, light breeze, not a cloud in the sky. A day as near to perfect as I can imagine. I went out to the hillside with the intention of tackling the mulching--the bags were stacked up waiting for me. And of course once I got out there I saw weeds. So back inside I went to get the hand tools. Set with one of my favorite implements of weed whackin' destruction I headed back up. When I got to the top of the hill and looked down I was mesmerized by the riot of colors and textures. I just plopped myself down on the nearest bag of mulch and took it all in.  I don't do that nearly enough--just sit and enjoy.

Just as the bottom of the hill starts to fade--daffodils, tulips, bluebells, lilacs--the top of the hill calls out, "Hey, ignore those fading beauties. They're all washed out. Look at us in our Spring finery!" I love looking up from the bottom of the hill first thing in the morning. Everything glows as the sun filters through the different colors and textures of foliage.

 

Too smitten to notice

I have been so smitten with the freesia that i have barely noticed its neighbor, the honeywort.

cerinthe major purpurascens

Guarding the peas and potatoes

Today we decided that one hour of gardening in light misting rain was better than no gardening at all. I swear the weather people said we'd see the sun all weekend long. We did some cleaning in preparation for planting the tomatoes. Just in case Mr. Raccoon decides to drop by, Diva Dog is on the job, guarding over the peas and potatoes.

At the other end of the potager our salad greens--which are mostly not green--have been producing quite nicely this Spring. There are also beets and radishes growing in the front section. In the back section there are chard, garlic, shallots, purple cauliflower and purple kale--a reject that was headed for the compost pile until Wing Nut rescued it and brought it home.

This month we missed GBBD but here are a few of our blooms from May. First up are the trilliums. We finally got trilliums to bloom in our shade garden. Not all the plants bloomed this year. A little research learned me that this is not uncommon with young plants. They can take up to 5 or more years to bloom. Last year none of our plants bloomed. This year half bloomed--all white. Hopefully next year the red ones will bloom.

Wood Anemone

Lily-of-the-valley.

Freesia.

Happy Mother's Day!

The Weed Whackin' Wenches would like to wish all mothers a very happy day today!  Please enjoy the virtual bouquets from our gardens.

Wing Nut would also like to say a very special thank you to her mother today. This one's for you, Mom!  :-)

Recently you told me that I amaze you with my cooking and gardening abilities. You said I didn't learn these things from you. Well perhaps not exactly, but I have learned a tremendous amount from you.

Maybe you didn't teach me how to cook gourmet meals, but you taught me the basics and made sure I always had enough to eat.

Maybe you didn't teach me to garden, but you did help me see the beauty of nature and God's creation all around me. 

You didn't teach me good customer service skills; you showed me how to treat people with kindness and respect.

You filled our home with laughter (and some silliness!) and taught me that laughter really is often the best medicine.

You taught me that good friends and family are far more important than the clothes we wear or the cars we drive.

You taught me that open communication, even when the words are difficult to say, is the key to healthy, honest relationships.

I learned all of these things from you so far. With your ongoing love and support, I hope to continue to learn and grow.

Thank you for everything, Mom.  I love you.

Garden Bloggers' Muse Day -- May 2008

Visit Sweet Home and Garden Chicago for more GBMD posts.

 

Alba

As cool as the pale wet leaves
of lily-of-the-valley
She lay beside me in the dawn

-- Ezra Pound

Rollicking Rhubarb

 

Rhubarb Tart
by Monty Python

I want another slice of rhubarb tart.
I want another lovely slice.
I'm not disparaging the blueberry pie
But rhubarb tart is oh so very nice.
A rhubarb what? A rhubarb tart!
A whatbarb tart? A rhubarb tart!
I want another slice of rhubarb tart!

The principles of modern philosophy
Were postulated by Descartes.
Discarding everything he wasn't certain of
He said 'I think therefore I am a rhubarb tart.'
A rhubarb what? A rhubarb tart!
A Rene who? Rene Descartes!
Poor nut he thought he was a rhubarb tart!

Read all the existentialist philosophers,
Like Schopenhauer and Jean-Paul Sartre.
Even Martin Heidegger agrees on one thing:
Eternal happiness is rhubarb tart.
A rhubarb what? A rhubarb tart!
A Jean-Paul who? A Jean-Paul Sartre!
Eternal happiness is rhubarb tart.

A rhubarb tart has fascinated all the poets.
Especially the immortal bard.
He caused Richard the Third to call on Bosworth Field:
'My kingdom for a slice of rhubarb tart!'
A rhubarb what? A rhubarb bard!
Immortal what? Immortal tart!
As rhymes go that is really pretty bard!