February Gold

It Feels Like Spring...

Daffodils are the absolute harbinger of Spring, and I adore them.  All sizes, shapes and colors.  The large cupped deep yellow King Alfred was the first daffodils ever planted by yours truly, well over 30 years ago.  I was just a beginner then, with no idea of following guidelines or rules, or even - directions.  They came up any way, and filled me with wonder at the deep gold.  I was smitten!  Then I craved the whites, the pinks, the tiny ones, and every one in  between.  What a thrill to have them blooming in February!

I must remember to plant more around the mailbox, which currently has two clumps of an unknown white with single deep yellow cups, that remind me of a petticoat (does anyone even know what that is anymore?).  And remember to divide the paperwhites in the back.  Maybe also get more to plant in the front, where I imagine a white garden.  And plant more daffodils, always more.

Remember, plant more flowers in more places.

At the mailbox

Hello from sunny South Carolina:)  hoping all are well and not down with the flu, as I have been.  It has been a tough week, home but not much energy leftover for anything but vegetating on the couch, dreaming of spring and wishing i was stitching.  As evening rolled around I was able to pick up my current project, The Long and Winding Road, and make decent progress.  Instead of a blue house I changed to a pebble gray house, now I think I will take that out and do it in blue after all.  Something about blue...

Why are we drawn to blue flowers in the garden?  The brilliance of a hydrangea or the softness of the pincushion flower, scabiosa, show the range of blue.  Sunlight alters the appearance of blue, and "true blue" is hard to find.  Blue provides a cooling effect in the garden, that can be most welcome after a long hot day. A place for your eye to rest, and for some, the body.

My only blue plant currently is plumbago, hardy here and supposed to be a larval food for the cassius blue butterfly.  So, I cannot yank its unruly self out of the bed since I am striving for a pollinator friendly piece of paradise.  The blue is soft, light, almost the baby blue that reminds me of many years ago (I cannot divulge the source, it had to do with elementary school uniforms).

Always search for more Blue.

My mantra: plant more flowers in more places