Spring is here!

Credit: Sharon Hanna

rhubarb

Hellebore, harbinger of spring…

This photo clearly shows the ‘nectaries’ inside the flower, surrounding the pistil and stamens. Pollinating/beneficial insects sip nectar from them! Though the pink petticoats appear to be petals, they’re actually sepals. That’s one of the reasons that the ‘flowers’ of hellebores last such a long time.

Beautiful Muscari ‘Valerie Finnis’ – named for the late (and famous) plantswoman and garden photographer, recently commemorated in “Garden People, the photographs of Valerie Finnis”. A fantastic book about real gardeners who were her friends and colleagues in Britain from the 1950’s on, folks like Vita Sackville West and Margery Fish.

At 18, Valerie entered the Waterperry Horticultural School for Women next Oxford where she eventually became an instructor and became impassioned with alpine plants – growing thousands of them. Valerie’s first marriage took place when she was 46, to Sir David Scott – about 40 years her senior. An hour after the wedding they were photographed, she in typical headscarf of the time, weeding the garden at his estate in Boughton. Sir David lived to be almost 100, gardening almost until the end of his life.

A different way of looking at weeds – a gift from my favourite yoga instructor and friend, Diana Batts.

Diana keeps worm composters, worrying about the worms as if they were children. Since she has a patio garden only, with pots, I am the lucky recipient of her entirely organic and conscientious finished compost, for which I am very grateful

Baby ‘Carentan’ leeks – so cute as they unfold.

To be of the Earth is to know the restlessness of being a seed the darkness of being planted the struggle toward the light the joy of bursting and bearing fruit the love of being food for someone….. from “Earth Prayers” by John Soos….

Doronicum – also known as “Leopard’s Bane” and they must do a good job, as I haven’t seen a leopard in my back yard yet.

Seems the Leopard’s Bane doesn’t mind the cold”. Notice the absence of leopards.

“Merlot” lettuce looking ever so lovely beside one of the deep-coloured Heuchera…. “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished”. ~Lao Tzu

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