A Favorite Christmas Surprise

Hello all,  I think of you often and hope you're doing well.  It's been a while since I posted and there have been some changes in all of our lives. Coming back to Blogger after all this time, I wondered if I'd remember how to do this.  The tools here have changed a bit.  If you're reading this, I somehow figured it out. 

 Sometimes, in the midst of turmoil, there comes a ray of light that lightens one's spirit.  Just before Christmas, one such ray of light came in the form of a mystery in my mailbox. I didn't recognize the name or address of the sender listed on the slip of paper left by the postal carrier saying that I had a parcel to pick up at the post office.  Could it be dangerous  seeds from China?  Random gift from a family member  sent directly to me from a supplier?  A google search didn't prove helpful.  I'd just have to wait until the next day to head over to the post office and find out.  There was a sense of fun and comradery  among the pre-holiday throng at  the post office the next day.  (All wearing masks and spaced 6 feet apart and spilling out onto the street.)  It was almost like a holiday party.  When the package was finally in my hands, it was obviously a book.  What book could it be?

Books are awfully decorative don't you think?

 I'd already ordered a copy of Fearless Gardening  to be delivered after the release date in January so it was a delightful surprise to receive this early copy directly from the printer.  That it fit so well with my color scheme was an added bonus.

I've been a fan of Loree Bohl's Danger Garden Blog  for years.  In fact, nine years ago, as a surprise for a significant birthday, I actually got to meet Loree and visit her garden.  That meeting was the first of many as we visit each others gardens every so often and have become friends through the wonderful world of garden blogging.  

I wonder if the Bohl household looked anything like this recently?

 

So, how's the book?  you might ask.  Well, as someone who has read a fair number of garden books, I think this one is stellar and not just because there's a picture of my garden in there. (Very humbling to have my tackiness in such a fabulous book.)  Loree's excellent design skills and love of plants shines through every page of the book just as in her garden.  The book is like a key to freedom for gardeners who seem bound by the garden commandments, a celebration of gardening as an adventure, not a destination, a process, not a product.  I started skimming through a few pages here and there and decided that this is a book that I want to savor for a long time so I'm limiting myself to a few pages each day.  It's a book chock full of beautiful word images, gorgeous photographs, and wonderful advice about doing what makes you happy with your garden space. While it's filled with great information, it reads like a visit with a wise old (as in long term, not elderly) friend and will join some of my perennial favorite garden books that are reread frequently.  

If this book isn't in your hands yet, you should remedy that soon.  If you're looking for a gift for a gardening friend, you can't go wrong with this one. 

What Next?

At the top of a back staircase in our house this variegated sansevieria has lived for the last five years, requiring little care and growing happily.

A year or two ago, I decided to let it have a vacation outside.

However, it got placed in a spot with a little too much light and wasn't acclimated properly so it suffered.  I brought it in after only a few days, mad at myself for such foolishness.  During the last year or so it's struggled a bit and something that found the pot outside ate a few dents in the sides of a couple of leaves.  Maybe it got over watered but recently it decided to fall apart. 

What to do?  Is it time to call it quits and compost the whole thing or should the fallen bits be rooted, fresh soil provided and hope that the fun continues?   I've pondered this for a while.  

This spring, I was feeling a little blah and wasn't really enjoying being in the garden or even going to nurseries.   The amount of plants in my possession and the care they require seemed overwhelming.  Everything that I thought of to blog about seemed old - yes, there are new shoots, blooms, foliage but what haven't I already shared in previous years?  Blogging and being part of that community have been a true joy for me but recently, the thought of what to do next on the blog has been crossing my mind every time I look at that sansevieria.

I now know that a totally blocked vessel in my heart may have had something to do with my feeling of ennui.   The signs were fairly subtle and I dismissed the pain as being caused by moving too many pots out of the greenhouse.  Finally on Saturday evening, we walked  to the emergency room of the hospital just up the street.  I got a lovely private room in the coronary care unit with a view of the park.  A couple of days being pampered  and a nice surgery were just what the doctor ordered, literally.   I'm back home now and feeling much better than before but will be taking a break from blogging for a short time.  Until then, happy spring and happy gardening!

Wednesday Vignette - Magnolia Time

It's spring break and for the first two days, we had blue sky and temperatures in the sixties.  Perfect weather for playing in the garden but I spent far too much of it inside doing nothing.  The clouds predicted for the rest of the week will motivate me to go out and play.

Wednesday Vignette is hosted by Anna at Flutter and Hum.  Click here to join the party.

The garden is waking up for the year so I'd better get out there and tidy up a bit!  How is your spring gardening going so far?

In a Vase on Monday - April Foolishness

In a Vase on Monday is hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  Do click over to her blog to see her arrangement this week and to find link to those of other participating bloggers.

It's April Fools' Day so what better way to celebrate than with a bit of whimsy in the form of a couple of cat  containers made by Cindy Jenkins? 

Tall kitty got a couple of Dianthus, some Primroses, a Tillandsia, and a few branches from the Coral Bark Maple.

Short kitty got some pansies and foliage from Dicentra formosa.

Now, what should we name these little kitties?

Random Spring Stuff from My Garden

Snowdrops and crocus are finished, hellebores continue and, with the advent of warmer weather, new leaves are popping up everywhere.  Now, if I could only remember where I planted those tulips last fall.  Oh well, if they lived, they'll bloom one of these days. Let's take an after-work stroll around to see what's new.

Impatiens omeiana 'Silver Pink'

Podophyllum 'Red Panda'

Magnolia time!

Begonia pedatifida

Acer palmatum

Yellow violets

Peony 'Coral Charm'

 In the greenhouse, clivias are putting on  a nice show. 

I have several rhipsalis that are all different but were all sold with a label reading simply Rhipsalis.  It's a step above "assorted succulents."  Anyway, this one, which I think is rhipsalis salicornioides, has yellow blooms  that perfume the entire greenhouse for a couple of weeks. 

There are various echeverias and aloes blooming in the greenhouse as well but some of the flowers are hiding behind other plants at the moment.

Tillandsias did well this winter. 

Back outside - Tree peony. 

Some rhododendron purchased years ago at Heronswood for it's interesting foliage.  It's finally decided to bloom.  Since it's grown too large for the space, seeing this will make it easier to cut back nearly to the ground.

The vibrant pink color of these Acer palmatum leaves lingers until mid summer.

The main trunk broke under the snow load and I just noticed it.  Hope it'll survive.

Sinopanax formosanus  looking unfazed by the strange winter weather. 

 Agave 'Mr. Ripple'  looking a bit battered but the center is still firm so hopefully it'll be okay.

Daphne odora makes everything better, right? 

I hope spring is bringing you lots of happy surprises!

Happy weekend all!

A Sunny Saturday Nursery Hop Part Two: Valley Nursery

Have you ever been so overwhelmed by all the spring tasks that need doing in your garden that you simply run away from it?  What better place to run than a nursery?

I have this in my garden but it hasn't achieved this grand size. 

You may recall a post last week featuring this noxious weed in a hanging pot in my garden.  What can I say, that golden color seduced my eye.

Lots of gorgeous hellebores but I already have enough. 

Some cool plants for inside as well. 

Been there, have that but isn't it beautiful.  

Fabulous Agave 'Blue Glow' and planter combination.  

Gold variegation was speaking to me for some reason and Rhododendron 'Blattgold' also came home with me. 

Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Akebono'

Ranunculus flowers always appeal to me as they remind me of one of my early garden mentors in Alaska who grew these in her garden.  They never last long in my garden here but make a nice splash in seasonal pots.

Interesting use on a broken pot. 

There's always an agave!

Oh those double primroses are so sweet. 

Camellia japonicas are in full swing now and will be producing flowers for quite some time for us to enjoy.

So, I got away with only two plants this time and only one of those required planting.  

My spring break is next week and I'm hoping for great gardening weather. I promise to actually work in my garden rather than trying to escape the horror of it all. 

It's time for the semi-annual plant migration to begin.