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The sweetness in the air today wafts in whenever the door is opened.
It envelopes one in warm enticing fragrance with each trip out of doors into the heavy, moist air. We had storms last night with wind and rain.
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But the dogwoods held their flowers. A few more daffodils have fallen over perhaps, and the newly leafed out roses bend nearly to the ground under the weight of their wet leaves. Perhaps the pruning should have been more aggressive, after all. But no matter, soon they will cover themselves in roses. There will be time for pruning when the first flush has come and gone.
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The lilac shrubs in the butterfly garden began to open yesterday. Last night’s rain left them sparkling and lush, and still full of buds.
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All of these shrubs came mail order over the last four years. They are Syringa ‘Josee,’ a dwarf reblooming variety with superior disease resistance. They came as rooted whips, and spent their first year or two in a pot. As they outgrow their pots I plant them out where they enjoy the afternoon sun.
They have all the beauty and fragrance of traditional lilac shrubs, but won’t grow much taller or wider than 6′. They will re-bloom sporadically through summer and into the fall. This is one of the shrubs predictably pictured in many winter garden catalogs. They always go on sale in spring, grow quickly, and make a lovely container planting for a season or two.
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Also in today’s vase is the first of the Columbine to break bud, Columbine leaves, apple mint, late Narcissus, and a piece of our Akebia vine.
Rain has hovered nearby all day, with periods of bright sunshine poking through only occasionally.
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Akebia quinata growing up into the trees
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The garden is wet, and more storms are forecast for this evening. I brought the flowers in for photos, and the cloudy day made it feel a bit dimmer than usual as I photographed this springtime vase.
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You may notice a beautiful little fairy sitting with the vase today, an original creation by Creekrose, given to me earlier this week. This exquisite little handmade doll feels full of the happiness of springtime, and was dressed to match today’s vase. Such a loving gift from, and so much enjoyed already.
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We can feel the transition in the garden now to late spring. The Daffodils have nearly finished, buds cover the roses, more perennials have announced their survival, and our trees are all leafing out. The shade will arrive just as we need it, now that temperatures continue to climb towards summer.
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Please remember to visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, who generously sponsors A Vase on Monday each week. You’ll find links to many wonderful arrangements of spring flowers in her comments. I’m always delighted with the beauty picked from others’ gardens. It makes the world feel a bit smaller to see the same flowers blooming many thousands of miles away.
May you find joy in the beauty of your own garden this week, and perhaps clip a few stems to enjoy inside. If you’re like me, you may be so busy preparing the garden for spring that you aren’t taking much time to cut and arrange. There wasn’t much time today to fuss over arranging these, and they could have been shifted around to better advantage, perhaps…
But once a flower is cut and brought inside, it seems to subtly change somehow. I appreciate them more, and take time to really see the unique beauty of each once they are placed in a vase.
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If you do cut a few stems from your garden, please share them in a post, and link back to the comments in Cathy’s post this week, and mine, so we can all enjoy them with you.
Woodland Gnome 2015
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Forest Garden 