Spending time in the last couple of months on family affairs exhausted me both physically and mentally and didn’t leave much time left for anything else. I retreated to Instagram @petalsandwingsimages as my outlet since I didn’t have to spend time correcting images on PhotoShop. Now, as the dust settled, I’m back. With plenty of rain in early spring, the garden has grown pretty fast … Continue reading Late Spring
Getting More Beautiful Every Year We weren’t able to enjoy our tree peonies in the last two years as it was either too windy or too much rain which brought down the flowers as soon as they opened up. This year, though we had a lot of rain, there was a brief period without and it coincided with the tree peony blooming. Not just us … Continue reading Tree Peony-Nishiki
With Respect and Gratitude The Earth gives us sanctuary and sustains us in all things. Aside from being a provider, she is also a designer, inventor and teacher among many other things. She is kind but can never be tamed. That last is quite likely what saves us all from ourselves in the end. Here’s some of the great beauty she gives us…. Thank you, … Continue reading Earth Day
And The Flowers Agree Today is the official first day of spring and feels like it too. Spring flowers bloom, birds start clearing their territory and look for nesting spots. Not much to describe; just happy that spring is finally here. Continue reading The First Day Of Spring
Colors And Scents Are Back Summer will be here in two weeks and I can feel the heat in the air already. One day the temperature was hovering below 50º F and I had to wear a sweatshirt in the garden. The plants just stalled in their growth. The next day it hit 80º F and even wearing just a t-shirt it was too hot, but … Continue reading Spring
Blooms But Once A Year And It’s Worth It It’s that time of year again: A time of colors and scents. The unintended Clematis Montana (Clematis Montana var Rubens) proves itself of worthy for any garden again even though it blooms only once a year. I can hardly see it’s leaves this spring. The pool fence is covered with the beautiful pink flowers and it … Continue reading Clematis Montana
A Living Umbrella I still remember the arresting scene of Wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) that made me want to grow one. That was when I walked under the Wisteria Pergola in Central Park when it was in full bloom. A sea of lilac pealike flowers cascaded down over my head and a powerful sweet perfume filled the air. I promised myself then and there that I … Continue reading Wisteria
Colors And Sweet Scent I really love this time of year when at every turn I see beautiful colors and the air is filled with a sweet scent. The ‘Kanzan’ cherry tree (Prunus Kanzan) in the front yard finally blossomed. Half of the tree is covered with white flowers; the other half with pink (it was grafted that way). This year the white one didn’t … Continue reading Spring Blossom
Weighing Priority: To Blog Or Not To Blog Spring is finally here, though a little too cold for April. There are plenty of things to do in the garden and most of them are time sensitive. Cleaning up dead stalks, feeding, pruning, training, mulching, starting the seedlings…they all need to be done at certain times in order to be done correctly and to be … Continue reading Weighing Priority
The Flood of Color and Scent Has Started From spring forward is the time of year I prefer; it’s full of life, activity and colors. Birds are busy defending their territory, courting and looking for great spots to make a home. Insects start to come out of their hiding places and plants are pushing their new leaves and flower buds upward. Once the bulb flowers … Continue reading Spring Blooms
Petals and Wings 