today's problem: summer heat

today the heat will be thoroughly kicking in and i expect that will be the end of my bluebells. 

a beautiful day

bluebells...azaleas...dogwood...

oh, no: is that bamboo in the middle?

pansies

i love a pansy!

spring flowers

the groundhog was right and now spring is in full swing in the nation's capital! a morning walk through the city revealed the season's delightful blooms

 between the cracks in the sidewalk...

and along side the road.

 

the smell of jonquils perfumed the air.

some crocus pushed through,

and the hyacinths stood out.

there was an unbelievable magnolia grandiflora, who's blooms have not been browned by a frost this year.

this star magnolia shined!

when we turned the corner, we discovered a lovely decaying garden wall and urn.

otto took a minute to take it all in.

today's problem: florals

at fashion week, florals were the thing! i love this planting ensemble: perfect for the greenhouse seed planting!

clematis flowers

i have never been able to grow clematis because i've never found the perfect combo of "cold feet and hot head" in my yard. my neighbors have, though and they've created quite a spring spectacle!

rose garden

i have about 10 rose plants left in my garden...i used to have over 50, but when they built the house next door, more than 40 of my lovely plants were bull-dozed without warning: one of them was a huge heirloom that my 90-year old neighbor said had been planted back in the 20's! i cant remember the names of the various varieties i still have- or maybe i never knew them- but i love each and every one of them! i trace my affection for roses back to my roots in berkeley where i played in the rose garden almost everyday.

flower power

spring is all about flowers! celebrate it with the spring stool manufactured by wildspirit from sustainable bamboo and shown at the international contemporary furniture fair: instant pouff!

via comtemporist 

i ♥ pansies!

pansies are so awesome: why are they associated with light-weights? my first flower box planting of the year is pansies! why? last year when the weather broke, i planted amazingly decorative sweet potatoes: 9 inches of rain followed by a freeze later: my potatoes were dead...so this year: i am starting with the velvety flowers that can cope with the unpredictable ups and downs we call 'weather'.

snow drops

now that the snow has finally receded, spring is emerging! snow drops are everywhere and trees and shrubs have begun budding out.

i couldnt be more thrilled!

winter is over!

winter is o-v-e-r, despite the fact that it is snowing lightly, the ground is frozen and we have had wind gusts over 50 mph today. the fact is, it is 33 degrees: above freezing, and that is this winter's last hooray: yeah! how do i know? i saw daffodils leaves arising from the soil under a tree where the snow has melted.