Posted on by Donna

Seasonal Celebrations Revealed-March 2012

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ~ Anne Bradstreet

Happy Spring or vernal equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere. Our friends to the south are experiencing the autumnal equinox or fall.  So Happy Autumn to all in the Southern Hemisphere!

The start to this new season has been extraordinary for most folks in the US.  Warmer than usual temps; bulbs and trees blooming much earlier; birds and bees arriving sooner.  What all this means we shall see.  Will we get more snow?  I know I will, at least a little.

As you may recall at the beginning of March, I was dreaming of celebrating spring with the idea that other bloggers would join in and send their seasonal celebrations/dreams.  It is time to reveal their celebrations as we change seasons.  It was amazing to see so many joined in from all over the world for the new meme.

Let’s start with our friends way down south; South Africa that is.

 

meadow showing color

Christine@The Gardening Blog joined in with Autumn in Cape Town.   For Christine, as the days shorten she is looking forward to the cooler weather even though the days still feel summery.  As she tells it, “I love my garden in Autumn and Winter. There is always far more going on in it during the cooler seasons.”  Her lovely Japanese anemones that are budding up foretell of the change in seasons.

 

Diana@Elephant’s Eye  took us on a Walk in my garden where she showed off some rare autumn foliage.  Her Mediterranean climate, does not have frost (how interesting) so it is most unusual to find any fiery autumn colors. But her Nandina in Camps Bay has managed a few red leaves and definitely a ” poster girl – For Autumn Colour in Your Garden” as Diana says.

 

Now let’s go across the pond to visit a European blogger.

 

Near London, England, B-A-G@Experiments With Plants  is following a London Plane Tree.

maple flowering

In this post we are introduced to B-A-Gs favorite tree  for this celebration of the seasons; London plane (platanus hispanica) a hybrid of platanus occidentalis (American sycamore) and platanus orientalis.  B-A-G will be following the tree through the seasons…I am looking forward to these posts.

 

As we start our seasonal celebration in the US, we’ll start in some southern gardens where spring arrived early.

 

In Georgia, Karin@Southern Meadows  showed us her Seasonal Celebration & Lesson Learned.  Daffodils start blooming in February for Karin.  Mine don’t normally show until mid April. That will change this year.  In March spring is described as” Everyday there are new arrivals to the party.”  And then there are the bloom celebrations in Georgia.  Karin describes “the International Cherry Blossom Festival also known as the PINKEST party on earth showcases 300,000 Yoshino cherry trees. It is held in March in Macon, Georgia every year. This year is the 30th anniversary celebration.”  She also recommends we see the azaleas that bloom in March at  Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia.

 

Crocus ‘Spring Beauty’

Michelle@The Sage Butterfly reminded us in her lovely words that spring is a time of Emergence.  We see new growth.  There is emergence from rest, hibernation…the garden breathes.  As Michelle says, “With spring the rest is over and production and growth begin.”

 

Spring Ephemerals were the topic for Sheila@Green Place in North Carolina.  What better way to celebrate the spring season than to gaze upon these fleeting wildflowers….trout lilies, hepatica, wild ginger.  As Sheila says, “Spring ephemerals remind me of fairies. I become a child again, crouching in the leaves to enter their world.”  I agree these are such magical flowers to celebrate spring.

 

Now it’s off to the southwest where spring also arrived a bit early.

 

Holley@Roses and Other Gardening Joys in Texas taught us a wonderful lesson through her post, My Goal.  As Holley says, “As I look forward to a new season, I will work toward my goal:  Not perfection, but delight.  While we can strive for perfection in our gardens, it may not bring us the delight we are after.”  Her goal is delight in life in the garden, seasons changing, colors and scents.  I will feel less pressured to worry about the weeds.  Thanks Holley.

 

Stacy@Microcosm in New Mexico  told us of her “blogging quandary—how can (or why would) you keep posting, year after year, about a garden when the cycle of the seasons is the same?”  So she has been taking some time to find many ways to view crocuses.  Luminarias is the final of these unique looks at what many may consider a common spring bulb.  It is anything but that as we have learned.   And this final look certainly shows us the celebration of spring, ” to revel in these flowers for their own astonishing selves:  for the petals’ delicate shadings from icy paleness to candlelit warmth, and the startling solar flare of style and stigma.”

 

Let’s head to the northwest where spring is finally popping.

 

green soup in pond

In the Pacific Northwest,  Elaine@Rainyleaf   told us that this particular Seasonal Celebrations is special for her.  It is her favorite season because she has a May birthday (as do I).  Elaine says it best with these words, ” It always seems as if all these flowers are popping up just for me!  The earth releases an energy, taking us out of our winter dream-sleep.  When spring arrives the world’s a better place.  With spring the brightness goes from candlelight to electric light.”

 

Andrea@igardendaily in Idaho was Rolling Into Spring with images of tulips, cherry blossoms, magnolias, dogwoods, hellebores, peonies, irises, alliums, windflowers, etc.  For her, “Thoughts of Spring really lift my spirits, so much so that even a tedious workout was debunked!  It’s time to get back into the garden and watch a fresh line of spring ‘pretties’ emerge.”  And we will get to see many of these flowers emerging in her new semi-shade garden.

 

Last but not least we will end our journey in the northern States (my area of the country) where we are also seeing a fairly early spring.

 

As we travel to Niagara Falls, Donna@Garden Walk, Garden Talk  is celebrating the change of seasons with trees, especially Trees Dressed in Ice.  Donna says Spring sometimes skips her, but I think not this year.  Her entry celebrates trees.  Aren’t trees such a wonderful celebration so lost sometimes in the landscape when they leaf and the garden blooms through summer, but in winter and into spring they are such a lovely reminder of the majesty of the landscape.

first daffs 3/19/12

 

Beth@PlantPostings in Wisconsin really has Seasonal celebrations:  oh my!   Beth reminds us that, “March and April are chock full of shared holidays—St. Patrick’s Day, Palm Sunday, Easter.”  With all these holidays, there are also many family birthdays for Beth in March and April.  And Beth creates many beautiful bouquets for all these occasions.  As she says, “It’s a great opportunity for me to get creative with colors, textures, and whimsical elements.”

 

We will end our journey in Michigan with Mary@Going Native who is having a ball in her Spring Celebration. With unusual temps in the 70s, she has snakes emerging along with forsythias, redbud and crabapple.  Mary also celebrates with seed starting and she has many sprouts already.  A perfect start to spring as we all are getting ready for the celebration that is spring in the North.

 

I am overwhelmed with the first response to the new meme, Seasonal Celebrations.  I hope more will join in for the next solstice.  I will be posting about this new season on June 1st.  Please remember to visit Beth@Plant Postings as she reveals the Garden Lessons Learned this past season.

“Live each season as it passes, breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

 

 

 

 

Next up on the blog:  The last color post will be next week;  green for Wildflower Wednesday.  Next Monday I’ll have my  Word 4 Wednesday post as I join with Donna@Garden Walk Garden Talk.  I’ll be updating my garden with Gardens Eye Verse on April 2nd.  I am moving my Simply the Best series, that ties in with Diana@Elephant’s Eye, to the fourth Wednesday of the month to coincide with Wildflower Wednesday.  As the season comes into bloom quickly and the veg garden must be planted, I am reducing my posts to 4 or 5 a month.

As always, I’ll be joining Tootsie Time’s Fertilizer Friday.  So drop by to check out all the blooms this Friday.  I will also be joining Katarina for her Blooming Friday meme where the theme is Photogenic.  My garden is blooming so fast, it is a sea of photographs…

I hope you will join me for my weekly posts, every Tuesday, at Beautiful Wildlife Garden.

Please remember, to comment click on the title of the post and the page will reload with the comments section.

All content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Gardens Eye View.  Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only.

50 Replies to “Seasonal Celebrations Revealed-March 2012”

    1. Karin, I am glad you liked the review and that it has brought some new blogs to you…here’s to a wonderful spring and gardening season!! And thx too for participating….

  3. Your meme is a wonderful view into all the different celebrations in gardens all over the world! This is a nice list – I had somehow missed a couple of them. I think this early spring for a lot of us has us jumping around, trying to get our gardens ready for it. So nice to be able to see what others are doing to welcome in this change. Thanks for hosting.

  4. This is a great post; wonderful of you to bring all these thoughts together. Do give me a reminder when the next one is due, I would love to join in too. Christina

    1. Christina I would love to have you join in…I will remind you and put in reminders along the way. The next call will be June 1st for our next seasonal change with a recap on the solstice…

  5. 4 or 5 posts a month is exactly the pattern that works for me. So many gifted wordsmiths in this selection. I love a meme which is rounded up and displayed with charm when the entries are all in!

    1. Thx Diana..so glad you liked it. You are right so many gifted writers joined in…thank you for participating too!

  6. Donna, this is so beautifully presented! Coming back to it is a great way for participants to see all the posts on one page to go and read them. And thank you so much for mentioning that we are from South Africa!

    It was a privilege to take part in this one 🙂

    1. It means a lot to me Christina that you enjoyed the recap…it was a privilege to have South Africa represented. Thank you for joining in!!

    1. Janet it feels like summer here as well but at least no humidity. Glad you enjoyed the seasons around the world.

  8. Great post and summary, Donna! Congratulations on the launch of your meme. The partnership makes perfect sense the more I think about it. Happy spring! Cheers!

    1. Beth I was like a little kid so excited to be hosting with you….it does make so much sense and I can’t wait until the next season…I even put my countdown to the next season on the sidebar…Happy Spring to you too!!

  9. I appreciate all your effort…you worked as hard as all those plants out there pushing up through the cold ground! This post made me happy to see spring through everyone’s eyes.
    Thank you,
    Elaine

    1. Oh good Elaine I am glad it made you happy….I have learned a lot to help make it a bit easier but it was a lot of work…one of the longest posts to create…but I loved it…my ground has warmed too much…can’t wait to get out there a bit more.

  10. Donna you have done a beautiful job presenting these blogs, I love too that you start by reminding us northerners that for some it is autumn! I must find time to visit as many as I can of the blogs though the blogger who thinks the seasons stay the same each year needs to open their eyes and look over the fence, like me you too have posted that the seasons have not! stayed the same,
    this morning all is calm here and the weatherman said we will will have a temp of 12 centigrade so I am hoping to get into the garden today, hope you do to, Frances

    1. Thank you Frances…as always you are too kind. I am so excited that your weather has gotten better…ours is warm but with my sore knee I have not had a chance to do too much…taking a day tomorrow (Fri) to work outside, get a bit of therapy on the knee and write. It should be a glorious day!!

  12. Wow Donna, I’m impressed by how you organized all of the seasonal celebration postings and tied them all together. This was very enjoyable to read and I feel like I am in touch with what is going on in gardens around the world this Spring. Much more so than if I would have just visited these individual blogs separately. Thank you!

    1. Andrea what a sweet comment…chalk it up to the teacher in me I think…so glad you enjoyed the meme, the recap and thx for participating!!

    1. Karen what a pleasure to have you visit the blog and garden. I adore your blog and will make a habit of it…please do join in next time to the celebration of the seasons…your recent post is perfect…

  14. Donna – I wasn’t sure whether to take part in this meme, but after seeing your global summary I’m so glad I did. Sometimes I forget the thousands of miles that separate us all – this post really brought it home.

    1. B-A-G it means a lot to have you participating and I am glad you liked the recap and world tour…it was fun visiting with everyone…

  15. I am very glad I live in an area that experiences the four seasons. Each one has its beauty, and so it is only right that they should be celebrated. Your wonderful meme allows us to see and read about the seasonal celebrations all around the world. Thanks for all the work you put into it, and thanks for hosting!

    1. Michelle I am happy to have been able to do this and can’t wait for the next installment…thx for participating and all your kind words!

  16. Donna, nice of you to list everyone. Funny you mentioned Spring not missing us this year, I think it actually did, and went right to Summer. People all over are in shorts in this 80° weather. We have hit record highs for a week now. Never had we had a March like this, and honestly, I am concerned because we have not had rain either. I would rather have the snow than this unconventional weather. I wonder what Summer will actually bring this year?

    1. It feels like a late May spring at times and then summer with no humidity…we have had loads of rain and due for more this weekend…my garden was flooded and is still rather wet…I would be concerned without the rain..we are headed for a cool down next week with more rain. I planted my cool veggies under cover…too hot with record highs in the 80s…you are right…we had more of a summer than spring…my early blooms were not happy and came and went within days…I barely had a chance to enjoy them…such a shame. Then there are the mosquitoes already out in March…yuck!

  18. My goodness, that was so much fun. I felt like I traveled all over the world. I’m so sorry I didn’t get to join in, but I’ll try for the summer equinox. Spring is a busy and fruitful time. I loved reading about it and fall are coming to the entire world. Thanks.~~Dee

    1. Clare it would be an honor to have CA represented in the meme…love seeing everything growing around your farm and gardens…so glad you enjoyed the tour!

    1. Thx Carolyn. It was fun reading all the posts again as I put the summary together…I wasn’t sure if the summary would suffice but apparently everyone has enjoyed it and I am looking forward to summer….

  21. What a lovely meme. I really enjoyed seeing the contributions from all over the world. I’ll try and join in from the Canadian prairies next time.

    1. Susan how wonderful that you visited and I am so happy you enjoyed the celebration…I would be honored if you joined in next time..

  22. Hi Donna, i hope i can join in one of your memes one of these days. I wont be an insider for the seasons theme, so maybe i can choose something for the Wildlife garden somehow. And let’s see each other in some common memes like Tootsie’s and Donna’s. Enjoy! Have a nice week ahead.

    1. How nice Andrea…it is always fun to see you no matter the meme or post! I know I will enjoy myself and your posts!!

  24. Wow, what a great idea! I’m sorry I missed out on it! It’s really cool to hear a quick update on what’s happening around the globe and how other gardeners celebrate this amazing season! I’m looking forward to the next one.

Comments are closed.