- Chionodoxa forbesii Pink Giant with an Eastern Comma Butterfly
“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
– John Muir
For this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day and Fertilizer Friday I decided to walk about the garden to see what is finally blooming. A walkabout has long been a rite of passage,
and recently been thought of as a “spiritual journey”. And what better way to replenish your soul than to walk amongst a garden. We had sun with temperatures in the 60s over the weekend and in the 80s on Monday which pushed many bulbs to die back and others to finally bloom. So come along and let’s see what is going on in the early spring, early April garden …..
Daffodils are finally blooming. We will see so many more in the next week. The display is one of my favorites with their cheery faces almost as bright as the sun.
Then there are all the early spring bulbs; Glory of the Snow, Puschkinia, Scilla, Hyacinths blooming with the beautiful red hellebore and the tiny pink corydalis. I had forgotten I had planted Iris ‘Katherine Hodgkin’ (bottom right) and it is a stunner looking almost as if it had been painted with lines of blue.
I also ventured in to the “forever green” area behind my meadow to see what might be back there. This is an area that is designated wild and can never be developed. It is protected by the Department of Environmental Conservation in New York State and violators are fined heavily. And although it is barren and brown it was still an interesting journey. As I gaze out through the gate you can see the meadow thawed and just beginning to show the daffodils sprouting. There is a large pond created from runoff and sump pumps that drain into this swampy area. You can see upon closer inspection that it is full of the remnants of cattails. Ducks will sometimes nest here and we can hear the peeper frogs singing their song all night long. There is lots of water under the trees that will dry up. You can just make out the club house one of my neighbors built for his kids in the bottom picture upper right. They have since moved away. You can also see why we have lots of large mosquitoes in the area with all this standing water.
From all the bushes, trees and grassy areas I know why we have so many deer, rabbits and voles not to mention the friendly fox that visits from time to time. The paths lead all over to more ponds and then to the houses on the other side. As I turn to head back I can just see my gazebo off in the distance. As I get closer the gazebo is a great landmark that the animals must be aware of when looking for the garden where are the great food is. I think the word has gone out to the wildlife at large. I will try to venture back there as the seasons change to see any changes that may occur.
“Some people like to make a little garden out of life and walk down a path.”
– Jean Anouilh
Special Note: My award-winning memoir was published on the Women’s Memoirs website. It is wonderful childhood memory of The Night I Saw Santa. I hope you drop by to read it and leave a comment. I had so much fun writing this one.