Thistle

If you ever drive through the coastal plain, you'll notice the land is flat.

Sometimes flat with thick forests

and sometimes flat with fields of cotton, wheat, corn, and tobacco.

And of course, there is water everywhere. 

If it's not visible, that's only because it's obscured by the trees in front of it.

But in many spots along the road wildflowers grow;

Queen Anne's Lace, orange daylilies, and vibrant pink thistle

provide pops of color.

photos-public-domain.com

In all the landscape's blues and golds and greens,

it's nice to see the bright pink blossoms,

even if they are on a thorny plant.

But  really, is the thistle any less beautiful than the rose?

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English Ivy Part 2

As I  mentioned yesterday,

I have 4 types of ivy growing in various places around our house.

Mostly because ivy grows well in the heavy shade,

but also because I've always thought ivy was pretty

and evocative of beautifully manicured English gardens, 

as opposed to the hit or miss quality of most suburban gardens.

Photo credit: Alamy.  dailymail.co.uk

Our true English ivy 

consistently tries to escape its pot and entwines itself into nearby shrubs.

That's one I cut back ruthlessly.

 The fourth variety we have is a large leaf ivy that has been given its freedom.

But who would have guessed it intended to devour the Madison jasmine whole

and spit out its bare vines like bones?

gardendirect.com

This aggressive ivy is either a Boston ivy or an Algerian ivy. 

I"m not sure which, but it's got a very large leaf and is very green and lush.

I suppose we will let it fill in as far as we need it to,

and then when it tries to encroach into forbidden areas

we'll deliver swift justice.

If it will let us.

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English Ivy

I have always loved photos of English gardens

with manicured expanses of ivy like this:

threedogsinagarden.blogspot.com

I have a few different types of ivy growing around my house,

most of it confined to small planters.

One is a small-leaf  variegated ivy that never gets as green or as white 

or as thick as I want it to.

It looks a lot like the one in  this photo,

which is identified on the web site 

as hedera helix "golden child,"

which would explain a lot:

Photo credit: Molly Glentzer

http://blog.chron.com/diggingin/2008/12/ivies/

Another is a light green small-leafed ivy which also underperforms, 

so they must be related.

Tomorrow,

more ivy stories.

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Zinnias

Zinnias have always been one of my favorite flowers.

They are present in some of my earliest memories of flower gardens.

After  our move to Virginia,  I had planted some in a pot once 

but they fell victim to powdery mildew,

the curse of humid environments.

So I haven't grown any for years.

thedailysouth.southernliving.com

But once I fixed my tiny little flower bed in the sun,

I decided to give them another try.

And so there they are, vibrant pinks,

saucy oranges, pink-edged whites.

I am hopeful that they will bloom and grow

through the summer.

But even if they don't, just seeing them has given me enough pleasure 

to last for awhile.

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Wild Roses

Late this afternoon as I was driving home,

I noticed a beautiful wild rose blooming at the base of a utility pole.

I had forgotten that the rose bush grew there

until I saw its deep pink roses.

prairieplaces.blogspot.com

Through most of the year,

it just looks like an ordinary shrub, nothing special.

But when late May comes and the time is right,

the rose reveals itself.

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The Zen of Pulling Weeds

Most of the year, my job requires me to be indoors on the computer.

So when a holiday arrives on a beautiful late-spring day like today,

I head for the outdoors.

mossandstonegardens.com

I spent a couple of hours today pulling weeds out of the moss

that grows in our backyard.

Over time, the moss formed a soft carpet that hugs the ground,

but in spring, sourgrass, other grasses, and assorted weeds invade.

While I worked, the fountain gurgled and bubbled nearby

and a gentle breeze stirred the air.

No hurry, no where I had to be but kneeling on the green moss under the trees.

Definitely a zen experience

and one of the best ways to meditate and commune with nature.

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Blue Jays

The blue jays were all over the place at our house today.

One drank from the fountain,

another splish-splashed in the bird bath over and over again.

Others ate from the feeders.

en.wikipedia.org

My husband found some grubs while moving paver stones,

and he put them in the feeder.

The blue jays flocked in and gobbled them in seconds.

Sunday dinner, bird style.

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Honeysuckle

An observation we can make about southeastern Virginia

is that many of its roadways are lined with a wall of foliage.

And in that mass of green, one can find squirrels and birds,

understory trees like dogwood, redbud, hickory, and American holly;

and tangled through their branches: Virginia creeper,

greenbrier, Carolina jessamine, wisteria, and honeysuckle.

commons.wikimedia.org

Today as I was driving along the interstate,

I spied an oak tree wearing a  golden gown of honeysuckle

similar to this one, but much,  much thicker:

gri.msstate.edu

The old oak's branches stuck out like arms.

And from midway on its trunk up to its crown,

the tree was clothed in a thicket of honeysuckle blooms.

All dressed up with nowhere to go,

but I bet the perfume was divine.

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Baby Blue Jays

This morning I went out on my deck to see how my flowers

fared after last night's rain.

And I heard a  lot of squawking up in the trees.

I looked up and saw two fledgling blue jays sitting side by side on a branch.

Like these two in a photo by Rae Spencer:

raespencer.com

Fledglings are so gawky and awkward,

but so cute.

Another of the lovely surprises of May.

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Tall Hostas

A simple planting turns out to be a tall order ...

I worked outside planting flowers yesterday,

which allowed me to notice for the first time

that a few hostas I had planted last year

turned out to be very tall growers

 identical to these:

housetohome.co.uk

These leggy plants pose a design issue. 

Since they are hostas, I assumed they would form low, neat mounds;

so I planted green and white variegated hostas behind them.

Now the green and white hostas are eclipsed by the tall guys.

I guess I'll either have to move the variegated hostas forward,

or plant more of them in front of the tall ones to even the arrangement.

Or maybe even move the tall ones to the back next spring 

and move the green and white ones further forward.

Is there a master gardener in the house?

What would you do?

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Sun-Loving Flowers

The real voyage of discovery consists 

not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

                                                --Marcel Proust

I have always liked this quote by Proust,

and it came to mind this morning.

I had written a lament yesterday about all the sun-loving flowers 

I can't grow here in the shade,

and concluded that I was resigned to accepting what I've been given.

And then...

I'm considering purple coneflower

sportsgeezer.com

Today I "discovered" a tiny flower bed in full sun

at the front of my house.

For over a decade it's been filled with iris, 

but in the last couple of years they all died.

We neglected the plot, allowing the shrubby Asian jasmine ground cover 

to overtake the bed, rendering it virtually invisible.

Or maybe an Indian blanket flower

flowerspictures.org

But this morning, I cleared out the ground cover

and the dead leaves and voila

I have a lovely little flower bed 

with surprisingly soft soil--in full sun.

So Proust was right,

I didn't have to seek a new landscape after all.

And now I'm going shopping. ;-)

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Gardening in the Shade

There is an adage that I've heard from time to time:

"thank God for unanswered prayers."

It is so true.

I thought of that today when I was looking for flowers to buy.

Purple coneflowers and black-eyed Susans--not for the shade. 

forums.gardenweb.com

Every flower that I wanted had the two words I've come to dread:

 "full sun."

Full sun means I have to pass the flower by 

because most of the planting areas I'm buying for are shady.

Too much shade.

And how did I get so much?

en.wikipedia.org

 I once lived in a house that had not one dapple of shade,

and every day I gardened in the unrelenting sun,

I'd pray that one day I'd have shade.

And now, I have too much shade

 and as it turns out,

very few summer flowers will grow in the absence of direct sunlight.

I want to hope and pray for more sun.

But considering the last outcome,

I'm holding off.

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The Most Popular Flowers

May is the month for flowers, as we all know.

But have you ever wondered which annual flowers

are the most popular in the US?

I was curious so I googled it.

The results may surprise you.

Here are the top 5, according to Garden Guides,

in no particular order:

Impatiens make the grade:

avirginiashire.blogspot.com

Petunias, too:

debrasilver.com

Did you guess geraniums?

expert.geraniumsuk.com

Marigolds, definitely:

avirginiashire.blogspot.com

And how about a drum roll for pansies?

southernliving.com

I've grown all of these at one time or another,

and I can attest they all have something special to offer.

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Gerbera Daisy Colors

I can't imagine a flower more able to soothe our disquietude

than the gerbera daisy.

Its open face and fan of colorful petals

just seem to say: trust the order of things, be strong,

meditate on contentment.

In that regard, here are some beautifully colored gerbera daisies to contemplate:

I can't deny I love this hot pink color in any flower:

flower-pictures-online.com

How about sunshine yellow?

cindymorawski.blogspot.com

Blushing powder pink?

hortchat.com

I love the pristine look of these white ones:

worldundermicroscope.wordpress.com

So which of these is your favorite color for a gerbera daisy?

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Gerbera Daisies

Yesterday I saw a house

with bright red-orange gerbera daisies

planted along the foundation.

They made for an eye-catching display. 

Photo source: davesgarden.com

Gerbera daisies are one flower 

that seem more suited to summer than late spring.

Maybe that's because they are a member of the sunflower family.

But unlike sunflowers, these daisies come in lots of colors.

Tomorrow, we'll look at a few.

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Green Pastures

For every beast of the forest is mine

and  the cattle on a thousand hills.

                                Psalms 50:10

From the plains of the Midwest

 to the coastal plain of the East Coast,

there are green pastures and hillsides.

Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia

Photo: Jennyfinn.com  

On some, cattle rest in the early afternoon,

on others, beautiful chestnut horses graze.

Still others are dotted with small white goats that do both.

Such scenes are wondrous in their simplicity,

but it turns out the greenest pastures 

are the ones where you live.

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Daisy, Daisy

Today I drove by a meadow filled with wild daisies.

When I see those waves of white, I can't help but feel good.

Most likely because some of my happiest memories are connected to daisies:

attending my cousin's daisy-themed wedding when I was a little girl,

picking a bouquet of daisies for my mom,

sitting in the soft grass, plucking the petals of a field daisy 

and playing "loves me, loves me not."

avirginiashire.blogspot.com

The simple daisy, a type of aster, grows all over the world. 

Since daisies are such a prolific wildflower,

I'm sure everyone must have a happy memory to share.

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Poppies

This week I have seen many flower beds

filled with bright orange-red poppies.

The stalks are so slender,

 it seems they could hardly support their own colorful flowers, but they do.

photos-public-domain.com

I have read that poppies symbolize sleep and peacefulness,

and that they serve as reminders of those who died in battle.

But poppies also symbolize faith and loyalty in some traditions.

Regardless, I love them more for their beautiful red and orange petals

and their bold black centers.

Even though they represent sleep, 

I'd say they are one of the more exciting garden flowers.

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Lilacs

Lilacs in May

Of all the scented flowers,

few could surpass the sweet perfume of the lilac.

This week I passed by a lilac shrub 

and was immediately transfixed by its heavenly fragrance.

I plucked a small flower head and carried it for awhile 

to enjoy its scent.

shenandoahvalleyflowers.com

The appealing smell of that lilac flower transported me to other days in May, 

ones filled with warm breezes and sunlight.

Lilacs are alternately said to convey innocence, confidence, and protection.

But to me they are sweet reminders of another place and time.

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Cloud Shadows

Far from the Shire

there is a ribbon of road that rises and falls

across the landscape.

Vast fields stretch out from either side 

and hug the contours of the earth.

In early spring, those hills are purple with henbit;

in the summer their fields grow full and green.

But yesterday, the hills were covered in cloud shadows.

wallpapers.free.co.uk

Fluffy white clouds moved across the sky

and cast wide shadows across the fields.

If someone were to walk across the freshly plowed soil,

they would feel the shade.

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On the Road Again

I notice lots of things when I'm driving.

I steal a glance at the landscape as I go by

and see so many scenes worthy of a painting.

Three brown calves standing in a rocky, tree lined creek

on a sunny morning.

ca.uky.edu

Four horses in various shades of pale

standing under a tree with spreading branches

as the rain falls around them.

Immense fields of yellow buttercups,

waving fields of green spring wheat.

Such are the scenes of a day in May.

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A Field of Blue

Driving a couple of shires away from my own,

I passed by fields of light blue wildflowers.

At first I thought I was seeing chicory in bloom,

but these flowers massed together

to create clouds of light blue.

Could the blue flowers be Virginia blue bells like these? 

en.wikipedia.org

Blue flowers in green grass,

green grass under blue sky.

Do we need anything more?

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Keukenhof Gardens

Today I thought I'd step outside of the Shire

in order to share some beautiful images I found on Google.

Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands looks like a spring wonderland,

with tranquil canals and thousands of colorful flowers.

viator.com

frametoframe.ca

amazingworlddestinations.com

 boomsbeat.com

The Keukenhof Gardens may not be Eden,

but they come close.

Imagine the possibilities.

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Mountain Laurel

Yesterday the mountain laurel blooms were still tightly closed and rusty.

I was sure they wouldn't open until this weekend.

But today we had a heat wave with the temperature

reaching 90 degrees.

 Photo credit: Will Cook, 2008 carolinanature.com

That was enough to get the mountain laurel's attention,

and by evening, the white blossoms were full and open.

Beautiful May.

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Impatiens

If you've followed the Still Waters blog the last couple of years,

you know that for many spring planting seasons,

I've enjoyed a bounty of tiny volunteer impatiens sprouts.

avirginiashire.blogspot.com

But seasons change,

and the summer before last we had so  much rain,

every impatiens plant rotted.

That meant no springtime volunteers--not a single one.

Back to buying flats of impatiens. 

avirginiashire.blogspot.com

So this morning, I planted impatiens in the flower beds

along the front and side of the house.

Lots of work,

but there's something metaphysical about planting beautiful flowers

and seeing them grow.

To build on the words of garden design historian William Howard Adams,

flowers are a link to the divine.

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Cross Vine

Every spring the cross vine "returns" to our woods.

It never really leaves though.

All through the other seasons,

the long, thick, woody vines hang along the trunk of the oak tree

where the cross vine resides.

avirginiashire.blogspot.com

It's only in the spring that the clusters of yellow and burgundy red trumpets

make themselves known.

They hide among the new leaves,

occasionally dropping on the deck 

to announce they have returned.

There's something very comforting about such continuity.

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Marigolds

This morning we had beautiful weather,

so I spent a little time planting marigolds.

As I've noted before in this blog,

marigolds are an important flower for many religious ceremonies

around the world.

avirginiashire.blogspot.com

But I love them because marigolds 

are the very first flowers I ever planted as a child.

I remember carefully dropping the seeds 

into a fine dust along the foundation of our house,

somehow certain they would grow.

And then they did grow.

My faith was rewarded with a colorful row of flowers

favored by butterflies.

Marigolds--a good choice when you need a flower 

that won't let you down.

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Garden Fountain

Around my house, one sure sign that summer is coming

is seeing our fountain out of the garage and back in its usual place 

at the center of the flower bed.

The sound of this fountain is so relaxing.

avirginiashire.blogspot.com

The water bubbles out of the top of the pineapple

and spills from the upper tier into the large basin.

Not too loud, not too soft.

Just right.

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Iris

I noticed the first of the bearded iris blooming today.

The ones I saw were deep, dark purple.

When they are that dark,

 they practically blend right into the landscape,

lending a sense of mystery to the gardens they grace.

chanticleergarden.org

Whatever the color, iris generally bloom here in April,

so they are late this year.

I'm tempted to say "better late than never,"

but for a flower as well-dressed as iris,

I guess we should say fashionably late instead.

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Sweet Bay Magnolia Tree

A wonderful little surprise greeted me

when I was outside today.

avirginiashire.blogspot.com

I discovered that the sweet bay magnolia tree 

near my front door is already in bloom on this, the second day of May.

I love the glossy green leaves, the pristine white petals.

It is such a delight to have the air filled with its luscious perfume.

The month of May...definitely one of my favorites.
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May Day!

Today is May Day!

May 1st has been celebrated for centuries.

And why not?

What could be a more gentle holiday

than one that invites you to leave a tiny bouquet of May flowers 

at someone's front door?

If you missed out today, here are a few ideas for next year:

I absolutely love this combination of yellow mums,

an orange rose, and a candy pink gerbera daisy:

loricurie.wordpress.com

This May basket from the Pies and Aprons blog

is loaded with old-fashioned charm. 

The lilacs and daffodils complement one another nicely,

and I bet they smell heavenly:

piesandaprons.blogspot.com

More gerbera daisies, these paired with white lilies.

They look wonderful against the blue door:

thequalipedia.com

Happy May Day, everyone!

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