A Story - "Her True Self" and Tree Peony, Purple Allium and Alpine Aster

 A Story

Her True Self

When she was a little girl, her grandma called her a sweet angel.

When she was in school, her teacher called her a brilliant student.

When she went to university, her peers called her a trailblazer.

When she got married, her husband called her his soulmate.

When her world fell apart, she had no idea who she was.  Friends and family tried to find the right words to stop her floundering, but their words evaporated like the mist.

All alone she reached out to God and finally she found out who she was.  His beloved child.

My tree peony bloomed nicely this year.  Although the plant is reliably hardy in my zone 4 garden, some years the buds don't make it through the winter. 

The flowers are quite fragile and if the days are hot or windy they will only last a couple of days. This year the weather was cooler and they lasted about 5 days.  Yesterday we got rain and today all the petals have fallen off.  I enjoy the lovely flowers while they last.

The purple allium is super dependable.  I like the way these plants are shimmering in the shady location. The wind was blowing the tree branches and the light kept changing making the purple flowers sparkle in the breeze.

I bought 3 alpine asters the other day.  I really like the periwinkle petals with the strong yellow centres.  They should be hardy in my zone but they need well-drained soil. I hope the location I picked will do. They will bloom for several weeks into mid summer. 

The bees and other pollinators like all of the above plants.

A Story _ "Perfect Fix" and Feathery Muscari, Pansies, English Daisy and Mini Solar Birdbath Pump

A Story

Perfect Fix

Jenna was skating on the famous Ottawa Rideau Canal, thirteen kilometers of frozen delight. Figures skaters twirled and swirled.  Turbo-charged hockey players zoomed by her.  Jenna glided cautiously, a tourist soaking up the playful atmosphere.

Suddenly, her skate pick caught the ice, throwing her down hard.  Her right knee zinged with pain.  A hero braked sharply, held out his arms.  "You need a beaver tail."

Confused, Jenna gratefully grabbed his hands and hung on to his arm as he guided her to a snack shack.  He ordered hot chocolates and delectable deep-fried cinnamon doughnuts, shaped like beaver tails.

Perfect fix.

This is a feathery muscari which isn't offered very often by the bulb companies.  This is its third spring in my garden and this is the first year that it has opened properly so that may be why it isn't seen so often. We had a lot of rain in late April and early May so maybe that's what it needs.  It is flopping a bit as the location is fairly shady. It is a lovely periwinkle blue colour unlike the regular grape hyacinths that are more dark purple. The feathery muscari grows to about 6-8" high.

I had planted four columbine in a row.  They all came up just fine but then one died so I needed a replacement plant.  I decided on this pretty pink English daisy which, where I live, will likely only last the summer. If I see the same double columbine as the one that died, I may buy another one to replace it.

Some pansies to brighten a partial shade spot.

 

I saw a mini fountain set up on the internet and decided to try one out. It is a small submersible pump powered by a solar panel (4" square).  I bought a plastic cup and drilled a hole in the bottom and cut away a bit on the top end to allow the wire to go out.  I flipped up the cup and put the colourful top on the bottom that is now the top. The pump has a suction cup to keep it in place and it goes inside the cup. The pump works when the sun shines on the panel but not when it's cloudy or dark. I had bought a green bowl to go with the green cup but it was too small and too much water was landing on the deck when the pump was at full force. I am enjoying the sound of the water and it was so easy to set up.  I am hoping some birds might like it, too. 

A Story - "The Lemmings" and Virginia bluebells, Forget-me-not, Tulips, Bleeding Heart

 A Story

The Lemmings

"It's a beautiful day for a jump," enthused Frank Lemming.  "Let's sing our happy song as we mosey over to the cliff."

The crowd around him cheered.

"Why are we jumping?" asked a young lemming.

"Everybody's doing it," was the reply.

Becky and Joe Lemming watched nervously.  They knew about gravity but people didn't want to listen to their warnings about it.

"Here we go," shouted Frank as he stepped off into space.  The others followed.  No one cried out in fear. They didn't believe in gravity.

Becky and Joe couldn't bear to watch the devastation and sadly crept home.

Virginia bluebell is a native plant in Virginia.  It makes a lovely clump of blue bell-shaped flowers tinged with pink.  When the weather gets hot, the leaves die back but it is a hardy perennial. Click on photo for full-width picture.

A couple of vibrant lily shaped tulips. At the edge of the forest something ate a few tulip flowers. Likely was a deer wandering through. They definitely like tulip flowers.

This is a combination I bought from Veseys last fall.  I really like the colour combination of the lemony daffodils and maroon tulips.  The only thing I don't like is that the tulips are much shorter than the daffodils. The bloom times do coincide which is what I was hoping for.

A nice patch of tulips that keeps coming back year after year. The cooler temperatures this spring have kept the blooms fresh for a couple of weeks. These tulips are in a bed that is a bit raised and is quite dry due to trees nearby but tulips actually like being dry in the summer and it can help with reblooming the following year.  They get full sun in the spring and will be in partial shade in summer.

Yes, I know dandelions are a weed but don't they look lovely surrounded by the mixed colours of the forget-me-nots? Forget-me-nots are biennial so they pop up in a variety of places.  Some will spontaneously bloom in pink or white.

Bleeding heart is one of my favourite spring flowers. They look pretty with the blue brunnera. Bleeding heart can be easily divided in spring or fall.  They enjoy partial shade and a humus rich soil that holds moisture but isn't soggy.

A Story - "Sharing" and video of Little Stream

 A Story

Sharing

Under the shade of a mango tree, Maggie and Morgan Orangutan enjoyed their lunch of fresh fruits and vegetables.

"Lovely lettuce, " commented Maggie.

"I prefer the crunchy radishes," replied Morgan as he routed through the food looking for the rosy orbs.

They sat companionably close as they chewed contentedly.  Once in a while, they would give each other a friendly scratch.

A worker appeared with two bright yellow bananas.

"They smell spectacular," gasped Maggie.

"Obviously meant for me," asserted Morgan.

They stared at each other, challenging.

Suddenly they each grabbed a banana, dashed away.  Unfortunately, it was a banana split.

The sound of spring.