The New " In Love" Diary!

7 Jul '06 12:14 am

Good morning/evening, everyone! Liza, you never cease to amaze me! Your soft pink 4 looks like New England Aster, but I've never seen them that color; only purple. And your Indian pink 8 is a Spiderwort, right? Again, never seen them that color; only blue.

As my "gift" to you, after all the fabulous gifts you've given us here, I'm posting my Fireweed, one of the Epiboiums, which are Willow Herbs, and actually part of the primrose family. Fireweed is Epiboium Angustifolium, is often found growing on land that has been swept by fire. They tend to stabilize the soil and start a new cycle of plant succession. Further up north in Minnesota, where it gets cool at night and winters are colder, they are a glorious deep pink, but in the mid-part where I am, and some of our summer eves remain hot and humid, they're not as lush-colored. They grow tall but are fairly sturdy, and their flowers are so intricately beautiful! Hope you enjoy! Darlene

8 Jul '06 1:11 am

Dear friend! What a special gift! And even more, because "wild" flowers are my deepest and tenderest love! What a splendid, delicate form of bloom! It reminds me of the darling Aquilegia's blooms! Thank you so much for the gift, together with the extraordinary botanical information! Please, send us more plants you are in love with! Here is the ....botanical in love diary!

8 Jul '06 1:16 am

Especially for our sensitive , dearest Dixie, I'm sending these two pictures of my darling ...coral pink Geranium I took this morning! So, she knows I ...adore coral pink, although I don't think it is ...."energising" as a colour; but so tender and soothing...

8 Jul '06 6:19 am

May I echo Darlene - Liza you amaze me ! These are exactly the geraniums I have ! Our home is cream brick ,with a deck around ,and I painted square wooden tubs blue ,and planted coral geraniums the same as Liza`s .They are all along the deck .I checked them yesterday ,as we have had heavy frosts ,but they are well ,under the eaves. What I find so interesting about Moosey`s site is the transformation from Winter to Spring to Summer ,as seen in our forum friends` gardens. Perhaps I will take some Winter photos too ,in the joyous anticipation of sunshiny days ,wine and coral geraniums .
Dixie.

8 Jul '06 6:16 pm

Wild Daisy

This plant blew in to my yard last year. There are simply hundreds of them all over the neighbourhood. Not this big, of course, but this guy was watered and tended as though he were a chosen plant.

Now just look at him! Shocked

Christopher

10 Jul '06 8:49 am

Wow, all of you--wow! Why is it whenever I see there's another post from you, I want to drop everything I'm doing and respond? (I'm in the middle of marinating some chicken to grill tonight, so I have some free time.)

GardenGnome, I love your daisies. These simple, fresh, invigorating blooms give me that feeling of inner freedom and cheer--of wanting to stand in the middle of a field filled with them and spin around in a circle with my arms widespread (as long as I'm in a bare spot where I won't trample any of them!). We were recently invited to a friend's house for dinner for her birthday, and I bought a vaseful of these exact same daisies to bring as a gift. Not only long-lasting cut flowers, but they seemed the most appropos for the occasion. She adored them as much as I do.

Liza, knew you'd love the fireweed! Gorgeous geraniums here! Every year my husband and I hang our geraniums out on our front porch, then take them in over the winter, and if we can find spots with enough sun, they bloom inside, too! You know what's funny? Last year my husband liked the ones we had brought inside so much, and they were doing so well, he decided to leave them in and suggested I buy new ones. We both love the colors I bought, so how much do you want to bet that once we have to take them in, neither of us will want to put them out next year? We'll probably buy new ones again so these ones can remain inside. Wink

Dixie, your idea of posting a winter photo sounded like so much fun, I couldn't resist. Below is a shot of what it looks like in our front yard before it's filled with flowers. This was after a snowstorm, and my husband was out there shoveling.

Our purple cone flowers are just opening up, although the few that people have across the street have been in full bloom for awhile. The snow and ice on our side take longer to melt, too. I'm in my glory, because soon my cone flowers and garden phlox will be covered with swallowtails and monarch butterflies!

Liza, he's another one I think you'll appreciate--Wood Anemone. At the beginning of spring, our wild geraniums fill the yard with a delicious purple hue. Immediately following the, the yard is filled with these anemones (anemone quinquefolia). White, starlike flowers, solitary on a delicate 3-leaved stem; each leaf divided into 3-5 leaflets. They grow primarily in rich woods and wet meadows--yet have flourished in my yard.

Background: Anemones are known as windflowers because their fluffy seeds are carried by the wind (although mine remain in the patches where I planted them, and although they've proliferated, they haven't spread into other areas in the yard). Pasqueflowers and thimbleweed are members of the anemone family.

As usual, the jpgs I put on here may not be in the order of what I wrote--I'm not a technically-minded person Embarassed

But at least I got them on, right?

Keep 'em coming, everyone. What a way to welcome in our days! Darlene

10 Jul '06 1:24 pm

There is such beauty in non-contrived simplicity - dear Darlene ,you give such visual descriptions I could see you and other forum friends twirling amongst the wild flowers ....
In Autumn we visited Otago in the South Island .and were taken to the site of an old mental hospital ,Karitane , now abandoned ---a real pity ,as the patients had many acres to enjoy ,and carried out a tree planting programme ,a creative activity that was purposeful ,and now in maturity , delightful. We wandered amongst the overgrown paths. The photo is of an old walnut tree on the left -(we were hunting for walnuts) .The patients` tennis courts are at the left of centre .
Dixie

10 Jul '06 1:32 pm

This is part of the walk through the old hospital grounds --there are crumbling brick structures here overgrown with grass .
I really want to use this as a base for a painting ,as the distant vista invites further exploration. I will place a couple of figures in the distance as a focal point .
Dixie.

10 Jul '06 3:42 pm

Your post made me think of this poem. One of my favorite.

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be *,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

-- by William Wordsworth in 1804

Christopher

10 Jul '06 7:30 pm

Thank you Christopher ,for bringing us an appreciation of the things that touch the depth of soul .Wordsworth is my favourite poet ; in particular ,the verse from 'Westminster Bridge' "Dull would he be of soul who could pass by a sight so touching in its majesty " --- About London ,but may well apply to nature in its glory .... Look With a Seeing Eye....
Dixie .

The New " In Love" Diary!

The "In Love" Diary

Extraordinary information!

Especially for our Dixie!

geraniums

Special for Liza.

The "in love" diary

Simplicity

Woodland paths

A poem for naturedar

A Dancing heart