Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Assault of Goodness



Too much of a good thing
can be wonderful.

Mae West



Celandine Poppy



Last night, there came a frost,
which has done great damage to my garden...
It is sad that Nature will play such tricks on us poor mortals,
inviting us with sunny smiles to confide in her, and then,
when we are entirely within her power,
striking us to the heart.

Nathaniel Hawthorne



Lilyput Iris 'Making Eyes'



Darwin Hybrid Tulip "Apeldoorn's Elite"



Nature,
to be commanded,
must be obeyed.

Francis Bacon






Virginia Bluebell



Half the interest
of a garden
is
the constant exercise
 of the imagination.

Mrs. C.W. Earle



Rabbiteye Blueberry



Triandus albus daffodil 'April Tears'



In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments;
there are consequences.

Robert Ingersoll



Allegheny Spurge





Only in quiet water
do things mirror themselves undistorted.
Only in a quiet mind
is adequate perception of the world.

- Hans Margolius



Golden Club



Pesty Weed
Indian Strawberry



I am not a lover of lawns.
Rather would I see daisies in their thousands,
ground ivy, hawkweed, and even the hated plantain
 with tall stems, and dandelions
with splendid flowers and fairy down,
than the too-well-tended lawn.

W.H. Hudson



Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart



Alumroot 'Carmel'



I'd like to leave but daffodils
to mark my little way,
to leave but tulips red and white
behind me as I stray;
I'd like to pass away from earth
and feel I'd left behind
but roses and forget-me-nots
for all who come to find.

I'd like to sow the barren spots
with all the flowers of earth,
to leave a path where those who come
should find but gentle mirth;
and when at last I'm called upon
to join the heavenly throng
I'd like to feel along my way
I'd left no sign of wrong.

And yet the cares are many
and the hours of toil are few;
there is not time enough on earth
for all I'd like to do;
but, having lived and having toiled,
I'd like the world to find
some little touch of beauty
that my soul had left behind.

Edgar Albert Guest






Holly 'China Girl'



Gardening is civil and social,
but it wants the vigor and freedom
of the forest and the outlaw.

Henry David Thoreau









Mother Nature...
Dog eat dog world out there...
Every thing's part of the food chain...
Just ask any human, being chased by a bear.






Hot...cold, hot...cold, hot...cold.  Last week was short sleeves and sandals; today it's winter coat and gloves, weed picking, lawn mowing, weed picking, edge trimming, weed picking, butt knot, weed picking, compost laying, weed picking, mulch laying, weed picking, leg cramp, weed picking, garden grass raking, weed picking, back pinching, weed picking, pond dredging, weed picking, teeth clinching, weed picking.

One day it's cramming all spare fragments of time I can possibly scrape into the wee hours of my past bedtime evening, leafing hurriedly through the colorful pages of one of many many plant catalogs that choke my mailbox as it wobbles under the weight overload of so many dead trees.  Next morning March gardens have exploded across the starting line in a marathon race of gigantic proportions, filling every nook and cranny with green, green, green, upward, upward and outward; and as usual, they have left me choking in their dust three miles back, five miles back, way way waaaaay back.

April will invariably find me cursing to the heavens the day I ever thought a yard full of nature was the greatest idea ever, and wondering why do I keep buying these bloody plants from those bloody catalogs; plants that I have absolutely no time to stuff into the earth, but time I must find, even if it's with flashlight in hand, wind blowing on face, trying to beat the rain before the sprinkles break loose into a deluge.



It is utterly forbidden
to be half-hearted about gardening.
You have got to love your garden
whether you like it or not.

W.C. Sellar and R.J. Yeatman






18 comments:

  1. Wow, what beautiful garden pictures and I love all the quotations!!! We are having the same weather here, sun chasing rain chasing sun.

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  2. The photos are amazing! Personally, I have a brown thumb and just never was interested in gardening. I envy those who were born with that gene. I'm seriously lacking in the venue.

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  3. Fabulous photos and words! Yes, we've had the same weather here (of course). You love to garden, clearly. Make sure you have fresh batteries for your flashlight! :-)

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  4. Are all those flowers in bloom right now?! I am so jealous! I find it interesting that I can grow all of those same flowers here (except for the first one which I'm not familiar with) - and my gardens are still under snow! And is that a redbud tree in bloom? Mine won't flower until May!

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  5. Jerry - Thank you. Really need to start playing with my camera for easier and better pictures; but for now my cell phone's camera is pretty fantastic. Seems most places find spring playmates with winter.

    Eva - growing up playing in a yard of grass, fruit trees, and flowers; it was just natural for me to desire creating the same for myself. Much work, but I love the rewards of swinging quietly amid the flowering plants, with song birds singing, butterflies flurting around, and those wonderful dusks when all the lightning bugs are about in early summer. I soooo love the lightning bugs.

    Pam - what can I say...I looooove nature at my back door! I'm getting extra batteries tonight. lol!

    Kara - Yes, I take my pictures in present time, although I was freezing my butt off trying to take the last few. I think March is a little early for blooms, but seems like early is becoming the normal lately. Of course, I think it was about 4 years back, when everything was blooming big time, then a deep freeze set in for a week and killed all the blooms on everything. Few berries and fruits that year, and actually quite a few dead trees. Weather even tricks mother nature at times. First flower is a native celandine poppy...super easy to grow. You may still be in winter, but just think - when I am melting into a puddle of grease during our hot humid July and August; you will be enjoying perfect weather!

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  6. Great photos.
    I love the spring and summer for my garden, but I hate, hate, hate the 4 acres of yard that has to be mowed.
    Nice and peaceful but a pain to take care of sometimes.

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  7. Clipped - Love the pics and poems.
    "butt knot" made me laugh.
    Mother Nature has a way of changing her mind ... frequently.

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  8. Those are spectacular photos Yvonne! So gorgeous plus I love all the quotes in between!

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  9. What a wonderful wonderful post, such a pleasure to see and read and your animals in the sidebar never fail to make me smile and smile, a JOY!

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  10. Yvonne this is a great post.. Nature, quotes ,humor ...what more could we ask for. Loved it. ! BJ

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  11. Well . . . I came for a visit from Rumtruffle's blog as I saw you had commented. I soooo very glad I popped over . . . your post was very calming and your photo's are beautiful. Loving the pet antics on the side bar . . . what characters. I have 2 naughty chickens whose antics I show on my blog each weekend.

    Hugs, Sandra

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  12. WOW!!! Such beautiful captures!!

    Happy Friday!

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  13. Hi, following from Boost My Blog Friday. Hop over and say Hi if you get a chance http://wedemeyerfamily.blogspot.com/

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  14. Wise quotations and beautiful Spring flowers! I especially like the water plants, whats its name...great for my little pond!

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  15. Gorgeous Spring photos and touching quotes. Beautiful post.♥
    *hugs*deb

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  16. What beautiful images and words. Thank you for visiting my blog and pleased to introduce you to a new food that can feed so many.

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  17. Beautiful blog post. Glad I found you on the blog hop. I love the photos and poetry mix. Loved the inside shot of the tulip. Thanks.
    Meryl
    http://departingthetext.blogspot.com

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