bloom thyme friday: Yellow

There’s a lot to be said about yellow.

The color yellow is associated with the sun and life-giving warmth, while also being used as traffic warning signs.

Yellow represents happiness but before you say awwww… yellow is also associated with deciet and cowardice. But on a brighter note (no pun intended) it is also a symbol of hope.

In the language of flowers the Victorians used to convey words they would never say aloud, yellow roses most often meant jealousy. Today we think of them as the symbol of friendship and joy.

With all that said, if you had asked me a few years ago if I liked yellow in the garden, I’d say “no – well, maybe a little bit.” But today that is not the case – there is so much yellow in my garden … and I’m fast moving toward orange! 😳😱🍊 How about you?

Let the sun shine in!

Vanessa Bell David Austin

YELLOW MEANS GO!

Yes, around here, a blooming Forsythia seems to shout “gardeners, start your engines!”  (I do live in the sphere of the Indy 500!)

Yes, she says, the ground has warmed to at least 50 and spring work can begin. No doubt Mother Nature will have a good laugh and share some sneaky moves as we maneuver the next few weeks. I certainly remember last April 17 looking out on a garden draped in sheets and covered in buckets as the temps plunged in to the low 20s. I have the sheets and the buckets close at hand.

LATEST ROSE CHAT

SPRING IN MY ROSE GARDEN
Cindy Dale, ARS District Director / Deep South District

Award-winning gardener Cindy Dale joined me to walk us through the steps she takes to open her rose garden in the spring! Cindy grows in the deep south but all of us have much to learn from her experiences in the rose garden!

LISTEN HERE

NEW BOOK!

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. Genesis 8:22

Christie Purifoy has done it again. If you are like me and are a big fan of her books Garden Maker and A Home in Bloom, you will love the newly released Seedtime and Harvest. Few garden writers go to the very heart of gardening as Christie does. Yes, she supplies tips and tricks for gardeners but what I get from Christie’s writing is so much more. I am reminded of why I garden and the deeper connection it brings to everything around me.

From Seedtime and Harvest…

It isn’t certainty or guarantees that make the ground beneath our feet firm, it is love.

Find books and so much more from Christie here

GO TIME!

Yes, it’s go time in the garden and the color yellow leads the way. 💛 💛 💛

Until next time friends, happy gardening.
Don’t overdo!
💛🌱💛

Spring Fever

Spring fever is a term applied to several sets of physical and psychological symptoms associated with the arrival of spring says Wikipedia. It isn’t mentioned here, but I can tell you that at my house it includes being so excited that you can’t sleep. And, you should limit reading gardening books too late at night–might cause an adrenalin rush!

It is way too easy for me to get spring fever — regardless of the time of year. I start counting down the days until spring the day after Christmas. So, you could say that today is a day I look forward to most of the year. However, due to current low temperatures, the quote by Hal Borland below is one I am clinging to today…

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. – Hal Borland

Look at this… the difference between this year and last year …. same week!

IMG_0664

But, I am not discouraged ….  no, not one little bit. Spring is my friend and I am willing to wait. I’ll be seeing the forsythia and daffodils blooming soon and I’ll be filling buckets with Moo Poo tea to soak those bareroot roses I ordered this winter while I was “patiently” waiting on spring. Soon … real soon. Fingers crossed!

COMING SOON………..

IMG_3751

IMG_4712

Bare roots soaking in Moo Poo Tea...
Bare roots soaking in Moo Poo Tea…

Ready and waiting……………

Pol-Reporting for Duty

Do you have anything blooming in your garden or are you, like me, “patiently” waiting?

P.S.

I had a little help writing tonight…

Mr. Bennet
Mr. Bennet

Family Memories…

My dad went home to heaven on Monday, January 14, 2013. He was a faithful Christian and knew what awaited him. Some of his final words were that he could see my mom and she had a cup of coffee ready for him. It had been 23 years since she had fixed him a cup of coffee and he was excited! She was known for her coffee. You can read about my mom and her “coffee culture” here. As much as I miss them, I love it that they are together again. They were soul mates.

Today I hung my dad’s jacket in my Potting Shed. I love seeing it while I’m working.

IMG_9454And, the forsythia cuttings I took from his yard are blooming and getting leaves!!

IMG_9453

This jacket, the forsythia and these pictures will give me much pleasure in the years to come.

IMG_9286
Aren’t they adorable!

229732_220367207974488_4379965_n
All dressed up for a night on the town!


Here’s a story of my dad and his sailor days

FORSYTHIA, ROSES & LIFE

Even though they don’t rate as high on my list as roses, herbs and hydrangeas, forsythias do have a special place in my heart for several reasons.

REASON #1: Forsythia blooms signal it is time to give my roses their spring trim.

REASON #2: Just when winter is at it’s most dreary and I am ready to scream, out pops these bright, beautiful blooms.

REASON #3: Forsythia can be forced to bloom inside even before it is warm enough to bloom outside. Another late winter perk.

REASON #4 (And, the most special reason): My parents loved forsythia. As most of you know, my dad passed away in January of 2013, and one of his last conversations about his yard was that he was looking forward to seeing the forsythia bloom. That now takes forsythia to another level!

I cut some of Dad’s forsythia in hope that I could force it to bloom for his memorial service but we didn’t have enough time.

photo-93

photo 5

Each spring seeing the forsythia bloom makes feel a little closer to my mom & dad. And, it will remind me that it is time to get the roses trimmed and let the bloom thyme begin!

Other stories about my parents…

My Dad the Sailor

My Mom, Gardening and Red Lipstick

FORSYTHIA THIS & THAT…

  • This shrub was named for William Forsyth (1737-1804), director of the Chelsea Physic Garden in 1770 and one of the founders of the Royal Horticultural Society of London.
  • Super easy to grow and a true over-achiever, so give it some room!
  • As with most one-time flowering shrubs, PRUNE AFTER BLOOM. New blooms will appear on the preceding year’s branches.

What is it about spring that you are looking forward to most?