Bloom Thyme Friday: Christmas Trees & Things

I love Christmas trees. I love most evergreens. I particularly love boxwoods. I know. I know. There are two kinds of people in the world — those who love boxwood and those who don’t. But, I do. Can’t remember without looking if I shared with you my boxwood horror this year. For about 6 years we have had a boxwood hedge around our patio. They did not make it through the winter. I thought it was “winter kill” but I now suspect from the look of things, it was blight. They had to be taken out — all 15 of them! Mr. G was my hero as he took them out one by one. He put up with my tears and was very sweet about it. What a guy! 

Back to the original subject, Christmas Trees, I love them. Fresh ones. Filled to the brim with ornaments and twinkle lights!

This year due to so much travel, we decided not to have a tree but we have twinkle lights everywhere!

CHRISTMAS TREE TRIVIA

The first recorded Christmas tree can be found on the keystone sculpture of a private home in Alsace in 1576. German Protestants are often credited with the first circulation of the Christmas Tree, using them to decorate their houses. Protestant Christian reformer Martin Luther is said to have added the first lighted candles to an evergreen tree. The inspired decoration came out of admiration of the snow glistening from the trees on his walk home Christmas Eve. From Meg Bucker’s The History and Meaning of the Christmas Tree  

Wooster, a small country town located in north-central Ohio, claims to have hosted the first Christmas Tree in America in 1847. German immigrant August Imgard might be the first to decorate the tree with candy canes; “Imgard cut a blue spruce tree from a woods outside town, had the Wooster village tinsmith construct a star, and placed the tree in his house, decorating it with paper ornaments, gilded nuts and kuchen.” From Meg Bucker’s The History and Meaning of the Christmas Tree  

Artificial Christmas trees have outsold real ones since 1991.

In Poland, spiders or spider webs are common Christmas tree decorations because according to legend, a spider wove a blanket for Baby Jesus. In fact, Polish people consider spiders to be symbols of goodness and prosperity at Christmas. (Almost makes me like them. 😳 Almost. )

 

MY 2018 CHRISTMAS TREE…

Lucky for me I still have many boxwoods around the garden. Plenty for making boxwood trees. Such a fun project. When I was a florist I made so many of them and never tired of the project!

 

PROCESS PICS…

BLOOM THYME

David Austin roses in my garden…

This week we lost one of the giants of the rose world – David Austin Snr. Mr. G says I have had a secret crush on him for 30 years. That might be true. When I was putting my first real rose garden together, I was feverishly researching all types of roses (without the benefit of the internet) and happened on the “something and someone new” in the rose world – Mr. Austin. He was a pioneer that followed his heart and used his gifts to bring us the beautiful Engish roses by blending historical roses (for form and fragrance) with modern roses (for repeat blooming and additional colors). I never had the privilege of meeting him, but he was very well represented by Michael Marriott who worked with him for more than 30 years and shares how special he was. 

Thank you Mr. Austin for all the beauty you shared with our world. Well done, Sir.

Whew, that was a long post. If you made it to the end  — Thank You!

Merry Christmas friends. Wishing you a holiday filled with joy, peace, love and plenty of twinkle lights!

Bloom Thyme Friday

Today it is sunny and cold. I love the sun, BUT it allowed that Groundhog to see his shadow and I was not fond of that. His prediction is that there is 6 more weeks of winter. I am pleading with spring to defy the groundhog and come up with a better plan.

With all that said, Groundhog Day is kinda fun. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say:

This weather lore was brought from German-speaking areas where the badger (German: dachs) is the forecasting animal. This appears to be an enhanced version of the lore that clear weather on Candlemas forebodes a prolonged winter.

The Groundhog Day ceremony held at Punxsutawney in central Pennsylvania, centering around a semi-mythical groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil, has become the most attended.

Yea, it’s fun to hear all about it and see them get dressed up and all … I just hope winter doesn’t go on and on and on until we begin to feel like Bill Murray. #groundhogdaythemovie  😳😳😳

GOOD NEWS: I heard today on Instagram from my friends @maplehurstgardens, located in NJ, that The Groundhog predictions are mostly wrong. #thatswhatimtalkingabout

LET’S SPRING AHEAD

While we are thinking about spring, I am wondering what are your favorite spring blooms. Here are two of mine:

Daffodils

 

 

Dogwood Trees (we have 5)

 

At just the right time spring will come and we will have the pleasure of watching our garden being reborn. And…. 

 

HAPPY BLOOM THYME FRIDAY!

Bloom Thyme Friday: Boot Update

I am not sure who of you said, “You won’t want to wear the new boots in the garden—they’re too cute.” Well, that almost happened! I looked at them for two weeks and wore “other” boots. (The original boot post is here.)

But, today was the day, up and out in the garden early and the boots were on.

It was a full day of gardening and I gave them a workout! I can now report I made the right choice. They are not too “cutesy” for real work … actually these boots are amazing. I totally recommend Bogs!  I even have my eye on another pair!

Don’t judge but I had a fashion shoot before getting them dirty. (And they sure are dirty now!)

Yes, the Bogs are a winner


In other garden news… Look at the Bloomerang Lilac. Beautiful, fragrant and a rebloomer!

 

The Dogwoods are going crazy. This picture does not do them justice since I have 4 large Dogwood trees around the deck. Don’t you just love Dogwood trees!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!


Happy Bloom Thyme Friday!

 

Bloom Thyme Friday: Excited about everything!

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The above is VERY true! Today is a wonderful day and I am excited about everything!

It’s Good Friday and I know He lives.

Gonna be in the 70s for the next 10 days.

I planted roses today in the sunshine!

My spring tree blooms did NOT get nipped by the frost!

Vacation in 18 days! AND…

I am grateful for spring blooms and for GREEN!

Click on any of the pics below to start the gallery feature!

What’s going on in your garden today?

Bloom Thyme Friday

HAPPY BLOOM THYME FRIDAY!

Bloom Thyme Friday: Dogwood Memories

I have many dogwood memories. I grew up in the mountains of Tennessee where the spring is beautiful with azaleas, rhododendron, redbuds and dogwoods. There is nothing quite like seeing the mountains dappled with red, pink, purple and white!

When I was a teenager my dad came home with 8 dogwood trees he had dug in the woods where he had lived as a child. He was so excited about these little samplings. I wasn’t sure. They didn’t look too impressive. I was not sure they would live up to the impressive ones I had seen in the mountains. But, over time I became very impressed! To this day those dogwood trees line my dad’s driveway and are spectacular in the spring. These dogwood trees have brought my family years of pleasure and have brought food and shelter to the many birds there!

When Greg and I moved to our home 26 years ago, we couldn’t wait to plant dogwood trees and through the years we keep adding more. Currently we have 3 very large white dogwood trees, 1 medium sized white and 3 small pink dogwood trees! Funny story… when we bought the last 3, I told the nursery I only wanted white dogwoods. They were not blooming at the time but the tag said, “white.” All of them bloomed pink! And, the nursery went out of business the next year–so pink it is! They are beautiful too but white are still my favorites.

THE LEGEND OF THE DOGWOOD

Have you ever read the Legend of the Dogwood? Although the Bible does not tell us what type of wood the cross Jesus was crucified on was made of, this legend says that the cross was made of dogwood…

In Jesus’ time, the dogwood grew
To a stately size and a lovely hue.
‘Twas strong and firm, its branches interwoven.
For the cross of Christ its timbers were chosen.
Seeing the distress at this use of their wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:
“Never again shall the dogwood grow
Large enough to be used so.
Slender and twisted, it shall be
With blossoms like the cross for all to see.
As blood stains the petals marked in brown,
The blossom’s center wears a thorny crown.
All who see it will remember Me
Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree.
Cherished and protected, this tree shall be
A reminder to all of My agony.

Not a part of the legend BUT, in the fall dogwoods produce clusters of red berries and if you look closely you’ll notice that for most of the dogwood varieties the berries are not round but rather shaped like a drop of blood! Hummmmmm

Legends are legends, but I am so grateful for anything that reminds me of His love and sacrifice on our behalf….

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

I hope you have a glorious GOOD FRIDAY.

The white dogwood trees are in full bloom today… Along with the birds in the background you will hear “shots.” Don’t be alarmed, we live near a shooting range! 🙂

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Bloom Thyme Friday: Rebirth

To me there is nothing … nothing! like the rebirth of spring. Just when I think things are as dead as dead can be, the green reappears… Reminds of what an amazing Creator we have.

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All of a sudden there are little bits of green everything. I don’t want to blink …. afraid I will miss something! ONE of my favorite spring bloomers is the saucer magnolia. I don’t have one, but there is one about 2 miles from me that I get to enjoy. I keep driving by to watch it unfold! I hope I don’t get branded a stalker by going by so often! From the look of the buds, is going to be spectacular this year!

I have a baby Chanticleer Pear tree that is going to bloom for the first time this year. I can’t wait!

Chanticleer Pear

People often ask me what is my favorite spring bloom. It is too hard for me to decide. Seems it is whatever is blooming at the time!

I hope you are enjoying spring where you live. Do you have a favorite spring bloomer?