Friday, June 17, 2016

Spring, Virginia Style -- Flora

You may recall my excitement last year about the coming of Spring. Well, this year has surpassed last year's delights! Perhaps that's partly because we had the whole winter to heighten our anticipation, and it's certainly largely due to spending more time at the local gardens. And let's be real -- it's mostly because I'm finally in a climate where foxglove thrives.





I hold Beatrix Potter responsible for my unaccountable obsession with foxglove! I love many other flowers, but none so much as this. 





There were so many of them at our local gardens. Pink, purple, white. Happy, happy me!





But first came the daffodils, and the camellias. This was the only picture of a camellia that I took; I think I must have been overwhelmed by the variety and profusion. But really, what would I do with a dozen (or even half a dozen!) camellia pictures? I can't seem to resist taking photos of every lovely plant that catches my eye, which then languish in my photo files. Perhaps that's why I post so many on my blog! They feel "purposeful" if they're shared.





Lenten roses (hellebores) and dogwoods bloomed next -- we have five dogwood trees in our back yard, and one is planted right outside my kitchen window. How I waited and waited for that tree to bloom! Though the pink dogwood pictured below was a discovery at the gardens:










Summer snowflakes


Parsley

Tulips! Another rarity in Florida

One of my favorite discoveries at the gardens this year was lupine -- ever since we read Miss Rumphius, I have wanted to see lupine for myself. They're so lovely! Pink, purple, and white, just like the ones Alice planted. I have plans to add some to our landscape next year. I was tickled when we found the lupine covered with seed pods after they'd bloomed; perfect for showing the littles how the flowers made the seeds that Miss Rumphius scattered on her walks!




Our scraggly rosebush managed to produce a few lovelies -- I think it's badly in need of pruning! Perhaps next year it will do a little better.





And now, it's hydrangeas. Every shape, size, color. It seems that Virginia is a hotbed for my favorite plants! Though I haven't noticed any hollyhocks -- still, if foxglove grows here, I'd imagine hollyhocks would, too.








Another Virginia delight? Willow trees. I think I saw maybe one or two in our old Florida haunts, but here they grow everywhere! I have such fond memories of willow trees from my childhood in England, so I feel a warm glow every time I spot one here.





 And while our roses at home may be scarce, the local gardens can boast a much larger and impressive variety! In fact, I doubt I'll plant many (if any) roses in our garden, because I can always nip over there for my rose "fix." I couldn't resist a snapshot of these particular beauties, mostly because the variety is "Winchester Cathedral" (a lovely minster, and Jane Austen's final resting place).





I've saved the "fauna" for another post, because this is already lengthier than usual! It's been a chilly, rainy Spring, and I'm actually ready for Summer -- but I'm already looking forward to next year's Spring. More daffodils! More foxglove! Because "Spring" here is just a synonym for "Anticipation."


"He has made everything beautiful in its time."
Ecclesiastes 3:11





8 comments:

  1. What lovely pictures! I would love to have a flower garden, but unfortunately I don't like gardening :/
    When we moved into the house we're living in now, there was a Peace Rose planted in our front yard, and it was really the most beautiful thing. It only produced on rose at a time, and it died after a while sadly. I don't think it had been taken care of for quite a while before we got there, and no one in our family has much of a green thumb.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Elizabeth,

      I'm not much of a gardener, myself! I have killed succulents, and even plants that were thriving for years before they were entrusted to my care! :-) That's probably why I'm enjoying having a place where I get to enjoy the flowers, and someone else does the gardening... Still, I'm hoping that with a little practice, my thumbs will green up a little!

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Cheers,
      Shannon

      Delete
  2. I love Foxglove . . . I remember in the Charlotte books (Little House in Boston Bay maybe) where her mother tells her a story involving the rubbing of Foxglove on her eyelids to see fairies. Mom didn't like Foxglove because it was poisonous though :(

    We were taught via Five in a Row at first and that is how we met Lupine and Miss Rumphius (we were just talking about that and other childhood favorites today).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Livia Rachelle,

      How nice to find another foxglove lover! Though you're right, it is quite toxic. I do want to plant some, but I think I'll confine it to the front garden, since our littles play in the back. I seem to recall it playing a vital role in at least one Agatha Christie story. :-)

      I haven't done FIAR with my littles, but I did look at it -- perhaps that is where I first heard of "Miss Rumphius," too! It's such a lovely story, and the illustrations are amazing.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Cheers,
      Shannon

      Delete
  3. Gorgeous flora, and photos. You are quite the photographer. Virginia is truly a beautiful area :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind words, Danice! We are certainly enjoying living here!

      Cheers,
      Shannon

      Delete
  4. Such gorgeous pictures, Shannon! Thank you for sharing the beauty with your readers. :) I too have a heart for foxglove. Once I tried growing it, and it did really well one year, but never came back; odd, considering it's a perennial! I have the same luck for hydrangeas and hollyhocks. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cheri,

    Thank you for your kind words! I'm hoping that next year's foxglove growing will be a success, in spite of my "black thumbs!" But most of the daffodils I planted in the fall actually came up and bloomed, which was A Great Triumph considering my usual results. ;-) Foxglove doesn't seem to be very well-known, so it's such a delight to find a fellow enthusiast!

    Cheers,
    Shannon

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thank you so much for stopping by!