Random Pictures

Searching for spring as the weather refuses to cooperate, wet snow is forcast for tomorrow. These farmer's market daffodils reminded me of butterflies and they wilted spectacularly in small groups until only three were standing. They quickly joined their sisters, it was all very ephemeral.

These are pictures I have been taking over the last few months, when I have time to capture a few images.

This was from February, I think it was a a remnant of Mardi Gras.

Light, the Garden, a Gift

Some light coming through the window

 I was planning on putting some plants out. This summer, I wanted the plants to be more sculptural, grouping more of them on one bicycle. I had found a really cool bicycle, red with a red basket, no more front wheel. I had a vision in my mind of it with the plants. But when I checked on the bicycle before putting them out, it was gone. I guess I had waited too long to put them out. I am still resolving some details on how to display the plants. Now I need another cool bicycle.

The garden is recovering from winter, I am pleased with the spring colors that I have.

My current favorite is the allium. I think they are somewhat comic. 

They do not last very long though. Just over a week and they are losing their flowers. I am curious to see how they look with the green nubby stems.

The beloved brought me home a rosebush for Mother's day. 

These bulbs have never sent up flowers, only leaves. I was really getting tired of them and thinking I would dig them up, when they sent up one stalk of flowers.

Someone abandoned a bouquet of roses in the flower box out front.

May Flowers, and Maple

In the cold days of March, I bought a glossy magazine on container gardening and dreamed of spring. This pot was inspired by one of its ideas. I planted the flowers a few weeks ago, but it has only recently been warm enough to sit outside.

I have always loved lobelia, with its tiny blue flowers. I would feel sad when the summer heat would scorch it to dust. It turns out that lobelia is more of a spring thing, no need to feel guilty.

I am fascinated by the thin black lines on the violas. I could stare at them for ages, they look as if someone drew them.

The maple leaves have unfolded right about the same time as last year. 

This leaf picked up its color on its own. I did not even color correct it.

I have had trouble getting back into a working rhythm even though there are lots of things I want to work on. I figured I would start with some spring flowers and build from there.

Spring Snow is always Fun and Light

It is hardly news any more, but it snowed a few days ago ending our spring idyll.

The day before, apricot petals were showering down like snowflakes, they were frozen into the table top.

The crocuses did not totally wilt, but they have not been opening up as much since the storm.

The sun came out. Although it was not warm, things began to thaw.

The snow was gone by noon, but the cold remained.

The light has not been as pretty since.

Spring is Budding

In one of the early signs of spring, the crocuses that I planted last fall are coming up. They make me happy every morning when I leave the house.

In the city, the trees are on the verge of blooming.

Even my neighbor's apricot tree is getting ready to put on a show.

I planted bulbs in my garden, but they haven't come up yet. Only this barberry is waking up so far.

On a totally different topic, the grey patch between these windows looks like the number three.

Checking in on the Garden

I did not do a lot of work on the garden this year. We painted the fence white and laid some slate tiles in a spiral. The rose bush did not do well, victim of the cats leaping around and breaking its canes in the early spring.

Luckily, the neighbor's morning glories climbed over the fence.

I trained a few vines from our side up the fence to meet the others.

We put a bin on the patio to gather leaves for mulch and weeds grew out of it.

A morning glory climbed up the bars on our window.

Out of the base of the crate sprouted the usual suspects that grow literally everywhere.

I love this little blue flowered weed and I am delighted that it sprang up. I had seen them out front last year and was tempted to transplant them. But I decided that transplanting weeds is like playing with fire. If I find some next year I may change my mind. The flowers remind me of lobelia, without all the fragility.

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This castor plant self seeded and came back from last year.

It was so pretty with its purple stems and veins. Unfortunately, I accidentally cut its delicate stem while trimming the grass and it withered on the vine.

I felt really bad, but then the scarlet runner beans, which had been a little depressed, suddenly got it together and bloomed.

Some things I planted this year are still settling in like the wisteria and the forsythia. The light is shifting and the plants seem to know that the season is winding down.

Tulips

 I planted tulips back in the fall. I didn't know that they were tulips until they bloomed.
 

My friend Aurelia, who runs the compost at the market, gave me the bulbs. She did not tell me what they were, except that some were blue. It was somewhat haphazard.

 It was a pleasant surprise, they are very pretty tulips.

I have some more mystery bulbs that have sent green shoots but no flowers yet, also from Aurelia. They are definitely not tulips. Perhaps they are the blue flowers.

Early Spring

The callery pear trees are on the verge of blooming. Once they open, the city will be in a brief intense flurry of white flowers and spring will have officially arrived. It does not seem that we will even have the fluke spring snow.

The forsythia are also close, though I feel that they do not have the usual enthusiasm.

This little tree, probably an apple, has already come out. The trees and plants all seem to be out of sync. Some are all flowery and others are holding back.

I have been working with dream images again and the image I was seeking was at the High Line. I haven't posted the dream picture here, because it is part of a bigger image.

I find the High Line to be a bit precious, but I do like the plant life.
 

This seems like the perfect urban spring image.

Crocus

I went to the Botanic Garden to see the plants that had bloomed early. I had imagined all kinds of bulbs and blossoms springing from the ground. In fact there were mostly crocuses.

Apparently they have been in bloom since before Groundhog Day so I am a little late to the whole "global warming flowers bloom in winter" thing. The results of Groundhog day were mixed, Puxatawny Phil said six more weeks of winter, Staten Island Chuck said it was spring. Since our winter has been especially springlike, I guess they were both right.

The crocuses clustered among the trees, looking really pretty.

Anything else blooming was that hardy kind of stuff one expects to see in early spring.

The trees were getting those red and green tints that promise leaves.

The daffodils had also been up since early February and they looked a bit spent.

There was one dandelion.

Overall, everything still looked like winter. It is strange to wander around the barren landscapes in such warm weather.