26 April 2009

Graces #8 to 12 - Spring

#8
The smell of the flowers on the pachysandra - before yesterday, I never knew that pachysandra in bloom had such a lovely, sweet fragrance.

#9
Free compost from the town dump - I love the dump, I love that they take leaves and other garden waste, and turn it into rich, beautiful compost for the taking. We made three trips, and top-dressed all of the perennial beds.

#10
The joy of the child as she ran through the sprinkler, dug in the dirt, mixed up mud, "saved" worms, and helped me to plant seeds.

#11
How nicely my rhubarb is thriving - my neighbor gave me a piece in full leaf at the end of last summer, while they were packing up to move, and I was worried that it wouldn't take.

#12
The gorgeous salmon pink of the flowering quince in full bloom - I don't care that Dirr finds it "over-rated", in its moment of glory it is a beautiful thing (and the deer and the bunnies don't eat it).

11 comments:

Gwen said...

God, spring is just overwhelming in its beauties, isn't it? I'm looking at a cherry blossom tree bursting with pink petals right now outside my window now. I feel blessed. Thanks for reminding me to take the time to enjoy the little gifts of spring.

Mayberry said...

I'll have to take notice of that pachysandra scent--I wasn't feeling so grateful to ours when I transplanted about a million of them last year.

Kristin said...

Magpie, wanted to let you know that I did in fact make the Hidden Eggs recipe (my version at least) and my hubby pronounced it "pretty good," he also said that he'd eat it again. It's at www.dietfoodie.com

Thanks for the challenge and for the graces of spring. I too have been reveling in the nice weather.

Gwen said...

I like the theme of this one, especially as spring is lovely here right now, too. I love the look of the trees right before they really open their leaves, when their branches are just tipped in that lacy brilliant green.

It would also be awesome if I knew what pachysandra is. I'm guessing it's one of those flowers that I know by look but not by name. This actually applies to nearly every flower that is not a tulip, for me the garden dummy.

shrink on the couch said...

I grew up with pachysandra growing under my bedroom window. It's a beautiful ground cover and I miss it. Thanks for the memory.

painted maypole said...

oh, I wish I could get free compost!

Harriet said...

Does your flowering quince fruit? One of ours does, but only every 2-3 years. I'm curious as to whether there's anything I can do to encourage the fruit and also whether there's anything I can do with it. Ours does not appear to be even close to blooming yet, however. It was nice to see your picture to remind me of what is coming.

alejna said...

It's so nice to see things growing and blooming. Hurray for free compost!

We have pachysandra in our back yard, though I've never noticed a smell. (The name always makes me think of elephants. You know, pachyderms. They probably don't smell like elephants, though.)

Ozma said...

Rhubarb! So delicious in pie. Watch out for the deadly leaves (or you probably already knew that).

All these are so nice to read about.

julochka said...

we got free compost too! it's the best! i love spring!

Kyla said...

Ahhhh, spring. We've just had a load of April showers, which is leaving me a bit less appreciative of spring...but you make it sound lovely.