Thursday, March 29, 2012

One Woman's Weeds Are Another Woman's Wildflowers...

We live in a new-ish subdivision.

This has many good points, but there are lots of things I miss.

  In my adult life, (having been married at one time to a building contractor) I have had many (sometimes very brief) stays in new (always for sale ~ "make us an offer") houses. When the children were growing up, however, we lived in the older neighborhood in town. One of the homes was built in 1936, the other in 1918. Wonderful yards, ancient oaks, huge dogwoods...ferns, moss. Squirrels. Also, ancient plumbing, leaky roofs (the plaster ceiling in my bedroom once gave way in a deluge of rainwater at 4 a.m.), few-and-far-between electrical outlets, tiny bathrooms, ghostly creaking stairs in the wee hours (kind of interesting, that). Lots to keep up with...limbs down during storms, leaves to rake...etc. That said, I do like my house now, a lot. Spacious, easily maintained (something to consider as we get older...) ~  

The one thing I miss the most, though...(besides the character of an old house; have to love that) ~ is the yard.



Photobucket

Here is what my yard looked like not so very long ago (the whole subdivision, actually, not just ours ;)

Photobucket

This is what our neighbor's yard looks like today.

Ours does not look like that...it is a little...weedy...some might say.

But, look a little closer...

Photobucket

Aren't these wonderful?? I don't know what they are, but they are tiny, Lilliputian jewels! They look like they belong in a fairy-garden...They are about the size of a pencil eraser top...Kentucky Bluegrass can't compare...

Update (4/1) ~ I've just found out what these sweet little flowers are ~ ((thank you, Janet!)) ~ they are Bluet; a North American rubiaceous (meaning of the Madder family) plant, Houstonia caerulea , with small four-petalled blue flowers  ~ also called "Innocence" or "Quaker Ladies" ~ Love it! ♥

Photobucket

I love dandelions! (I know, I'm probably really in the minority here...;) So sunny!




Photobucket


Photobucket

"Thou shalt not blow dandelion fluff toward thy neighbor's lawn..."


Photobucket

Henbit...(still looks like little llama heads to me!) ~ :)


Photobucket

Vetch (Vicia) ~ a member of the pea family, I think its magenta blossoms are so pretty! Farmers hate it in their fields...those crop-strangling little tendrils!


Photobucket

White clover~ I think it smells so good! It always reminds me of making "chains' ~ necklaces ~ with it when I was little...and the bunnies, Max, Ruby and Warren...love it so much! I've been picking it for them every evening...If it were up to me, we just wouldn't mow at all...

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Fortune of the Republic 

***
I can't believe another week has flown by so fast!
Happy Friday, all!

♥ ♥ ♥
Anne

43 comments:

  1. These photos are so beautiful, Anne. I took a few similar ones last month before the weed and feed.
    Eye of the beholder, right?
    Gorgeous, gorgeous shots!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yep-Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I can remember how awful it was when vetch got in the fields..and how frustrating for us as farmers when I was a kid. The cows won't eat it so it wrecks the hay yield...but it is pretty. GREAT photos- xo Diana

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love the photos Anne!I always loved Crown Vetch I think its so pretty.I think dandelions are beautiful when they turn to seed.

    Have a lovely friday ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anne,

    I love weeds! I collect Dandelion leaves for salad and the roots for tonics. Soome in our group have made wine from the flower heads.

    I love the early Spring flowers they bring, too.

    Great pics.

    Pam

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm so glad you found my blog...because now I found yours, isn't that so fun!! I'll be following along, seems like we have a lot in common!! I'll be back to visit again!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anne, we used to make crowns and necklaces from dandelions! Thanks for reminding me!

    Blessings

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am LOVING your blog, Anne! These pictures are great! Happy Friday to you, too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. i am a dandelion rebel! years ago, i started to rebel against the neighbors and their lawn care chemical trucks and you know what? other families are following along...healthier lawns, kids, dogs and lakes! thanks for sharing what i agree are wildflowers!

    ReplyDelete
  9. You made the comparisons between an older home and a newer one very well. What great pictures of the flowers blooming in your yard. Who's to say that they are not as fine as any growing in a garden?!

    ReplyDelete
  10. So very nice to meet you Anne.. You have such a beautiful blog.. I see you share a love of the garden as I do... Love the photos.
    Thank you so much for your visit and following along with me. I too, am a new follower of you.
    Enjoy your weekend
    Blessings,
    Penny

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hello, Anne!

    Those tiny flowers blooming in your yard are so pretty! I love dandelion, and to see the white seeds traveling! Spring is a time of magic when changes happen quickly! Let's enjoy spring!

    Have a great weekend.

    Tomoko from Japan.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Anne; thanks for stopping by my blog! Yes the clover/when I grew up it was yellow daisy/weeds and I'd make 'daisy-chains'. Looks like your subdivision had been a cotton farm?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Bonjour Anne,
    Your blog is adorable, congratulations and thanks so much for your kind visit in our blog!
    Léia - Bonjour Luxembourg

    ReplyDelete
  14. You are lucky with a wildflower garden like that! I always used to make necklaces of little daisies. Lovely post, and thank you for the follow!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Heyyy !! We have so much in common !!! I LOve the tiny weed flowers that grows in our grass !!! These are the first flowers that i see every beginning of Spring !!!! I'm a dandelion lover too and... i'm also preparing a spring post with tiny flowers from our yard !!! It's full of dandelions and other pretty tiny flowers too !!!!
    Wonderful post and wonderful photos !!!!!
    Have a great weekend !! :o))

    ReplyDelete
  16. what an eye candy blog you have.

    those flowers you posted are so beautiful!
    thank you for the follow. following you right back1

    have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I like dandelions too. My little boys keep picking them and bringing them to me, which is so sweet. Nice to have boys bringing me flowers, lol ;-)

    Thanks for the follow. I've followed you back and look forward to reading your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi Anne, Nice contrast of the old and new yards and I love the tiny flowers you found growing in your lawn. Thanks for the follow, I'm following you back. :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a neat post -- no matter where you live, unless it's an apartment, there's always outside work to be done. And that's a good thing! :)

    Thanks for linking up to Rural Thursday this week.

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is the 1st time I've ever seen white clover look so pretty! =)
    Thanks so much for stopping by, 'neighbor'... so neat to 'meet' someone so close!
    I don't know what the lil 'jewels' are, either, but they're beautiful & great shot!

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi Anne,

    Thanks so much for taking time to visit my blog. It's so good to "meet" you! :-)

    Love the blue flowers, they're absolutely beautiful and I wish I had a yard full of 'em.

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  22. You're right! We do have lots in common!

    I miss my garden at my old house in the city - it was a haven for wildlife and I had loads of perennials. We have a new house in a new subdivision, BUT we're on the outskirts of a small country town, so I can't complain. I can't wait to get some trees in though, so I can lure the birds and squirrels and rabbits (don't tell my neighbours!) into my yard.

    I see you're also a cat person. We have three. Love them to bits!

    Thanks so much for your comment; I'm following you now too!

    ~Kat

    ReplyDelete
  23. anne i totally appreciate a neighbour who lets the wildflowers flourish . . . i have a place in my garden for whatever chooses to live there and so my garden is a little on the unruly side . . . but that's more interesting and as you show here with your beautiful photos - more beautiful than what i have imposed . . . . . steven

    ReplyDelete
  24. I know I like lawns with character too. My little girl loves dandilions. Last spring we had a huge crop of them in our back yard. The first nice non-raining day we went out there. Her little face lit up and said, "Mommy look at all the beautiful flowers!"

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Anne,
    Thanks for stopping by. I love the spelling of your name. Our daughter is Heather Anne, so I may be a little partial.
    Love your photos! Gorgeous "weeds"!

    ReplyDelete
  26. What a delightful post, Anne! Please feel free to post up on Floral Friday Fotos, I am sure that many people who visit there would enjoy seeing your wonderful flower photos.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Lots of beautiful photos; well done!The Emerson quote is fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
  28. beautiful photos Anne...I love dandelions too! I think they look like little bursts of sunshine in the pretty green grass!
    Enjoy your weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Your neighbour's pristine poisoned? green lawn looks like astroturf. Definitely not safe for kids or animals. I'll come and explore your flower meadow!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I have enjoyed reading your post about living in a new subdivision. Loved your photos too. Thanks for becoming my latest follower.

    ReplyDelete
  31. i love the scent of clover too and I loved making chains when I was a kid, I must do that again when the clover flowers again. And dandelions the little puffy fluffy heads I love them.

    ReplyDelete
  32. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hi Anne, Lovely to connect this way. I love the wildflowers in your lawn and if you could have your way and not mow (perhaps just paths) you would have lots of butterflies for you have some hosts plants there. What we label weeds in our ignorance are truly food for ourselves and other creatures . . . nectar and caterpillar food. Dandelion greens are yummy in salads. Beautiful photos! Carol

    ReplyDelete
  34. Your sweet little blue flower is a Bluet, I have lots in my area as well, love their tiny little blooms. I remember clover necklaces, don't see too much clover in my area, at least not white clover.

    ReplyDelete
  35. i love dandelions and weeds too.
    when i was a teenager i found and still have a book that is called: Eat the Weeds. i look forward to yellow peppering my lawn ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  36. I love your yard - you have some of my favorite flowers in it :)

    P.S. after your comment the other day I tried to check out your blog while I was at worked - it was blocked because apparently our internet filter at work thinks that your site has adult content :)

    ReplyDelete
  37. Love the cotton. I grew some one year-had to start it all inside. It was a little tough in this colder climate, but worth it.
    I love dandylions too. :)
    PS Our home is over 100 years old. Haven't had falling plaster (yet), but do have some windows with old old wavy glass in them.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Thanks for visiting my blog! I love dandelions. I even have a framed picture of one in my house. :o) They're an admirable plant - they're colorful, grow where planted, and never whine. I wish more people were like dandelions!

    ReplyDelete
  39. I just took a clover photo just like that! Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  40. I love a lawn with some variety! One of the reasons. I like dandelions because the goldfinches love to eat the flowers. Beautiful pictures. :)

    ReplyDelete
  41. I've been spinning through your flower pictures! Beautiful. I think it's nice you were able to track down that plant! I'mt trying to learn what is growing here --so many different things!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Thanks for your nice words and visit. You love cats and gardens, so we have a lot in common.
    Your blog is a pretty place. I will visit it again.
    Have a great day
    Janine

    ReplyDelete
  43. What a great post -- thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. I can see why you suggested I read this post! And what a lovely blog you have too. We share interests - gardening, art and cats (we have 12 now, having taken in a stray and her kittens) I'm following your blog now, so I'll visit again soon.

    ReplyDelete

I love your thoughts and comments, and I read each and every one! Sometimes life gets in the way, though, and it takes me a while to respond...Thank you for understanding! ♥...Time is precious, and the time you have taken here is truly appreciated!