Saturday, April 27, 2013

Dogwoods, Azaleas and a Few More Fairies...♥

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Hi, everyone!

I apologize for not getting this posted sooner...

The Dogwood Azalea Festival in Charleston, Missouri was a great success...

Beautiful weekend, lots of sweet little faces....

It wore me flat out!

I am still recovering...;^)

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The dogwoods were beautiful...

I saw this written on The Old Moss Woman's Secret Garden page on Facebook,

and thought it was delightful!



"If a white Dogwood tree could talk I think it would have a quiet voice, almost a whisper.
 
A pink one would whisper, too, but like Marilyn Monroe.
 
 Cherry blossoms just giggle like loons - who wouldn't, dressed in mini pink petticoats?"

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It was still a little early for most of the azalea varieties...

All in all a lovely weekend, though!

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I was also surprised and happy to see that Daddy's narcissuses had bloomed

 at my son Mark's house this week...(I will bring some here this fall).

Daddy loved bringing them in by the huge armloads,

and continued bringing them to me here in Sikeston as long as he was able...



Right before the farm in Bloomfield sold,

I spent a long day digging and digging these ancient

well, okay ~ at least "heirloom" ~ bulbs from one of his fields, at the top of a

rolling hill where a farmhouse once stood...

So very, very long ago that Daddy didn't even remember

a house being there when he was a child in the 1920s...

It was there in the 1800s, most likely.

But every spring, huge drifts of these little paperwhite narcissi appear,

more and more every year. Even if the field was mowed later in the spring/

early summer, the leaves always had time to gather nutrients

 and die back first, so the flowers were unaffected and just kept multiplying!

I always think about a farm wife of that time whenever I see daffodils or other spring bulbs

blooming where no homestead is still standing...maybe newly married,

planting "pass-along" flowers and bulbs...

Perhaps given to her by her mother or a friend...(a "Flower Friend"...

someone you don't know really well who shares her flowers with you, anyway!)...

Almost certainly not spending money on such things...

Isn't it great how bulbs like this can continue indefinitely?

I know these aren't the original bulbs from a hundred or more years ago ~

(I wonder how long a single bulb lives and flowers, though?)

~ but they are the "daughters"; a direct connection ~ which I think is amazing!

(Some even went to live with my dear friend Elaine in New York...

isn't that fun? I wonder what the original "planter" would think?)

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Since I wasn't being very productive "art-wise" this week

I went around the yard and took a few photos...;^)

I so love Solomon's Seal! It's another perennial that just keeps multiplying.

So graceful!

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Here again is Grandma Launius's "mystery" shrub that she called Spice Bush...

I finally found out last spring that it is actually Clove Currant,

but it does have a wonderful spicy fragrance!

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Lots and lots of blooms on the strawberries...and even a few tiny berries!

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Oh, here is something cool!

Did you know Lemon Balm self-seeds?... I didn't!

Very prolifically, too! The ground between the raised herb beds is covered

with tiny Lemon Balm babies...if you were close, I would share with all of you!

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I couldn't wait any longer...

I had to take a couple of the Fairy Houses out to the herb bed that I plan

to make into a "village" (long enough for pictures, anyway) ....

and place them around, seeing where I still need to "landscape"...;^)

Still a lot to do (like make some more houses!) ~ but it will be fun...

Stay tuned!

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That leafy mound in the second raised bed is my original Lemon Balm...

the area between the beds is where all the little ones are...

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Catmint!

Leo, Cyrus and Tallulah love this stuff fresh...I just crush the leaves a little

and they have a good ol' time rolling it into the rug...

Not sure if my regular Catnip is going to come up this year or not...

I think the Chocolate Mint may have choked it out last year...:^(

(You have to watch out for that mint, chocolate or not!)

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Mr. B got me this cute little mini rose for the Fairy Garden...

"Denver's Dream"....
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My poor little tortoise!

I always leave the statuary out as winter here doesn't usually affect it adversely,

but now this poor little turtle has a boo-boo.

I told myself I wasn't going to paint any more concrete as I like the way it ages

naturally and gets mossy, but I'll have to make an exception...

I have an idea for this fellow, anyway!

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Yesterday on my way to school to pick up grandson Nick,

I stopped by our old neighborhood....

There is a huge vacant lot at the end of the street where a little house used to be...

kind of the "town version" of the area where the narcissi grow at the farm...

Later it will be mowed, but for now, it has reverted to a little nature preserve...

It is evident where Mrs. Howell, the lady who lived there for many years,

had planted her bulbs and perennials...

The first thing I saw were the violets everywhere...

The regular rich purple ones as well as the blue and white "Confederate" ones...

How I used to love picking those for Grandma Collier,

bringing her big bunches..."bouquets"...as many as I could fit in my hands!

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In several places over the lot, there were beds of hyacinths...

the "old-fashioned" kind ~ with looser, more "weeping" bell-shaped flowers...

The purple color of these was almost irridescent!

Lots of bees, too, which I was glad to see...

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Drifts of Sweet Williams...

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I SO wanted to climb on this swing!

I thought better of it, though, since Nick was expecting me.

Oh, I almost forgot!!

Jonathan once more indulged me and drew a name for the little Fairy Shoes...

and it is Denise!

Her delightful blog is "Shortybear's Place" and you can find it here ~ :^)

Thank you all for ALL your sweet comments...I love, love, love them...♥

They keep me going. :^)

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Love,
 
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23 comments:

  1. I WON????? wOO hOO. Thanks so much. I really enjoyed this post, awesome pictures.

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  2. fabulous photos! i used to have an old farm house with 14 acres and all the land was covered in wild daffodils. they were amazing!

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  3. Your photographs are gorgeous! You have such an artistic eye and are so talented! I enjoy every visit to your blog! :)

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  4. These photos are just beautiful! Each one is a delight- loved the face painting too- did you do that? Get well soon to Mr. Tortoise :)

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  5. Hi Anne,
    the dogwoods are so pretty and I love the precious violets, especially the Confederate Violet. But the sweetes flowers are the kids with fairy faces.
    Thank you for sharing.
    Best greetings, Johanna

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  6. What an absolutely beautiful post! The pictures! The flowers! The story! Narcissus is one of my most favorites - their smell is like no other. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story.

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  7. Hi, Anne. I love the photos. Flowers are my favorite photography subject. Also, if you ever find you have any extra of the small paper white bulbs, I would love to have some. I don't get to grow them outside because I live in the high desert and it is dry. But I like to do some bulb forcing in the house because they smell so sweet. I don't often catch them at our home and garden nursery so they are hard for me to find. Also, I don't know when to look for them. Anyway, just a thought. I love the azalea photos, too. Fantastic.

    Marrianna

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  8. Great pics of the bootiful flowers..As always your fairy houses are adorable..Wonderful face painting..Thanks for sharing..

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  9. What a beautiful post.... from top to bottom ! Thanks for sharing through your artistic eye!

    Susie

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  10. So enjoyed your post today with all the beautiful photos. I'm sure your gardens are special with all your little fairy homes.

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  11. Hello Anne! I just delight in waiting for you to post! It's like unwrapping a gift!!!
    Those beautiful faces you painted just made me smile like a Cheshire cat! What talents you have and awesome how you share them!
    I never get to see most of these blooming plants living in AZ. Your photos are wonderful. ;) I especially LOVE your garden with your fairy cottages. Just delightful. I enjoy your rocks too!

    Curious how you will paint your concrete turtle. I have some statuary I need to paint or something. The sun out here really fades and deteriorates them.<3

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  12. Congratulations to Denise on winning your give away.

    Your post is full of beauty and so joyful. I love how you painted the fairy faces. Just adorable and so creative

    All the flowers are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing a bit of your world with us.
    Hugs,
    JB

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  13. You could see how delighted the children were with their lovely painted faces! The flowers are all so beautiful and I think it's really neat that you were able to dig some bulbs from the old farm. A lot of these flowers don't grow well here in the high desert so it is always such a treat to be able to see them on the blogs, thanks! :)

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  14. Oh how I loved looking at all the flowers! I adore soloman's seal. It is always a favorite in the spring. I have a small patch of wild sweet William as well. I would love to find another pot or two. Everything is beginning to come up. Bonnie

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  15. Wonderful post miss and I too absolutely adore bulbs! Great photos and story!

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  16. So much Beauty!
    Small wonder you were exausted... too much of tooo good can do that to a Beautiful Sould like yours.

    Your garden is looking amazing! I can imagine Tallullah and the Gang walking around feeling Wizards and Lords and Ladies of a Fairy Land. Which it is. Which they are.

    Thank you for sharing,

    Teresa

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  17. Thank You for this beautifully illustrated spring post. I am such a soft heart for the sweet little painted faces. So nice to see where your fairy folk live too. Keeps smiling and creating

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  18. Look at all those flowers! I hope some start blooming up here soon!

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  19. Dear Anne...your posts are always so special and this one is no exception. Love the fairy faces...bet you were tired. Sounds like a wonderful festival - the dogwoods have not started to bloom here yet but they will be soon...I too always picked violets for my dear grandma. Is there anything better than those sweet things... your fairy houses look good in the garden and as for your poor Mr. Tortoise - can't see what plans you are cooking up for him (LOL)- great thoughts too on those old bulbs - how precious they are! Have a wonderful week my friend. xo xo Pixie

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  20. Gorgeous photos, Anne. Dogwoods are so beautiful. We used to have one in our parents backyard growing up. It had a special place on an elevated hill-like space at the end of the backyard.

    Those pretty little painted faces remind me of the fairies who must live in your sweet, lovely fairy cottages.

    The narcissus are so lovely. They remind me of miniature daffodils.

    A cheery post, indeed, Anne.

    Blessings,
    Marianne

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  21. I loved each of your photo's you are such a talented person. Your blog is always a joy to visit.

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  22. WOW!! LOVELY Pictures! Wonderful dogwoods - must have taken you forever to post!! Neat face paintings!! Kids will never want that to wash off! Works of art!

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  23. What a brilliant post, dearest Anne!!! Love all of the beautiful photos (those sweet kiddos!)...the plants and flowers...and fairy houses...all so beautiful...and your dear stories and memories...precious and priceless...you are a treasure...
    Congratulations to the lucky winner!
    Love to you,
    - Irina

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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!