Monday evening, this beautiful pink moon glowed in the dusky sky. Glorious!
Phloral Arrangement – IAVOM Spring Blooms
The antidote to the windy weather of yesterday was to take a morning walk around the yard and gather Spring flowers for IAVOM.
I have placed a few of the flowers blooming in my garden inside the vase. The inner petals of the tulip are gorgeous. What a sanctuary for a bee! If I were small and had wings, I would dive in after the pollen and buzz in delight. There is nothing ho-hum about these beautiful colors and forms.
Other flowers in the vase are Iris, Bleeding Heart, and Vinca.
I keep hearing the children’s chorus, This Little Light of Mine, as I gaze at the bright area around the tulip’s stigma and anthers.
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Phlowers – Dancing with the Daffodils
The yard is dreary beneath rainy March skies, but the gardens are ablaze with the captured sunshine of daffodils.
I couldn’t leave so many of them to droop beneath the raindrops, so I cut them to create a bouquet to enjoy in the house. A break in the clouds enabled sunshine to pour through the window, backlighting the daffodils perfectly for their portrait.
“Daffodils with sunlit petals all ablaze,
Will ever create in me words of praise.”
Forgive me, my amateur poetical nod to William Wordsworth’s beautiful poem about daffodils. You can find his excellent poem below.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
By WILLIAM WORDSWORTH (1770 – 1850)
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
**************************************
Daffodils are a part of Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge.
Definitely the daffodils are my “Whatsoever is Lovely” moment for Xingfu Mama’s Challenge.
The daffodils are definitely the dancers of Springtime. They move to the rain, the wind, and face the sunshine, dwelling in the music of nature.
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Praise & Quotes – Signposts
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Phlower & Planting – Geranium
Yesterday, I was able to text my son a photo of this beautiful puff of salmon. I told him it was a cutting grown from a Geranium he gave me on Mother’s Day two years ago. Plants given as gifts are especially dear to me.
Before frost arrived last year, I dipped a cutting of the geranium in honey and placed it in loose soil with a Ziplock bag over the plant to keep it humid. Not every cutting works, so I usually grow three for every plant I want to save.
I also tried bagging/boxing up a few bare-root geraniums, and the photo shows what I found just an hour ago when I opened the bag. I will continue to grow cuttings and, in the future, leave bare root storage to the experts.
The geranium is part of Cee’s Flower of the Day.
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Product – Fighting Five
It’s been a rough ten days. Flu/Covid/Cold, one of the three or all of them simultaneously, chills, night sweats, fever, coughing, sneezing…you name it, we’ve had a bit of it. I wish I had remembered this small bottle within my stash of essential oils a bit sooner. Yesterday, facing another day of feeling dreadful, I remembered the Fighting Five essential oil. I placed a few drops in a diffuser and felt improved within a few minutes. It isn’t a cure, but it is a help for getting through the symptoms.
Both of us also experienced strange insomnia throughout this illness, waking every 45 minutes or so. Last night was the first night I slept well. I had filled the room with fragrance and the soothing power of the Fighting Five.
Lemon (Citrus limon), Cinnamon- Leaf (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Rosemary- Moroccan (Rosmarinus officinalis), Clove- Bud (Eugenia caryophyllata), Eucalyptus- Globulus (Eucalyptus globulus), Eucalyptus- Radiata (Eucalyptus radiata)
Ingredients in the Fighting Five Essential Oil – Eden’s Garden
Fighting Five can be purchased through Eden’s Garden. I have bought essential oil for years through this company and have always been satisfied. I use the essential drops in a diffuser for air-born relief; the product also comes in a roll-on applicator.
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Quick Tip & Pests – Oh No….Spider Mites
I have some lavender plants on a windowsill near my desk. I love to stop what I am doing and brush them with my hands. The lovely, fresh scent of lavender fills the air and gives me a boost of energy amid mid-winter doldrums.
You can imagine my outcry when, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted movement on my lavender—spider mites. The tiny pests were fearless and having a marvelous time, creating webbing, feasting on the juices, and multiplying by the minute.
Running the plant under a heavy stream of water is always my first course of action. The spider mites are small and are quickly swept away by the deluge. So far, my initial treatment is working, and I’ve only seen one or two stray mites.
One of the problems with diagnosing spider mites on a houseplant is their size. The webbing and drying leaves are a clue to an infestation. Sometimes, as in my case, you can see them moving along their webs. To be sure I was aware of all the infested spots, I sprayed the lavender with water before washing the mites away. The side-by-side photo shows how much easier it is to see an infestation after spraying.
Unfortunately, I must be realistic; removing every spider mite from the lavender will most likely take several sessions under the faucet. This pest spreads quickly in the dry air of a heated house. I will check all my houseplants for infestation with water sprays throughout the week.
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Phlowers & Planting – Friday Flowers/Moonflowers
Moonflower Vines are one of my favorite night-blooming annuals. I grow them yearly and have found it best to start them earlier than the seed packet recommends. To ensure mid-season blooms, I start my seeds in mid-winter, which, for me, means today. I always soak the seeds first. The seeds soaking in water were gathered from last year’s plants.
If the seed is viable, it will sink to the bottom of the jar as it draws in the water. So far, only one has taken the plunge. Hopefully, many more will follow suit.
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Phloral Arrangement – Pink Swan Vase and Lilies/IAVOM
The In a Vase on Monday challenge allowed me to use the pink McCoy Swan Vase I found in Goodwill a few weeks ago. I didn’t have much in my yard that would look nice in a vase. After the recent snowstorm, there is very little dried material to be salvaged for bouquets. I added evergreen sprigs from my gardens, Nandina, Aucuba, Vinca, and purchased Lily stems. The pink color of the vase seems an appropriate way to welcome in the first week of February.
Thank you to Rambling in the Garden for hosting this challenge.
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Phlowers – Friday Flowers/Nigella
I have good luck with my white and blue nigella plants self-seeding in the front of the butterfly border. Each year, the initial sowing of plants brings forth a new generation. Today, at half price, I was thrilled to find seeds for a pink variety called Mulberry Rose. It’s always exciting to procure a new variety of a plant you love.
This small flower creates quite a dynamic seedpod. It blooms the size of a quarter, is low-growing, and has delicate foliage. Beautifully rounded and loaded with seeds, the pod dries beautifully for indoor winter arrangements.
The seed packet suggests making successive sowings for continuous bloom. My new Nigella seeds are from Renee’s Garden. I am content in the knowledge that this small blossom will grace my garden for years to come.
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Plant & Perspective – Milkweed Fluff & My Year of the Dandelion
One of my first memories of outdoor fun is chasing fairy wishes. I associate my parents and Mom’s cousin, whom I called Aunt Norma, with my first recollection of fairy wishes. The premise behind catching one was the fulfillment of a wish. Upon capturing the wish in your hand, you whispered your hope or dream, and then, and this was important, you had to let it go again.
The beautiful fairy wishes in the photograph were captured as they unfurled from a milkweed pod in my back garden. Anyone, who has read my blog for any length of time, knows I am a bit obsessed with helping butterflies thrive in my garden. I grow common milkweed as a host plant for Monarchs, fennel, dill, parsley, and rue for Black Swallowtails.
My prayer is that God helps me ride the winds of the written word, just like a milkweed wish, to spread the Good News of Salvation and His Love far and wide.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 14:6
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Plants and Photo Challenge – Cosmic Photo Challenge/What’s Flowering
The beautiful moss spores are my choice for The Cosmic Photo Challenge/What’s Flowering Where You Are? Before the recent snowstorm, I grabbed my camera and took a woodland walk. I was amazed at the vivid green of the mosses and lichens. In places where the sun shone through the branches, I noticed some of the mosses had already sent up spore capsules. I’m going to stretch and say these are a type of bloom.
If I had to rate these moss spores for beauty between 1-10, they would receive a 10+ from me.
Skunk cabbage has also emerged in the dead of winter. Here are some of the ‘knobs’ before the snow covered them. I read an amazing fact on the PFEIFFER NATURE CENTER site: some skunk cabbage plants can be over 100 years old. Wow, I will feel a bit more awe over them when I take my next woods walk.
Next time when I become a bit winter-worn and weary over the cold weather, I’ll remind myself of those skunk cabbages never giving up.
As always, lichen on fallen branches are a welcome touch of green.
Whatsoever is Lovely? Definitely the small and delicate bits of green I found in the woods. I wish I could have a large garden plot filled with mosses and lichens in the winter.
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Photo Challenges – A New Challenge
Judy Dykstra Brown’s Blog offers a unique new challenge. The basis of the challenge is to search your photos with a number and create a blog post with them. This week the number is 126. Post a selection of photos on your blog and link back to her blog. Fun! I thought I would have more, but these are the three photos that had 126/26.
This is my first time taking part in this challenge. I will definitely try again. Why not take part too? What a good moment it was when a photo of my grandparents showed up in my search.
The two beachy scenes are Block Island, Rhode Island. I love the way visitors and islanders alike build rock cairns on the slopes and sand.
I was surprised I didn’t have more photos in the search, but then again, sometimes I relabel the numbers. If you do this also, Judy Dykstra Brown has a way for you to take part, choose a word instead.
Like the Steinbeck quote below, my photos seem to multiply while I sleep. Most of mine are on CD discs for storage.
Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
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Phloral Arrangment – IAVOM/Snowfall Bouquet
Seven hundred days…that is how long the weather forecasters told us our area had not seen accumulating snowfall. This week, when the skies greyed and beautiful snowflakes began to descend, it created a swell of joy in many, especially children with new sleds and toboggans. It was a superb snowstorm, not so much as to cause a complete standstill, but enough to have a bit of fun in. Even the most winter-weary could not feel hostility toward it when they gazed at a landscape frosted with white.
There is little left in my yard to vase. I took advantage of an amaryllis that had grown so top-heavy it had to spend its last days in the garage. I found a basket instead of a vase. Anything glass or porcelain might have cracked in the freezing temperatures. I plucked a few stems of sedum that still had some dried flowers and placed them in the spring-green basket. The amaryllis mirrored the brilliant snow. It is a fun way to celebrate IAVOM (In a Vase on Monday) and the glorious snowfall.
Rambling in the Garden IAVOM
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Perspective – Unbelievable Warning on Twitter (X)
Just a few minutes ago I posted this tweet on what is now called X. It was flagged immediately, and the photo blocked, for being considered sensitive content. I don’t need to say anything more because I know the readers here have sense. Anyway, the Bible says it better in Isaiah.
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
~Isaiah 5:20
Day After Update: In the later hours of Sunday, I noticed the photo appeared again on Twitter, and was not marked as sensitive content. However, that flagging of a Bible Verse happened at all is eye-opening and indicative of the times we are living in.
I did immediately appeal. We will see what happens. The situation had the opposite effect from what they probably expect of people. It immediately filled me with a sense of battle, and I stood just now, and armored up using Ephesians 6:10-18. When I do this, I even go through the physical motions. God is with us.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
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Photograph – Six on Saturday/Snow Day
My area of Southern New Jersey went over 700 days without accumulating snowfall. Yesterday, we had a beautiful snowstorm throughout the day. What a lovely sense of peace the quiet flakes instill into the atmosphere. Early in the morning, I couldn’t resist grabbing my camera and taking photos as I fed the birds.
Here are my choices for Six on Saturday.
- A Junco, one of a large flock that visits my yard, seemed to wait patiently for me to scatter birdseed.
- The Rose of Sharon pods were the perfect resting place for snowflakes. Looking closely, you can see a few of the sharp points of individual flakes.
- The gourd birdhouse, crafted several years ago, looked lovely with a coating of snow.
- The Japonica, colorful with new growth, wore a blanket of snowflakes.
- English Ivy, indestructible, seemed impervious to the cold.
- A stem of a zinnia, left in place as cover for birds, held a mound of crystal snowflakes…beautiful.
The flying pig who holds court over the sideyard couldn’t escape the snowfall. A natural monochromatic setting with the grey sky behind him and the bird bath pedestal beneath him seems a good choice for Skywatch Friday.
I love this quote from my Farmer’s Almanac Daily Calendar:
When oak trees bend with snow in January, good crops may be expected.
Farmer’s Almanac
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Quick Tip – Jasmine Vine Support
The smell of Jasmine is terrific. I love growing the plant indoors in the winter and outdoors on the porch in the summertime. I found a vining variety a few months ago, and it quickly thrived and outgrew its pot. After transplanting, the vines took off, sometimes appearing to grow an inch or two a day. I am hoping for a lot of bloom in the Spring, so I didn’t want to cut it back, but I needed portable support.
What I chose as support was inexpensive and light, and it works great with a shower curtain hook. A length of delicate chain cut the height of the window frame and attached with any hook allows the Jasmine vines to twine and grow upward. It hangs loose; attaching it to the pot or plant is unnecessary. Thigmotropism is the growth process that causes the Jasmine to twine and climb.
In plant biology, thigmotropism is a directional growth movement which occurs as a mechanosensory response to a touch stimulus. Thigmotropism is typically found in twining plants and tendrils
Wikipedia
The Jasmine is behaving perfectly. I will unhook the chain in late spring and carry plant and vines onto the porch.
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Phloral Arrangement – IAVOM McCoy Vases
The Farmer’s Almanac counts down how many days of winter are left. As of today, there are 63 days left until Spring. Whoo-hoo! I have some sprigs of daffodils showing above ground, and this week, when storms knocked over pots planted with tulip bulbs, I saw that beneath the soil, the bulbs had rooted and were beginning to send up shoots. I hope being overturned won’t stunt the growth.
I have no flowers or interesting dried-out sprigs left to display in a vase for Rambling in the Garden – IAVOM. Happily, I do have a few evergreen plants growing in the gardens. I have gathered sprigs of Nandina, English Ivy, Barberry, and Vinca vine inside today’s vase. I also added a dried-out tassels of a Bald Cypress. To add some interest, I plucked Wisteria pods off the bush and added those into the mix.
The bouquet is so-so, but the vase is a treasure I found this week. Searching for unique containers to craft into hanging planters, I stopped at the local Goodwill. Usually, I find junk, and a caution for other treasure hunters; I often have seen Dollar Store items in the Goodwill store marked at $1.99. To be blunt, this always annoys me. I am often tempted to point it out to the manager, but the earnings from Goodwill Industries go to non-profit groups. Many of the stores have very high rents to pay in the shopping centers they are located in. For this reason, I don’t say a word.
Back to the find in the Goodwill, though. I found treasure—two beautiful McCoy Swan Vases. One is pink, and the other is blue. I used the blue vase for today’s arrangement. I do not have an eye for antiques as some do, but I love McCoy pottery, and I am good at spotting that variety.
My beautiful McCoy vase twins are, Whatsoever is Lovely to me—a perfect choice for Xingfu Mama’s Week Two Challenge.
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Place – Longwood Gardens Orchid Room
Looking up in the Orchid Room at Longwood to the sky beyond the glass panels.
Longwood Gardens has a lot of construction going on. I hope I am able to one day visit more of the new greenhouse sections. When we visited this week, we saw that they are beginning to reconstruct the water lily gardens.
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Phriday Phlowers – Tulip Time
Oh, Happy Day, even though the sky is grey and cloudy. This week, I found potted tulips for sale in my local supermarket. At the top of the spear of foliage, I could see that they would be the shade of yellow I love. Sure enough, they have blossomed into a gorgeous, pale yellow. I put them on my counter near the window during the day, so they won’t grow too leggy. I also put a bit of moss on top of the bare earth to give it a more natural appearance. These beautiful booms certainly brighten my day and mood.
MINDING MY P'S WITH Q 