Phlowers – Blooming in the Garden/Late April

There are many beautiful purple-hued flowers blooming in my garden this week. I love the lines on the pansy faces. These markings are called pencilings. They look a bit like the whiskers on a cat’s face to me.

“Nobody can keep on being angry if she looks into the heart of a pansy for a little while.” ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery

The Johnny-Jump-Ups are also part of the viola family. I planted these in the Autumn, they lived through our terrible winter and are growing strong, and as an added bonus self-seeded everywhere.

Perwinkles, also called vinca, are putting on quite a show right now. The color is gorgeous and a favorite shade of mine. I also love this periwinkle quote from one of my favorite books and movies, The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim.

“All down the stone steps on either side were periwinkles in full flower, and she could now see what it was that had caught at her the night before and brushed, wet and scented, across her face. It was wisteria.”~ Elizabeth von Arnim, The Enchanted April

Violets are blooming throughout the yard in both garden and grass. Their fragrance is amazing, their color divine. I think this quote by Mark Twain is a good way to end this Springtime post.

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” ~ Mark Twain

 

Quick Tip – Did You Know? Free Audiobooks

Did you now that many classic works of fiction are available in a read-aloud fashion on Youtube? I recently listened to ‘1984’ by George Orwell, and for a happier change of pace am now listening to ‘Enchanted April’ by Elizabeth Von Arnim. The quality of the reading is very good, comparable to a library or purchased audiobook. The one change I made in listening was to purchase an inexpensive pair of portable speakers for my computer to bump up the sound just a notch.

Since most books are several hours long, make note of where you stop. At times the book will begin again where I stopped it, but don’t count on this feature. I’m near the end of ‘Enchanted April,’ and will soon be searching for a new book to begin.