I'm crawling, bare-knuckled and teeth-gritting, towards spring. To battle those terrors of frigid temperatures, dirty piles of snow, and black ice, I have these weapons.
Who can resist in the face of shamelessly over-the-top roses? I love red. And anything that comes wrapped in tulle and ribbon.
And within 30 seconds of cutting the ends of the forsythia twigs under warm water, this little twist of leaves had unfurled. Even if they don't bloom, that sight was worth the inconvenience of snow down my boots and icy hands. But, oh, I do hope that they will flower!
But to really arm myself against winter, I spent a few hours in the the 19th- and early 20th-century greenhouses at the Lyman Estate in Waltham. There, the weather is always balmy, the bouganvillea is in bloom and, through the glass panes, the skies shine a sunny blue.
Who can resist in the face of shamelessly over-the-top roses? I love red. And anything that comes wrapped in tulle and ribbon.
The butterfly petals of a white cyclamen always look clean and fresh, even on an overcast day. Yes, there will be sunshine and spring breezes, eventually.
This "Novella"amaryllis keeps me going until the rest of my bulbs are ready to come out of the refrigerator, get themselves planted, and start blooming. Hey, it might just be that time!
A straggly forsythia Lynwood Gold, transplanted a year ago, has finally sprung shoots for flower forcing. What a struggle up the backyard hill in knee-high snow just to snip some twigs! This plant is not exactly burdened with branches, but hopefully a few won't be missed.
And within 30 seconds of cutting the ends of the forsythia twigs under warm water, this little twist of leaves had unfurled. Even if they don't bloom, that sight was worth the inconvenience of snow down my boots and icy hands. But, oh, I do hope that they will flower!
But to really arm myself against winter, I spent a few hours in the the 19th- and early 20th-century greenhouses at the Lyman Estate in Waltham. There, the weather is always balmy, the bouganvillea is in bloom and, through the glass panes, the skies shine a sunny blue.
And there were gazillions of orchids to see and sniff. And what doesn't combat a New England winter better than these?
1 comment:
I have enjoyed your photographs of flowers and did not know that you could force a forsythia twig to bloom. I will try it.
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