Flickr Color Group-Royally Blued Off

Well, I planted what seemed like hundreds of daffodils! This is one that is almost as big as my palm(the bloom that is). Daffodils are such lovers of my Arkansas clay soil. I am not even sure it qualifies as soil in some spots. Since you can make pots from it, then the daffodil is to be lauded and it also gives back more each year. The key is to let the folliage alone until it dies back naturally. Don't even be tempted to braid it and fold it over as you see done in many landscaped areas like parks and public buildings. The green folliage is busy all spring and summer storing up food for the bulbs. Let it live in green solitude as long as it will.

This lilac was started from shoots that I pulled up from my mom's and started in flower pots. It takes this particular species about 7 years to bloom so I am constantly starting lilacs each spring and by next year, I should have 2 more ready to bloom. This is an old-fashioned lilac that nobody knows the real name of and the smell is so strong that it can be overwhelming when too large a bouquet is placed in a small room!

How did one tulip get this all-alone spot when it's sisters are many feet away? Well, you can thank my squirrels, or chipmunks for this little surprise. They dig them up and move them. I don't have trouble anymore with this since we got Rebel as he has turned out to be quite the squirrel dog.

Grape Hyacinths allowed to go to seed in a flower bed.

Upclose of the crabapple bloom that I discuss in more detail on a previous post.

Time for Camera Glut

My crabapple has never been so loaded with blooms. Despite taking quite a hit from the ice storm, it has shouted with joy this spring. The smell of these blooms is exactly like sweet tarts candy. If I could just capture this for a candle or room spray.
I planted lots of tulips in the fall, but I have become smarter in my fight with the deer over the succulent taste of the bud in spring. This year I only planted new tulips in beds that fall under the nightime protection of the mercury vapor light. This along with the dogs has been enough to keep these garden pests at bay.



Who can ever beat an hyacinth for sheer beauty, smell, and proliferation. This shot was taken up close with the wide-angle lens on so it blurs the background. The great thing about these little troupers is that every single little "grape" contains a seed. You can cover an entire yard in one year if you let them go to seed before mowing them down.