Flowers really do intoxicate me. ~Vita Sackville-West

Beautiful Bleeding Heart

Beautiful Bleeding Heart

Friday, May 27, 2011

Lovely L's - Lilac and Lily of the Valley

This is the time of year when the scents of flowers can truly intoxicate you and make you lose your head! A few years ago I had the opportunity to get rid of evergreen bushes I never liked and plant 2 lilacs in their place. Newer varieties of lilacs have lots of pluses over older varieties. For me, I was able to find lilacs that will stay about 8 feet tall and not grow to the


towering 20 feet I often see old lilacs growing to in Western NY. Also, the flowers on these lilacs are as long as my forearm! The scent is heavenly as well because what would a lilac be without its fragrance? Lily of the valley are my second L - love this time of year. For as tiny as the flower is, it gives off a scent that 100 times larger than its diminuative size. If I sit in a chair at the front corner of my porch, I can smell both the lilacs and lily of the valley. I wish science could find a way to truly bottle these scents. Some soaps and perfumes I've smelled come close, but they do not hold a torch to the real thing. Both of these plants are so easy to grow, everyone should add them to their yard and enjoy this intoxicating time of year.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

April showers and May flowers

All the rain we had in April really dampened my spirits and my garden. It seemed like it rained daily and temperatures were more like winter than spring. May arrived and it took a few days but now it finally feels like spring has arrived in Western New York. All the rain we received in April has helped the flowers, trees and bushes to explode into bloom these past 10 days.




The plants were just waiting for some sun and warmth to start growing! My garden is a riot of winter pansies and many varieties of tulips and daffodils. It definitely helps to plant varieties that are labeled early, mid and late spring because it seems like something is always on its way out and just about ready to bloom. I've mulched and trimmed and now really need to get serious about weeding and pulling back some plants who want to take over the entire garden. My lilacs are getting ready to bloom and just down the highway in Rochester, the Lilac Festival is getting ready to start. Just this past week my bleeding heart went from a few dead looking twigs to a riot of gorgeous heart shaped blooms. There is something so magical about a bleeding heart - I just love them! Enjoy this spring weather and some of the pictures I've posted.