This Serviceberry or Sarvis , which is our first tree to bloom in the spring, is now covered in rounded clouds of white blossoms. This little beauty is one of my most photographed trees from my daily walks over the hillside trails.
The past few sunny days have seen me out in my gardens and beds cleaning up. The weeds, Henbit, Dead Nettle, and others, are growing faster than I can chop and pull.
I still do a lot of gardening but not like I once did. I don't have many pictures of my older gardens, but someone once took this picture of my oldest granddaughter and me in one of those gardens, and I took the one of our grandson in the same garden several years later. I really had the fever then for digging and planting and everything gardening, not too unlike Elizabeth Von Armin did in her book, Elizabeth and Her German Garden.
Of course, having become a Countess when she married a German aristocrat, her gardens were a far cry from those of a primitive nature like mine, but, nonetheless the passion she had was the same as mine. For that reason, I find her book quite enjoyable.
In one particular instance, when she was frustrated with her gardener, she wrote, "If I could only dig and plant myself! How much easier, besides being so fascinating, to make your own holes exactly where you want them and put in your plants exactly as you choose..."
Isn't that amusing? I thought all women dug their own holes. I am quite sure my darling hubby could never get a hole exactly where it should be. (However, I must admit that there have been some really big holes dug here in hard clay soil in which he had to lend me a hand.)
Elizabeth also expressed the desire to have someone with whom she could "hold communion" with on the subject of gardening, or "indeed on any matter. My only way of learning is by making mistakes," she wrote.
"...and I long more and more for a kindred spirit ~ it seems so greedy to have so much loveliness to oneself~ but kindred spirits are so very, very rare; I might almost as well cry for the moon." How well I can relate to her thoughts here.
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I finally finished up all the legs/feet/shoes for the five dolls. The painting mess is all cleaned up now and put away, thankfully, for my sink in the laundry room is going to be needed for cleaning up and filling hummingbird feeders. According to the migration chart they should be here any day, so I am watching closely for my first sighting.
20 comments:
I spent the shut down last year redoing several gardens. Some I downsized, and some I just wanted to organize better.
Cathy
I love the pic if you and your granddaughter. I used to love to dig, and I still love the smell of the earth...sort if like I like the smell of being in the woods. I just dont have what it takes to do like I used to do. And even if I did, having had skin cancers pop up so many times, I try to limit my time in the sun. Which always was a joy if mine.
I'm smiling over the photo of those feet!!! How adorable! Your garden is beautiful too-as are you and grandkids! Loved the quotes from that book-I must look that one up. I'm going to email you...
I wondered when you would be seeing your first hummingbirds of spring, ours generally arrive around the first week of May, making their presence known by flying right up to the kitchen window and hovering there! Beautiful memories in those photos of your grandchildren and your gardens.
So lovely to see a bush in bloom - we're a ways away from that here, but it's coming. I never was much of a gardener due to my allergies but my DH did the honours even to the degree of being on the local garden tour one year. I enjoyed what he did and then I was the 'processor of all produce' that entered the house. Now he gardens on our teeny little balcony.
Love those wonderful striped stockings on those legs! I can already imagine them in place.
My green thumb daughter and one of my granddaughters are diggers and planters and reapers. It's a lot of work. I just did garden vegetables so you flower girls are sure special! Love the ten little shoes and legs! Our daffodils are FINALLY poking up from the ground and it will be a while before the first hummers will come. I cannot rush Mother Nature.
I have always enjoyed gardening, we always had a huge veggie garden for canning-freezing-dehydrating. Here at the lake house is the first time since the late 70's that I didn't live where I could have a large garden. I had cut down the size of my garden at the woods home just because the soil was "missouri concrete" even with loads of compost. that area was just so difficult for veggie gardens. here I am going to get into planting perrenial flowers and wildflowers, loads of zinnias etc. and a few veggies in containers gardening gets into our souls and I always feel reconnected with my ancestors.
Your dolls legs are amazing!!-allot of work for sure. Happy Thursday
Oh, that first picture is just enchanted. I began EvA's garden book but didn't get very far into it before being interrupted by life. I might have to give it another go. Love Enchanted April. She was a talented authoress.
I remember the hedgerow trees, early bloomers, in my native Vermont which we referred to as shad or shadblow. A google search suggests these are the same or a near relative of sarvis. This may be what I'm seeing just now in bloom along our Kentucky roadsides.
Re digging holes: I've always laboriously dug most of mine, but have been glad at this new homestead of my husband's help in digging out holes to receive roses and other shrubs. Our soil doesn't respond easily to a shovel!
I share with you a love for Elizabeth and her garden - I feel a kindred spirit with her in that book, and all the author Elizabeth's books that I've read... Did you read Solitary Summer? That might be the one in which the hostess shows amazing hospitality to some of the many people she does not feel kindred spirits with.
More than ever lately I have had that experience, of needing to accept holes that are not in quite the right place, because many of them I can't do myself. I guess it goes along with having a fairly informal and "natural" garden.
The dolls' legs and feet are endearing... I suppose they wouldn't be lovable as entirely unattached limbs, but we know they are or will soon be part of the whole dolls whom we've been getting to know a little over the last months. <3
How delightful those little legs are in their stripy stockings and shoes, so evocative - they will nestle under petticoats very demurely, though perhaps they might like to kick up their heels in a dance now and then.
Your spring blossom is looking lovely, when those frothy whites appear you really feel spring is here don't you? Mind you we have some cold weather forecast here in a couple of days, I'm hoping the plants I have popped into their holes in the ground don't object. Scooping out the soil to make a space for something new is such a pleasure, and if the odd worm appears, I just tuck him back in before the birds can peck him!
Love gardens like yours!!
Those legs and shoes are fantastic. Wow Great Job!
I use to have massive gardens at my old home. Noting much here. Not enough room now. So I enjoy other bloggers who share pics of theirs> No Spring plants here except the daffodils starting to peek out of the ground. How daring those feet are! Janice
You really had a great garden. I think I even see Elephant Ears behind you in one picture. What cute legs the girls have! I would save the stripes for my favorite girl or a shy one who needs a little confidence!
Earlier this month I reread Elizabeth and he German Garden and if anything I enjoyed it even more than I did the first time. Did you know that later in life she made a wonderful garden in France? I need to find her biography...but maybe not. Her second marriage was a disaster and various other things that I've read about her make me think I'll keep my illusions intact.
We had a lovely day today. I pulled weeds with no coat on, just a cardigan. I hope we get more such days because the Chickweed is blooming and a single overlooked plant will have thousands of seeds to infest my flowerbeds. My raised bed is ready for seeding but the ground is still too cold. I usually don't wait long enough and the first seeds rot.
I really do want to order that book. I would love to read it just because of the part you mentioned about having a kindred spirit. How well I can relate. The old pictures are wonderful. You look so pretty, and your garden is pretty too. Oh my gosh, what beautiful little legs and feet. You are amazing! I've been watching for the first hummingbird too.
It's been a while since I stopped by to say hello. This year, the yard work & gardening is taking a long time to get done in our yard with the deep freeze we had here in Texas last February...even palm trees died off.
I really like seeing the photo of your finished doll legs. The photo actually comes to life with anticipation. (And the photo of you & your daughter...& Grandson).
What a pleasant visit I had. Enjoy your Spring!!!
Somehow these little dangling legs bring to mind Humpty Dumpty; so cute! I think I need to put in an order for a new pair of shoes.
I love a wild garden and I've always preferred trees and permanent plantings over fussy flower beds. And of course, a good working vegetable and herb garden is a must.
The doll legs are adorable. I love the shoe details!
The Serviceberry looks great ! There is just a very small one starting to bloom in my (small) garden : sown by a bird :-) !
Haha love all the legs !
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