Daffodil days

Juana is standing above the labyrinth at Ann’s Place where we have over 7,000 daffodils (Narcissus) about to burst out in bloom. At Ann’s Place, Danbury, CT, there are over 15,000 bulbs planted in a variety of spots. Starting next week it should be spectacular. Come and take a look and enjoy the beauty and […]

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Floral Friday

Early Spring bouquets! Even though the flowers are mostly tiny, that does not take away from their inherent beauty. Crocus’s and snowdrops (Galanthus) in the first tiny vase and a much larger selection in the second brighten up our kitchen table. Credit Juana for the lovely selection. If you look carefully, in the second vase […]

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Final thaw

Winter appears to be giving up. A final pre-Spring blast of warm weather has made all the snow a memory and early flowering plants have taken advantage of the opportunity. But the cold still remains as the ground is thawed only 3 inches deep. This makes walking across the property a bit treacherous as water […]

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Swelling buds

Forcing branches to flower in late Winter may be the poor man’s bouquet but it doesn’t make it any less lovely. I recently clipped some forsythia and flowering quince (Chaenomeles) for Juana and she arranged them next to some flowers we had purchased the week before.Those flowers are now in the compost heap while the […]

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Persisting leaves

Looking as fresh as possible, projections of saffron (Crocus sativus) leaves emerge from the melted snow. Appearing more like leaves of grass, these appendages are getting the last bit of energy they can before the corm goes dormant. Given this density of leaves, the corms need to be separated and placed in new cages so […]

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Surprising flowers

Upon opening the door to the greenhouse, Juana and I discover flowers on the rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) bush that I left in the greenhouse over Winter. I rub the leaves and inhale deeply. Amazing! Spring must be around the corner.

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Future flowers

Juana decides to spruce up a vase holding fading flowers with a couple of cuttings from outdoor bushes. The buds on both the forsythia and flowering quince (Chaenomeles) are swelling in concert with the warm weather we have been having.Taking out my Felco pruners, I snip off heavily budded branches for Juana’s use. She asks […]

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Plant panes

Flowers are always on the supermarket list this time of year. Part of Juana’s Winter survival strategy is to decorate as many windowsills as possible with fragrant and flowering plants.The kitchen sill has daffodils (Narcissus), primrose (Primula vulgaris), a lone cyclamen, and my grasshead. Many of the tiny pots get cycled out every couple of […]

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