A Bloom Boon

This is one of my favorite times of year...when everything is just starting to pop in the garden. My amaryllis plant is experiencing unprecedented growth...six beautiful, long-lasting blooms so far this year.

My tiger lilies are doing well, too. I bought one limp lily clearanced to .99 several years ago and planted it. The second year, a few small lilies came up, but each year, they grow and spread nicely.

The ditch lilies are up, too! Ditch lilies, or Hemerocallis fulva, are great for poor-soil areas. You may have seen great patches of them along the highway, hence their nickname. They thrive without attention in dry soil and full sun, so are perfect for areas of your yard that other things won't grow in. Be cautious, though. They don't play well with others and will quickly choke out competing plants in their vicinity.

My yellow yarrow had its first blush of color recently.

My favorite, though, is the hot pink. Each year the patches grow and spread. I can't imagine my garden without these colorful plants.

The feverfew bush is blooming...

...and I've gotten the first bloom on my "Endless Summer" hydrangea.

I love seeing all the individual petals unfurling.

The small dill patch from last year came back and spread with a vengeance. Dill seeds insinuated themselves into the cracks in our concrete driveway and grew rapidly. They smell delicious when you back over them! :) Thankfully, we have dill all along the fence line, too.

The first zinnia bud has appeared...

...as has the first cosmos bud.

My mallows have grown nicely and are just starting to go to seed. I planted cosmos around the mallows to provide a nice leafy 'cover' for the ground, and so that I'd patches of tall orange flowers to cover up the stalks when they go to seed.

Like every year...a surprise! I've got 6 or 7 larkspur plants growing in various parts of the garden. How did they get there? I don't know, but I'm really enjoying them while they last! An interesting fact: giving someone a specific type of flower denotes a particular meaning...i.e., a carnation means friendship, etc. Be careful who you give a larkspur to, though...larkspurs signify fickleness!

Insects have had quite a time with my flowers this year. I don't recall it ever being so bad before. The leaves on most of my zinnias have been eaten down.

My oriental lilies have fallen prey to another invasive insect, which has swarmed all over the leaves and buds, causing them to shrivel.

I don't use pesticides on my plants. Thankfully - I think - I've got more praying mantises than ever before. Another ootheca has hatched recently. These tiny mantis nymphs are still swarming all over the area near where they hatched from. They'll eat many, many garden pests.

In another part of the garden, this young praying mantis, from a different ootheca, looks alert on a leaf.

A lightning bug rests up for his nighttime performance. I've always loved lightning bugs and miss seeing them...there are so few of them in the city, compared to what I am used to in the country. I've read that lightning bugs are fast disappearing. Human encroachment on their habitats - woods and meadows - have decreased their numbers, but they also suffer from something called 'light pollution'. Lightning bugs communicate with each other with the flashing light of their abdomens. They can get confused with all the lights they see - headlights, lights from houses, street lights - and become unable to signal properly for a mate. That's why I love having big, messy gardens with pesticide-free insect control like (shudder) praying mantises...not only it is beautiful to me, but it can provide a safe haven for all types of insects.

Spiders are another great form of insect control. I found a large funnel web spider web behind my phlox. I know that like praying mantises, spiders are good to have in a garden. I'm still a little afraid of them, though, especially aggressive ground spiders like wolf spiders.

I seem to be obsessed with hover flies lately. I've bee photographing them on the yarrow...

...the feverfew...

...and on random leaves and stems. I can't help it...I think they're quite beautiful, with their tidy proportions, nicely lined wings, and evenly patterned abdomens.

Being on vacation recently gave me a chance to start a new knitting project. I wanted to make a slouchy hat in one of my favorite colors, mustard. This hat was designed by a Scottish woman who was born in the Shetland Islands and who recently released a book of patterns inspired by her life there. This particular hat uses a traditional lace pattern called 'cat's paw'. It didn't look like much after I finished it, but therein lies the magic of blocking.

One supper plate later...

...and voila! It's a perfect fit, and comfortably slouchy. I can see grabbing this hat in the fall, just before a long, brisk walk.

Another knitter sent me a surprise package this week, of vintage buttons. I love buttons of all kind, and these were beauties...pearly pinks, silvery bell-like circles, faux diamonds, some that looked like burnished steel, deep reds, pale greens, and calming blues...and a whole hodgepodge of whites, creams, browns, blacks, and bronzes.

I was glad to have a little surprise, because I needed a pick-me-up. Todd is out of town again, and I absolutely feel miserable when he's gone. He'll be home soon, though, and meanwhile I have lots to keep me busy...

Enjoy your week!

Pretty Flies & Spring Goodbyes

April showers bring May...mushrooms? The extremely wet spring we've had has caused tiny mushroom villages to spring up everywhere.

Lichen is growing on fallen limbs. This may be a common woodland feature, but it's not something you'd see in our hot, humid area!

It's really been remarkable. But the old adage does ring true, because the summer flowers are finally starting to show their faces. These feverfew flowers are going to be open in just a few days.

My achillea plants have woolly, cauliflower-like bunches that will flatten and spread as the tiny flower open. I like them in this state, too!

I have lots of mallow plants with bright maroon faces.

The wild strawberries, too, are ripening quickly.

In the late spring, I will occasionally see spiders, praying mantises, and a rare moth or butterfly, but mostly I see flies. This housefly is sucking up a drop of water left behind after our last rain.

A small, energetic hoverfly does the same here...

...before perching on the pollen-covered stamen of this four o'clock (Mirabilis jalapa). Hoverflies are good to have around and many gardeners plant specific plants to attract them. They love to eat garden pests, like aphids.

I see lots of interesting flies in the spring, like this small iridescent one.

Even a common blowfly has an iridescent beauty in the sun.

The rain has also brought about a much longed-for event...the blooming of the peonies.

As soon as one bud bloomed, I picked it for a bouquet.

Small bouquets...

...and larger bouquets...

...all over the house. Every room was perfumed with their sweet smell, which I much prefer over that of roses.

Even when they're dying, the petals fade to a pearly pink and retain their charm. I have two glorious weeks with them...until next year.

Todd and I have been astonished at the healthy green growth of our amaryllis.

One week ago, it looked like this.

After just a week, it's grown up tall and green, and one of the flowers opened up.

An amaryllis bulb can last up to 40 years if cared for properly. That's a real incentive to fill a winter window sill with them! They can be tricked into blooming during the winter if you manipulate their dormant time.

I've done very little knitting this past week. I was working on a small project that called for pleating a collar. You put 3 stitches on a double pointed needle, then the next 3 stitches on a double pointed needle, and then knit the first stitch from each needle, plus the next stitch in line on your left-hand needle, at the same time. I tried twice and then put it away in frustration. I will try again this week. Not much cooking this week, either. Todd is hard at work on his dissertation and our schedules are turned upside-down during these final days of it. An out-of-state job interview and an upcoming camping trip has added to the chaos. Thankfully, our mid-afternoon naps - and lots of prayers! - help keep our sanity.

Enjoy your week!

More Spring in Your Step

I love spring.

I love the colors of spring flowers: deep purple, vibrant red, bright orange, and electric yellow.

I love spring bouquets. I bring home armfuls of clearance flowers from the grocery store and set up vases all over the house.

I've pulled out my vintage mason jars and put them to work! Ahhhh...happiness.

I've finally gotten out in the yard, under the watchful eyes of Tabitha and Bosewichte.

Joy! The lilacs are budding out.

My achillea (yarrow) is popping up all over the yard, the little fern-like leaves filling in over the faded grass and patches of dirt. Soon I'll have maroon, white, and yellow yarrow all over!

The daffodils have made great progress.

Feverfew is spreading...

...and the tulips, with their pink-edged leaves, are unfurling in patches all over the yard.

Here come the irises! My great-grandmother had over 100 varieties of iris in her garden. I only have three...but just wait until we move and get settled somewhere!

I look forward to the brilliant green of my false dragonhead plant. It is otherwise known as the Obedient Plant, despite being very disobedient in the garden by spreading mercilessly. Thankfully I have a messy, easy-going garden that doesn't mind a little disobedience!

This wild ajuga is a welcome sight. It's considered an invasive plant, but it's a nice ground cover with deep green, almost purple leaves. It keeps down the grass a bit, so we don't have to mow as much.

Lo and behold, the first insect of spring!

To continue my theme of bringing spring indoors, I've ordered some vintage insect prints. This page was taken from a 1903 book and shows a variety of butterflies that are common in this area.

I love the detail! I've bought a large wooden frame for it and just need to cut the matte.

I sewed a series of bunting flags for a back wall of the sunroom. I can't believe what a difference a bit of cheerful fabric makes!

So, although it's 38 degrees outside, and pouring down rain, and everyone feels more like this:

...we'll continue to celebrate these little bits of spring in our lives!

Of course the kitchen is a great place to bring out the flavors of spring. I made a light, tasty cake last week that was absolutely delicious and a perfect end to a day spent in the dirt. It's part yellow cake...part cheesecake...and part crumb cake. How can you go wrong?

Lemon Fruit Crumb Cake
Recipe from Beth Hensperger's "The Best Quick Breads"
Makes one cake

Cake
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh or frozen fruit

Cheesecake
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 egg
1 tablespoon flour

Crumb Topping
1 1/4 cup white flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold butter, diced

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If you don't have a 10-inch springform pan, you can use a regular cake pan, but the presentation isn't as nice. Whatever you've got: grease and flour it.

First make your cake. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth, and add the eggs, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, and add that to the sugar and butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Mix until combined, but do not overmix!

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and spread it around a little. Sprinkle your fresh or frozen fruit on top, making sure that you've got an even distribution. Set aside.

Make the cheesecake! Beat the cream cheese until smooth, and then beat in remaining ingredients, combining well. Pour on top of the fruit layer of your cake and spread it around!

To make the crumb topping, combine all ingredients but the butter, and then cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or fork. Sprinkle evenly on top, pressing it gently into the cheesecake. Careful...those handprints will bake into the cake top!

Bake for 55 - 65 minutes and let it cool. The cheesecake layer melts into the cake layer, making it even softer and more delicious. The lemon in the cheesecake gives it a nice fresh zing, as does the warm fruit. I highly recommend this!

I hope you have a nice, bright spring day, no matter what your weather's like. Enjoy!