Spring Progresses

I should be north of Gainesville by now, approaching Cleveland, on my way to Blairsville and a gardening conference, but . . . . Mother Nature had other plans. There is no escaping the fact that North Georgia is "under the gun" for storms today - rain, wind, perhaps hail and tornadoes. So, I am staying home and consoling myself with this photograph I took the other day -- and some others. More to come . . .

Black Tulips - 2 - The "Beds"

Take that "beds" with a grain of salt. Unlike the acres and acres of flowers one sees at the Keukenhof and other famed Dutch bulb gardens, these "beds" hold five tulip bulbs each. The bottom photograph shows a spot in my original backyard border. Flanked on the left by garlic that shot out of the ground within days of the cloves having been planted and on the right by a sizable clump of Dianthus 'Bath Pink', I expect to see, and document, these tulips from my patio as they emerge, grow and bloom. The top photograph depicts the northern end of my western border, where the tulips will be accompanied next spring by Dwarf Nandina (spectacular color, this time of year!) on the left and an Azalea on the right. The Violas and Pansies that edge the bed now may or may not still be there when the Tulips show their blooms. Till March or so, then!