Perfect Spring Rain

Yesterday, it "almost-rained" all day - a gentle, intermittent rain that came straight down from the sky. It refreshed my garden, providing hope to many plants, and aiding the pop-up of some flowers, including both the cultivated and the wild violas. Is there a prettier green leaf in late March than that of the Doublefile Viburnum (above). Its color contrasts beautifully with the somewhat darker and subdued green of the Yarrow beneath it.

Heaver rain is, weathermen on TV inform us, on its was from Alabama and Mississippi; its incursion into my garden may not be so gentle. But yesterday . . . ., if I could have ordered rain and this is what I received, it could not have been more perfect.

Congratulations to Georgia Organics

Weeks before the event I knew this was going to be a great conference – with a capacity of 800, it was sold out well ahead of time. Yesterday, my perception was confirmed when, walking from the parking deck onto the Agnes Scott campus, I met up with Patricia A. Williams, Ed.D., who is writing a gardening article about the use of toilet paper rolls; she inserts them in the soil in her garden, and puts seeds inside the circles, so that they don’t wash away in the rain. How very clever! I knew I’d like her when she gave me her business card, with the image of a window flanked by shutters with a heart in the center of each, and a cat inside the house, looking out, and a box with flowering plants underneath it. What’s not to like?

Two presenters at the conference could not have been better – James Harris on Social Media, and Alex Hitt of Peregrine Farm in Graham, North Carolina, on Farmer’s Markets. Wow!

I briefly saw my friend and Master Gardener colleague Frances Winslow at the conference; she is a retired Delta flight attendant in the process of becoming a Georgia farmer. You go, girl!

Speaking of girls . . . “a Girl and her Tractor” had a booth at the conference, but I did not meet Adria Stembridge, the purported “girl”. Her business card has neither an e-mail address nor a web URL on it, but it did have a telephone number and says what she does: excavation, grading, rototilling and mowing. And a Google search did locate her:

An intriguing conference participant was Chinese Southern Belle, an ‘adventures in food and culture’ enterprise of Margaret (mother) an Natalie (daughter) Keng. We were in two of the conference sessions together and I tried to speak with them several times, but failed to attract their attention. Eggrolls n’ Sweet Tea, anyone?

Lunch included a most delectable vegetarian chili (catered by Via Elisa, perhaps) and ended with spectacular chocolate chip cookies – of which I had to have two. One then and there, and one for the road!

“Farmer D” was probably the most popular personality at the conference. The company’s sales people did their best to sell me a $500 garden box (without success) but I did not manage to interview anyone on the team. Oh, well!

My reason for attending part of the conference was to see Grace Fricks in action. Her Appalachian Community Enterprises recenlty launched a green loans initiative and her presentation at the conference introduced it to a wider audience. Way to go!

Color - Blue

The grape hyacinths are making their appearance in my garden for the third year and I think I'm going to have to add some this Fall, maybe in between the daffodils, because they are truly delightful.

Color - Purple

Tulips, wonderful flowers, have never been a favorite of mine in Georgia, because, typically, when they are at their peak the heat and humidity take their toll. Last Autumn, however, I thought I'd give them a try for this Spring - and here is one of several already in bloom.

Color - Yellow

The "More" I photographed in my garden today came in yellow (daffodils), purple (tulips) and blue (grape hyacinths) -- nice complements to all that emerging green.

Green & More

A week and a half ago, we had snow. Two days ago it was 80 degrees. Today, "green" is coming up everywhere. This Russian Sage (bottom) is making quite a show already, and the curly parsley (top) looks promising for an ample kitchen supply this year.

Snow on Holly

This is an appropriate picture for the first of March, even in Georgia; at some time during winter, hollies ought to be touched by snow. This year, we are lucky.

Snow on Rosemary

Jut a few weeks ago (see Feb 10 post), all the rosemary in my garden looked gorgeous, with lots of blue/lavender blooms. Today, they are all covered in snow. This one surrounds a pine tree. Or, more accurately, a pine tree seedling planted itself in the center of a rosemary a few years ago. I'm keeping both.

Snow

Snow, I have to confess, is not something for which I harbor envy of our neighbors to the north. But every so often - especially when it hasn't been around in years and comes down in big, fat, juicy flakes - one cannot help but admire it. Today is such a day.