This morning was warm and bright, so I took these hyacinths outdoors for a breath of fresh air and sunshine. I forced my bulbs a bit later this year, and when these are finished I'll start another pair, same colours. The hyacinths in my garden are on their way up, and they'll bloom before the next batch of indoor bulbs. That's all right--I can never get enough of them.
Here's something else sunning on the deck: Shadow. I caught her when she was flopped on her back in a most undignified position. April Fool, indeed!
My latest horticultural triumph is the blossoms on my banana shrub. I've had this plant for 2 years at least, and have waited impatiently for it to mature enough to bloom. The blossom, on the lower left portion of the plant, is the colour of a ripe banana, and gives off a scent rather like banana cream pie. This is one of those "I grew up with it" plants, much loved in my childhood. It formed a massive shrub--taller than I was--in a wilderness-y area of my mother's garden. When it was laden with these blossoms, the scent would almost knock me over. My treasure is far smaller, but no less beloved. There are several more buds ready to pop.
This afternoon we're having a much needed rainshower. I intended to be in the garden all day--having spent most of yesterday in the city, lunching with a friend and running errands (many book purchases were made!) I might run outdoors in between damp spells.
Or, far more likely, I'll curl up with one of those new books, Beautiful Madness by acquaintance and fellow plant enthusiast, James Dodson. Like me, Jim transplanted himself to New England, from a distant, warmer clime. His latest book recounts his worldwide travels and encounters with gardens and gardeners. And he alludes to his own gardening experiences in his Maine garden, which my husband and I visited more years ago than I care to mention!
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