Spring explosion

Thank you for your kind comments on my last few posts. I wish I could thank you all in person, but it's difficult to find time, with the gardening season in full swing.

The weather was fine today, with blue skies, fluffy white clouds and only a few specks of rain in the morning.  I fetched my bicycle from the shed, and drove to the outskirts of town where my allotment garden is. For those of you who are new to my blog, my garden is situated between two  highways and the airport.  The bicycle ride is lovely, through a park and across a meadow with wild flowers.

I am always excited to see my garden. Will the tulips be in bloom and the bluebells....? I couldn't believe my eyes. It was like an explosion of flowers had taken place. The first tulips are in bloom, so are the bluebells, wood hyacinths, nettles, forget-me-nots and the first geraniums. Although I can see that the grass and the weeds (yuk) have grown enormously too, I am happy with this small piece of nature, that gives me so much joy.

Next weekend my two youngest daughters and I leave for the UK. We rented a cottage in East Sussex, and are much looking forward to it. I won't be able to post, so have a lovely two weeks!


Madelief x

Clouds of white

When at work in the garden, I often get distracted. Even more so at this time of year, with all the blossoms. When I stand on the lawn in front of my garden house, I see clouds of white wherever I look. The prune trees are covered in tiny white flowers. So is the cherry tree.

There is a purity, a softness about the garden in spring, that I like. The colours of the young leaves and the daffodils, in combination with the tiny white flowers is enchanting, and the light.....oh the light...

I am sorry I did not show you photo's of the spring cleaning we did in the garden and the tulips, as promised. I wish they would open up more quickly, like most of the flowers in my garden, but they decided to stay closed for a little while longer. It must be the chill that is still in the air.

Have a good week. Happy gardening!

Love,

Madelief x

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze

The words in my title are not by me, but by the English poet William Wordsworth. When I look at the daffodils in my garden, and think of the poem, I can see that Wordsworth did a good job. He captured the way daffodils move in the breeze, beautifully.  They have their heads down, away from the wind, and they sway, like they are dancing. They have a certain elegance too, with their long and slender stems. 

Daffodils make excellent cut flowers. Before you combine them with other flowers, I advise you to put them in the water separately, for about 24 hours. The juice the plant exudes, won't poison the other flowers any more.

But of all the qualities Daffodils have, to me, the most important one is the happiness they bring. With their cheerful ruffled cups, the only thing you can do is love them.

Next week I will take you to my garden once more, to give you an update on the spring cleaning we did, in and around the garden house, and to show you the flowers that are in bloom. Some tulips are ready to open up, so with a bit of luck.......

Have a good week.

Love,

Madelief x

I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils,
Beside the lake, beneath the trees
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: -
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company!
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought.

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills
And dances with the daffodils.