April Showers

I am thinking that May will be full of bloom as today the clouds are gray and it does indeed look as if an April Shower is on the way. Of course there are other benefits to such things - a lot less pollen and seed shells will be blowing around if we do have some rain. For the last few weeks everyone's car has been a eerie shade of yellow-green as a result of the bursting forth of the oak and pecan leaves. While I love the first signs of spring, this is a bit much. And the pond has also had a strange science-fiction shade to its surface. I wonder how the fish and turtles manage to stay alive.

After my quick dash around the yard yesterday to mark the colorful comments of the plants, I decided to dedicate an entire post to the colors of early spring here in my backyard. First out the door is the wonderful pink/crimson of the petunias hanging from baskets on the back porch (or veranda as we say here in the South call them) just under the eaves for protection from the hot sun.

And then we find the brilliant blue of a pot plant snuggled under the petunias, smiling at each and every one of us as we exit the kitchen door.

The next burst of color to catch our eyes is the beautiful magenta/purple of the small bulb plants under the crape myrtles. I am not sure that I even remember what they are, but I am thinking that someone told me (most likely Dr. Deeds the planter) they were a kind of gladiola.

Right outside the gates to the yard and pond sit the beautiful young dogwoods. The flowers this year are truly wondrous - I can't remember when that pink one has been so vivid or had such large petals.

I am always amazed at the show that the azaleas put on each springtime, and this year is no exception. I believe that Pride of Mobile is the name of the ones that line both our property and most of our neighbors' lawns also. The flowers are almost a pale pink, or a pale K&B purple to those of us who still remember such things. 

In the front yard is a wild brushstroke of purple (LSU Tiger Purple?) that sweeps across the front circle and lends a really vivid and jaunty character to the front of the property.

It also makes me laugh to think that a Past President of the Tulane Alumni Association has LSU colors running wild all over her yard! The yellow of the Forsythia, Iris and Marguerites are the perfect finish to the purple Tiger roar!

Pick a Favorite?

What's your favorite color? What do you think the chances are that we can find it out here in the garden? Betcha a donut that we can! Now, let's take that walk around the yard we've been promising ourselves while we get in our workout and stake a bet. Okay - ready to go?

First, I think RED! Yes we can still find some red out here if we look closely enough. Actually, red is a pretty common color in this landscape. I hadn't really noticed before. Right here on the patio are two really nice "reds." The first is a really lovely vine and I notice this one and a few others of different shades. We'll snap a few pictures of them too, and add them to our "colorlog." Next we find a really beautiful "tree" - well at least it looks like a tree to me. Or maybe a bush. Think I need to start some research and study into floraculture?

And then, there is this Day Lily (daylily?) out here behind the pool stuff. It sits here amongst a sea of yellow cousins standing out like the brave soul it is. There is just something really lovely about these lilies that "make everyday special."

An Everyday Special Walk Around the Yard

Today is the kind of day that just beckons you out the door, camera in hand. I took a short spin around the yard just now snapping a few photos of the flowers that are saying "Spring" while the weathermen are saying "Not so fast!!" It seems that our yesterday's 85 won't be seen again today. Not that it's cold out there, but it certainly isn't anywhere near 80.

It's about time to start thinking about getting the patios and porches and pool ready for the sunny days ahead. First, we need to capture exactly what we see right now so we can make our plans and get on with it.

Sometime in the next few weeks work begins on the pool overhaul. It's about time as it has been 20 years since it was dug and then sadly forgotten except for the fun times and hurricane bathings of all the visiting dogs! Last summer it gave up the ghost and we have spent the last so many months trying to decide whether to turn it into a turnip patch (my suggestion) or have it refitted, refined, and made beautiful again. I lost! So now the fun begins - again. After 20 years all the equipment has been improved, discontinued, or updated. The tiles need replacing also, and while we are at it, why not just give the whole thing the once over!! So, I guess the next few weeks ( even months from what I hear) will be full of pool-talk and picture taking of progress. The result should be a working, beautiful, inviting pool finished just in time for our "beach time" each year. Who knows, maybe the backyard will win the race!

Think Spring

Spring is in the air - at least that is what the weatherman said the other day. However, today is another story. By late afternoon the wind will have blown through bringing with it those showers and colder temperatures that tell us Spring was just a dream. As I walk around the shop (http://www.neworleansathome.com/) this morning I see that I don't have to be at the mercy of the weatherman or the weather itself. Almost everywhere I look I can see the promise of another fluffy white cloud and ray of warmth from the sunshine.
Inside we can still have that faint hint of warmer weather and clear blue skies in almost any room we choose to look. Make that bed up with some soft green and pink sheets sprinkled with leaves and small flowers, such as this lovely one by Yves Delorme (http://www.yvesdelorme.com/). Put a bucket of Lily of the Valley (yes, they are "faux" but for the effect they produce they can't be beat) in a corner and watch it light up the room. Open a drawer in a dark old storage chest and lay down some liners that just sing Spring each time you glance inside. And the wonderfully fresh scent of Verbena will convince you that Spring can't be all that far away (http://www.soapandpaperfactory.com/). Lastly, who can resist a beautiful bowl when it is one from Mustardseed and Moonshine (http://www.mustardseedandmoonshine.com/) - and especially when it is the beautiful Day Lily bowl. Surely this will make you smile each time you use it or just pass by where you have placed it on a low table to show off its brilliant color. This everyday will indeed be special!