The Red Tulip

I wanted to share a couple of pictures with you that my Swedish friend Gisela took last weekend. She took a bunch of nice pictures of Boston on a spring day, but the two below from the Public Garden, really caught my attention and curiosity.

Picture by Gisela

There, amongst a sea of yellow tulips stands a single RED tulip.

This red tulip is so intriguing.

It sticks out, catches your eye and engages mind and imagination.

Picture by Gisela

How did it end up there?

Was it human or natural error?

From my own experience, it has happened more than once that flowers

open a different color than what the label said.

Was it on purpose?

Perhaps a mischievous gardener wanted to play a little trick on visitors.

Or maybe it was a romantic gardener sending a message to his lover.

(A red tulip is a declaration of love.)

Another question is how long the red tulip will stand there.

It does stick out like a sore thumb among all the yellow tulips.

Even though I would NEVER pick it,

I have to admit that something inside me compels me to remove it.

I'm not sure if it the perfectionist in me that produces the urge to pick the tulip.

Or, that I am slightly obsessive compulsive about certain things,

or the fact that the single red tulip troubles my mind a bit

and I want to put my mind at ease.

I'm sure at least a few more people passing by this beautiful tulip has had similar thoughts.

What do you think?

A big Thank You to Gisela for letting me borrow your beautiful pictures.

And to anyone curious about things to do in Boston, please do visit Gisela's website Love Boston with me.

Have a great Wednesday!

Annelie

I decided to add this note from my photographer friend Gisela.

"From the photographer.... All who walked by (and there was a Walk for something that day so there were thousands of people...) stopped and were intrigued by the red tulip. People were commenting left and right and the red tulip got its picture taken more than once.

I think it was a deliberate plan by a 'busig' gardener... 'cause on the other side, there was a pink one in exactly the same place among the yellow tulips... but it didn't stand out as much as the red tulip."

Pots and Containers

Saturday was all about pots and containers.

At 7:30 AM, I went to Lowe's to get some material. I knew it was gonna be a busy gardening weekend because of the nice weather, so I thought I'd get an early start. I was up and about anyways.

The hanging pot above, I had spray painted black. It was previously zinc and copper colored and I just didn't think it looked right on the pale yellow wall. I filled it with lavender, a dahlia and a trailing flower I can't remember the name of.

The pot can be used to write messages on, no chalk board paint needed. And the pot is hanging under a roof, so the message won't wash out during spring showers.

The little pot next to it has cute little mini tulips that I purchased at Stonegate Gardens the other day. They are fantastic when they open, revealing a light purple-blue:ish center.

Sooo cute!

In the big white pot by the front door, I had a mugo pine over the winter with lights in it.

Ugh! It was SO time for that one to be planted in the garden. S, my better half, offered so nicely to do that for me. Thank you, honey!

I usually put one majestic big-impact kind of plant in this one for the summer. Think mandevilla or hibiscus. But I decided to do something different this year. I put a clematis, a small boxwood, sedge grass, dianthus, some salvia and pansies in there. My thought is to replace plants as they are over flowered and past it's prime with new fresh color, and plant the old ones in the garden.


I just couldn't stand the thought of looking at the same plant in that pot from now to October. (Although, mandevillas are my absolute summer favorite) This seems like a much more fun thing to do. When you sit on the bistro set next to it, it gives you more of a garden feel.

I like!

Just wanted to show you a cute container that my friend made. It's of grape hyacinths in a mossy basket. Really cute. I'm thinking I might copy that for next spring. Those little flowers are best enjoyed where you can appreciate them, at table height.

A few more containers are in progress, I found a couple of cobalt blue glazed terra cotta pots at a steel prize yesterday at Marshall's. The pink daises will go in one of them. And the other...

I think I have to go to a garden center and look for some plants to fill it with. :)

Have a great Sunday!

Annelie

Hop, Hop, Hippety...

After rain comes sunshine.

Well, here it did anyways.

After an all rain kind of Saturday...

...came the sun this Easter Sunday morning.

And with the sun came Peter Cottontail.

Hop, hop, hippety...

He left lots of little eggs in the garden for two very happy boys.

It has been a day filled with chocolate bunnies, jelly beans and sugary treats.

But that's okay, Peter Cottontail comes only once a year.

The other cottontails in my garden, however,

that nibble on my little seedlings, are of a different nature.

They are year-round. But I like them too.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Annelie

Egg Sale

I finally feel that spring is here to stay.

The days are longer and warmer.

My garden is turning from sepia to color.

And the birds are chirping like crazy at dawn.

At Clover Leaf Farm,

the chickens (there's 24 of them) are beginning to lay eggs again,

lots of them.

This family of six gets more eggs than they can consume.

In two days they got two dozens.

They just had to start selling some.

I just jumped right in to the car and zoomed over after N posted on Facebook that the egg stand was open, and her kids were selling as long as the eggs would last.

At $4 a dozen? (They sell for less at the grocery store.)

But for farm fresh and organic eggs, from free range chickens,

sold by the cutest kids on the block...

Absolutely - gladly paying.

Aren't they beautiful?

And they taste great too.

I just read in a Swedish Magazine that eggs contain the HDL (the "good" cholesterol) and egg consumption can actually lower your LDL (the "bad" cholesterol). I just thought I should share because eggs have always had a bit of a bad rep for it's cholesterol.

Moreover, an egg is an extraordinary (I really had to contain myself not to write eggstraordinary) little power food. It packs a lot of protein, vitamins A, B, D, and E, iron, calcium and zinc, good healthy fats, no carbs, and... is absolutely yummy.

It's been a month since I last posted, I can't believe it, a whole month. Time flies...

In my defense, my parents came to visit from Sweden for 3 weeks to be here for my, ehm, 40th birthday (shhh... don't tell anyone). Actually, turning such a big number wasn't as hard as I expected. In fact, it was great. I don't think I've ever felt so special in my whole life with all the attention and sweet birthday wishes that I got.

My awesome husband decided to splurge on the camera of my dreams. I am so happy, this camera is fantastic, love it. I get a little excited just thinking about it. Good thing I also got two big books on the camera, because there is so much to learn. I hope to share some pictures with you soon.

Annelie

Fresh!

That's it! I'm done with winter.

According to my calender it is still winter.

First day of spring is next Saturday, but I am ready today.

So, I changed my template to something spring:y. You like?

And, I'll show a picture of pansies. Not sold in stores yet.

They're from last year, so what? I need them now.

It's spring, time for new, green and fresh to enter.

And, I'll share a great recipe for a green, cool, polka dot, fresh Honeydew-Kiwi Sorbet.

The recipe is from a book called Eat Fresh Food, that my 8 year old son likes to pick recipes from to make with me.

1/2 C sugar

1/2 large ripe honeydew melon

4 large kiwi

1 lime*

Bring sugar and 1/2 C water to a boil. Stir until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

Cut melon and kiwi into 1 inch pieces and put in to food processor with a pinch of salt and process until very smooth. Add sugar syrup and process again until blended.

Cool in fridge then freeze in an ice cream maker according to its directions.*

* The recipe fails to say what to do with the lime, so we squeezed lime juice into the mixture.

I don't have an ice cream maker, so we just put it in to a plastic container and straight in to the freezer. We put it in the freezer in the morning and enjoyed it as dessert after dinner.

It tastes very yummy and fresh!

Have a great weekend,

Annelie

A spring quote

"If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom."

Audra Foveo

Botanical Tulip

Peach blossoms on Shelburne Farm

One of the things I like about living in the small town that I do, is all the farms and orchards we have so close at our hands. Our children are growing up with several friends that live on farms, and my two boys are so lucky to get to run around with their friends, picking apples, strawberries, tasting peaches and petting sheep, horses, bunnies and chasing chickens.

My youngest son has a good friend who lives on Shelburne Farm, the oldest pick-your-own apple orchard in eastern Massachusetts. I visited today after the owner had sent me an e-mail saying that the peach trees were in bloom. Thank you!

Shelburne Farm's chocolate lab ran ahead of me through the apple orchard and led the way to the peach trees. So funny, as if she knew where I was going. As I approached the peach trees, there was an amazing buzzing sound from hundreds of bees flying from flower to flower. So quick, and so busy, as if they had to visit every flower before the sun sets.

Near leafless trees, covered in thousands of delicate pink little blooms. It's quite the sight for the eye. I can't seem to capture with the camera exactly what I experienced. Peach blossoms, on its own or en masse, either way they are so beautiful.

The trees will bear fruit ready to eat around August, which seems like an eternity from now. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and hopefully no damaging frost nights will threaten this years crop. Because I'm planning to sit on this bench below with my sons eating the first peaches of the season.

Tickled Pink

There is an abundance of flowering trees and shrubs right now. It's a joy getting in the car and going for a ride through the town, just admiring gardens and nature coming to life.

Magnolia

P.J.M. Rhododendron

Wild Bleeding Heart

Cherry Tree

We're going green

Well, sort of. With a few days of sun and above seasonal temperatures, and a day well above with 90˚F (32˚C), my garden is turning green faster than I've ever seen it transform before.

iris

hosta

sedum

salvia

Would anyone happen to know what this plant is? My neighbor, who doesn't speek much English gave it to me. I'm guessing it's som kind of succuluent. Its snakelike stems get about 12" tall, it doesn't need any attention and barely any water. It's the coolest plant.

Little pleasures on Easter Sunday

Funny when you forget things that you planted last year. This primrose greeted me this morning in the backyard. I had planted it in my front yard last spring, but moved it to an afternoon shade spot when it got too hot for it to be happy.

This little tulip is double pleasures. The leaves are variegated and there are no less than 3 tulips coming out of each little set of leaves.
Bleeding heart (löjtnantshjärta) not so little as a plant, but a little pleasure to watch because it's growing so fast you can almost hear it. Not kidding, this one grows more than an inch a day.
Ooh, and my little têtê-á-têtê daffodils, these are the cutest. No taller than a hand, and so cheery as they are growing head to head.

At the beginning of the spring, I am so willing to crouch down and marvel at the tiniest of things growing or poking out of the dirt, and I think by being early, these get the attention they deserve.

The party started without me

Things happen so fast now in the garden. On Sunday I crouched down next to these and didn't even se a bud. Today, three days later, out of the corner of my eye, I see something blue in my rock garden. I can't believe it. I feel like I missed everything in between. They tricked me. I feel as if I missed the delivery of my little baby irises. Like the party had started without me. We had two days of rain between Sunday and today, and that's how I missed it, I think. I don't spend much time outside in pouring rain. For some reason, I seem to think that if it is cold and rainy, then nothing will happen in the garden. But it does. Maybe I should buy myself a nice pair of rubber boots and a cute rain jacket and head outside next time we have a rainy day.

First Crocus

My husband and I met in Concord today for a walk. I think it's the 5th day or so here with temperatures above 50 degrees and blasting sunshine. And that's all nature need to exhibit a few of those dear and longed for signs of spring. These little crocuses are the first of spring, for me. Do you see the bee on one of the petals?

A visit to the local garden center

I'm pretty sure spring is around the corner, but to make sure, I had to visit the local garden center. Luckily, they were of the same opinion. I saw row after row of the cutest little pansies, that needed just a few weeks more, before I can take them home.
Geranium seedlings, as far as my eyes could see. They are going to need more than just a few weeks before they are ready to be outside here in Massachusetts.