Saturday Farmer's Market - Winter?

Created by Heather at Capricious Reader, and now hosted by Chris at Stuff as Dreams are Made on.

Is anybody in the mood for some flowers?
(As always, just click on the smaller photos to embiggen.)

A lot of the country is cold and wet right now, including many members of my own family. (Hi Sis.) Storm after miserable storm is taking a toll on both resources and psyche, but hang in and don't lose hope. Spring always follows the harshest winter. 

As proof I'd like to share the pretties in my garden right now. I hope you enjoy them.

This is my Sedum. It came through the winter beautifully, with only a touch of damage. You can just see the tiny yellow flowers beginning to open.

At the end of last summer I planted pansies. And as usual, they overwintered like champions and are full of huge blossoms. I planted some new ones on the other side of the garden a few weeks ago and they should be picking up soon.

The fruit trees are also starting to bloom. The funny thing is that they are blooming in sequence from the back yard to the front. I've also noticed that the blossoms are breaking out starting from the top of the fence line down, with those above the fence are lagging behind. My guess is that the heat generated between the house and the fence has something to do with it.

 This is one of the nectarines.

And this one is a pluot.

This little thing is growing at the base of the Asian pear.

As you may recall, my son's pups nearly girdled the poor tree, and though we hoped for the best, the tree didn't make it. Since fruit trees are grafted onto other stock, we will have to wait and see what is actually growing here.

But we're adventurous, so . . .








This little sweetheart is my new pussy willow.

I've never seen them like this. As you can see, there is a ton of pollen and the leaves are coming out.







My daffodils are blooming and have been for a couple of weeks now. Last year they all bloomed at once, but this year they are stretching it out and blooming a few at a time. Granted, they also started a month early.

Most of them are yellow . . .

 . . . but I have a few white ones too.

(Soon, anyway)

Of course, my tiny daffodils are blooming, too. These little sweethearts are only about eight inches high and the blooms are about the diameter of a nickle. They are usually the first spring blooms in the garden, but this year, for the first time, they were beaten by flowers that weren't even supposed to be blooming.

 
 Finally, my new little cape honeysuckle is blooming . . .

. . . and the hummingbirds love it.

Out of Water
- Marie Ponsot

 

A new embroidery of flowers, canary color,

                        dots the grass already dotty

                        with aster-white and clover.

I warn, “They won’t last, out of water.”

The children pick some anyway.

In or out of  water

children don’t last either.

I watch them as they pick.

Still free of  what’s next

            and what was yesterday

they pick today.

from: Springing: New and Selected Poems, Copyright 2002.

 

I hope you enjoyed my little midwinter garden tour (but please, don't tell the flowers what time of year it is).

Stay warm and dry, friends, and hug those closest to you.
(Whether you know them or not. Hey, it could be the beginning of a new friendship.)