[13/52] 3 April 2011

Dear Reader,

I didn’t post on Friday because generally, it is a good idea to never believe anything you read on the internet on April 1st. 🙂 Let’s just say my week could have been better, and did get better. Although I have to say it never hurts to re-watch The West Wing with some good Thai food takeout. I also read with a vengeance, sometimes finishing books within a day, though I have to say that the iPad is going to dig into my 52 books plan. For one thing, it is all too damn convenient to download new books without going anywhere, and the problem is the samples… they just make you want to read on and on and on. So far, I’ve finished two books on the iPad in one day because I was *that* absorbed. I am about 6 books behind… which means I should dig into the YA bookshelf. I have to say, though, that the books that I’ve chosen for 52 books have all been really enjoyable. My current recommendation is Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl. It’s a very entertaining and thoughtful read, best over lunch, and then in a cafe, sipping coffee.

Anyway, I’ve been promising a garden post, and since spring is kind of transient, well, short here, I thought I’d get to it before it all but disappeared.

This set is from my garden:

Hellebores, still going strong but came up much later, due to the lingering cold, I think.

The lone hyacinth. It’s gone now.

A closer look…it’s too bad you can’t smell this online (or maybe for some folks, it is a good thing, as hyacinths can be cloying).

The fruit trees are flowering like crazy. This one is the Damson plum, I think.

There are also some wonderful smells, other than winter daphne and hyacinths. For the first time this year, I got to smell sweet shrub. It is heavenly- it smells like melon, but also has a slight cinnamon hint. You can read more about sweet shrub here.

And here’s what I have in raised beds:
Peas- they are maybe double that size now.

Radishes- sharing some space with daffodils (we tried to remove the daffodils– but it was just TOO deep to dig out. Serious. Those are extremely hardy bulbs.)

And to supplement this, a trip or two to Duke Gardens is recommended. Especially since the magnolias are just about gone now!

Different kind of litter- magnolia leaves, bradford pears, flowering cherry/apricot

I am enamored of muscari (grape hyacinth). I must find some way to grow them in my garden:

And in my neighborhood, dogwoods are in full bloom:

More to come later! I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at spring.

Til next time,
Eunice