I should be editing a novel. It’s due soon, and I need to go through the whole thing, trimming wordy sentences, adding character development, and making sure I tied up all the loose ends in the plot. Instead, I keep slipping outside to wander through the garden. So far I’ve only got daffodils, vinca and violets blooming, but the redbud is about to pop. And the pear trees across the street are beautiful white mounds. The tulips I planted last year have come up, and the annuals like hostas, tall phlox and black-eyed Susans are poking their heads up through the ground.This year I did some very unusual planting–a new rock in my front yard. It’s hollow, to hide the cleanout for the sewer line. (Not a very romantic reason, I know.) But I love the effect. It might be plastic, but setting it in place was a major construction effort. It looked so massive sitting in my front yard, that I dug a hole big enough to bury it four or five inches all around–under the disapproving eyes of watchful neighbors who were doubtless wondering if I’d gone crazy. To commemorate the occasion, I’ve posed with my new lawn ornament. I’m wearing the great dragon jacket that I got in China last year.
But my favorite spring event is a trip to Brighton Dam Park. I tell people that if they live around here and don’t go there in the spring, they’re crazy. It borders a reservoir, and the Water Commission made the acres along the water into azalea heaven. There are lots of natural trails, leading through acres and acres of flowering bushes. They’ll be fantastic in a couple of weeks. Many of the plants are twenty or thirty years old, and they tower over you. So you walk through a woodland that takes your breath away. Or you can climb the hill and look down on a panorama of pink, salmon, purple and white. The National Arboretum has similar trails. But it’s farther away. So we’re more likely to drive the fifteen minutes to Brighton.
My own yard’s not quite so spectacular, but my azaleas will be out soon. I call them my spies, because they tell me when it’s time to for a trip to azalea heaven.
My latest release is ETERNAL MOON, out this week.
Rebecca York
Your yard is beautiful!! I am so jealous. The only sign of spring this far north in Montana is buds on the lilac bushes. At least that gives me hope. :) Thanks for sharing your beautiful flowers!
ReplyDeleteYour azaleas are beautiful. Mine are just starting to open.
ReplyDeleteHave read your other Moon books and am looking forward to Eternal Moon.
Your azealeas are so pretty! I've never had that much luck with azealeas but I do pretty good with english roses and lavender. Right now only the bulbs and the forsythia are out where I live, my favotite blooming (believe it or not), is the black walnut trees, their spring tree blooms are the best. When driving down New River Gorge way, I've been known to hang my head out the window because the sides of the mountains are covered with these trees, the scent and the sight are awesome! :)
ReplyDeleteI've got some black walnut trees around here. I'll have to go smell them when they bloom.
ReplyDeleteThe azaleas in the pictures are at Brighton Dam Park. But mine are pretty good, too.
Rebecca
We've had such a drought here with very little rain that those plants that do bloom have very sparse blossoms. I usually have a redbud tree and a golden rain tree covered in blooms but this year both were very sparse and the wildflowers that usually cover the vacant lots and road sides are among the missing.
ReplyDeleteEllenToo, sorry about the drought. Some years the azaleas here are much better than others. I am waiting breathlessly for my redbud to come out. We're having a drought, too, but not as bad as yours. You can see it when you cross a bridge and the water level is way down.
ReplyDeleteRebecca