Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold

Slow and steady wins the race

Spring always brings the fast-n-furious out in me. There’s so much that must get done and so much I want to do that I have a hard time organizing my thoughts, let alone my actions. … Read more.

Spring is out of order

Which isn’t to say that anything is broken, in need of fixing. I just don’t ever remember magnolias blooming before the forsythia. Saucer magnolias are out all over town, our hedge of M. x loebneri … Read more.

Unpredictable

Yesterday a reporter from one of the local papers called to ask about the daffodils. She wondered when they would bloom; are they early; how long would they last; and what comes next? A very … Read more.

Mid-March bloom report

As we get closer to Daffodil Days here at Blithewold I keep expecting to be asked for a tally of how many are in bloom. I’m ready for it. Today there are 3 daffodils in … Read more.

Good for you

Yesterday was the kind of day that made me feel very sorry for anyone stuck indoors. High 60s, sunny blue sky, birds singing, bees buzzing: Exactly the kind of short-sleeves day we all desperately crave … Read more.

Breaking

I know I’m going to start sounding like a broken record but I can’t help going on about how early everything is. I looked up the other day when I was walking my dog and … Read more.

Adaptations

Nature has her own ways of doing things and her own timing. There’s no predicting it. — It hadn’t occurred to us last August when we ordered bulbs that squirrels would be acorn deprived and … Read more.

The first daff is the sweetest

A little yellow goes a long way at the beginning of the daffodil season. ‘Little Gem’ in the moongate bed is always the first of our daffs to bloom. (The ones pictured below are an … Read more.

Sweet peas and springter

I really don’t know what to make of this season. The last few days have been in the bird-song-balmy 50’s but we woke this morning to fat flakes. They have already turned to freezing rain … Read more.

Spring tease

It’s still January for at least for another day or so, but it looks strangely an awful lot like mid-February – or even March here and there, and feels about the same. My brain thinks … Read more.