Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Spring!

It seems like it is Spring again in the Netherlands. On Easter and during many days after, we had weather like this
with lots of hail, sleet, snow and frost but yesterday it was suddenly Spring again with temperatures around 14 C. In my conservatory it became quite warm, 30 C, and most of the Bliss team was there, soaking up their portion of sunshine and warmth. It was nice and sunny yesterday so I decided to work in the garden and leave all the writing and other work for later, when it wasn't so lovely outside.
My Amelanchier, behind the Victorian greenhouse, is starting to flower. Can't wait for it to be in full bloom!
All that bad weather did some damage in my garden; these poor daffodils haven't recovered and neither have the blooms on my very early flowering Bergenia. The other Bergenias are fine as their flowers were still in bud when the bad weather struck.

The mini daffs are fine though
and so are the Thalia daffodils that grow in a pot in the potager.
I love Thalia daffodils as they are very elegant, wonderfully scented and Thalia usually has more than one flower per stem, a big bonus.
It was great to be out and about in the garden again, soaking up some much needed sunshine and breathing in the fresh Spring air. And I was not the only one enjoying the lovely weather
this little bee (I think it is a bee of some sort) was busy buzzing away, jumping from flower to flower.
And then there was Dolly Daisy, she was out and about in the garden too. Dolly is great to have around and she listens very well to me and doesn't stray far from my side when I'm working in the garden.
Here we both were admiring the birdbath bed, and when I went into my kitchen garden to see how my new cold frame was holding up, Dolly was there too. This new cold frame I've put over my garlic cloves that the birds kept pulling out. It works a treat and saves me a lot of work, having to stick all those cloves back into the soil on a daily basis.
Dolly Daisy is everywhere, which can be a bit of a bother if you want to take a pic of your Anemones blanda.
Here they are minus Dolly's fluffy tail.
In the kitchen garden not everything is going to plan. No matter how many sticks I stick in and around this freshly sown bed, the neighbourhood gangsta's aka kittycats, still manage to get in and use it as a toilet. And they pull out my lovely forget-me-nots too. Grrrrrrrr! Now I have to sow my purple broccoli all over again.
The grape hyacinths are flowering merrily away in the bed underneath the standard gooseberry, which is in flower too. Hopefully we'll be getting loads of gooseberries this year.
I've bought 2 blueberries bushes last Saturday and hope to harvest some of those too later this year. They are one of my favourite fruits so I'm really looking forward to picking the first of my blueberries.

Spring has arrived in my front garden too. Here are some impressions of how it looks now.
The forget-me-nots have self seeded all over the front garden which it fine with me. It is a formal garden but I like my flowers to pop up everywhere with gay abandon.
copyright 2008 Y.E.W. Heuzen

Spring, the sweet spring, is the year's pleasant king;
Then blooms each thing, then maids dance in a ring,
Cold doth not sting, the pretty birds do sing:
Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo!
Thomas Nashe

On a very different note; my mother had a heart attack last Saturday and is in hospital at the moment, in ICU. Later today she will have a triple bypass operation. I hope everything goes well.


35 comments:

gintoino said...

Looks like spring has finally arrived there! Your bulbs all look wonderful, How lucky of you to be able to grow blueberries (I don't have the acid soil they need). I hope all goes well with your mother

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Your garden looks so lovely Yolanda. DDaisy is such a sweetie. It is fun to see her enjoying the garden with you.

I will keep your mother in my thoughts and prayers today. Best of luck.

Christine said...

You have a beautiful garden and blog! I am so happy to have found it.

My father had a quadruple bypass 2 years ago after a heart attack. It was scary but he is fine now. Best of luck to your mom.

Ruth Welter said...

Yolanda, your garden does look beautiful!! I know it is so disappointing when spring has sprung by you and then the snow hits..definately not fair of mother nature to do that. Just beautiful though...your kittie also.

A wildlife gardener said...

First of all, my very best wishes for a speedy recovery for you dear mum :)

What a lovely Spring display in your beautiful garden, Yolanda...and Dolly for comapny...blissful, as ever :)

Anonymous said...

YE: Thinking of your Mom and you today.

garden girl said...

Yolanda, your garden is so pretty!

I'll be thinking of you and your mom today, hoping all goes well with her surgery.

Gail said...

Yolanda,

I am truly sorry about your mother, that is quite possibly one of the scariest events in a person's life...I know my mom had a heart attack last month...please know my thoughts are with you.

Isn't it wonderful to have a garden with pets to give you comfort and joy.

gail

Kerri said...

Yolanda Elizabet, I'm so sorry to hear of your mother's heart attack. Such a scary thing! I'll keep her in my prayers that all will go well.
This little stroll in your garden with you and Dolly has made my heart sing! We have spring in the air here this morning too. Ahh! It's wonderful!
The kitties do tend to get in the way when taking pictures. They like to be close :)

Anonymous said...

Yolanda..
your garden looks 100% better than mine. Very slowly the snow is melting and grass covered with mold appears for the first time in many month.
You asked, if I have visited the Tulip festival in Ottawa? Yes, I have and it was quite a wonderful sight to see thousands of Tulips in bloom.
Your are counting the days to Earth Day??
Me too..I am organising a major shoreline cleanup along Lake Ontario with the help of many volunteers and the Royal Army cadets.
If you the time, more about any environment issues are posted under..
guildwood.blogspot.com
**************
Wish you and your mother all the best and a speedy recovery.
-Cheers Gisela

Robin's Nesting Place said...

I'm very sorry about your mom. My mom had a double bypass a few years ago and did very well. She was just in the hospital again recently to have two stints put in. She was on the verge of another heart attack.

You both will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Curmudgeon said...

We will keep you and your mother in our thoughts. I love the picture of flowers with kitty fur--it adds interesting texture! Lovely Spring in your garden. We are stumbling on into Spring here. Yesterday we had hail and snow earlier in the week.

Viooltje said...

Your garden is just brimful of spring delights. Adorned with that wonderful cat.
And for what it's worth, I send you best wishes for your mother's quick recovery.

Violet

Cheryl said...

Hi Yoldanda
Firstly may I say your mother will be in my thoughts tonight.
If it helps my mother in law who was 78 at the time had a triple by pass. She recovered well and is now 85 and going strong.

Your garden is beautiful, I love your flowers, and also the very delightful dolly daisy.

Blueberries are my favourite to, will be interested to see how yours come along. If they are good perhaps I will try next year.

Best wishes

Garden Cats + Crafts said...

Liebe Yolanda,
zwar erfreue ich mich an Deinen wunderschönen Frühlingsbildern, jedoch bange und hoffe ich mehr mit Dir, dass es Deiner lieben Ma ganz schnell wieder besser geht. Ich hoffe, sie kommt ganz schnell wieder auf die Beine und wird wieder gesund und kräftig.

Liebe Grüße. Birgit

Frances, said...

Yolanda, our thoughts are with your mother and family during this scary time. We hope to hear that all is well soon.
Your garden and Dolly D. look wonderful after the non spring snow. Soon you will be telling us of harvests you have cut and eaten!
Frances

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

I'm glad your derailed spring is back on track. And here's wishing your mom a speedy recovery.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
kate smudges said...

Yolanda Elizabet,

I am sending many healing thoughts your mum's way - I hope her operation was a success. Please let us know how she is doing.

Your flowers are lovely - I couldn't believe it when I saw Doronicum in bloom already ... and tulips ... and grape hyacinths. 'Tis lovely as is Dolly Daisy.

And a big hug for you,
Kate ox

Carol Michel said...

I can hardly keep up with your garden, there are some many flowers to look at. And if you come up with a way to keep the cats out of your garden, let me know because my neighbor's cat has picked my garden as his new outdoor litter box.

And best wishes to your mom on a speedy recovery,

Carol, May Dreams Gardens

Amy said...

Beautiful pictures and such a gorgeous garden. I'm so sorry to hear about your mother. I hope all will be well.

Lis vom Lindenhof said...

Was für schöne Fotos! Hier blühen jetzt auch alle Narzissen und die Tulpen haben schon alle Knospen. Leider gehen die Temperaturen schon wieder Richtung Keller und der Frühling macht schon wieder mal eine Pause!
LG Lis

Anonymous said...

Na die heerlijke lentefoto's- is dat even schrikken....
hopelijk verloopt de operatie voorspoedig en kan je moeder weer snel van de lente genieten. Sterkte!

Piondröm said...

Very beautiful pick Yolanda,
It is realy spring in Nederlands.
Ken

Anonymous said...

So nice.

My mother had a heart operation last month, she is very well and at home now.

Ewa said...

Yolanda,
what is these blue carpet on the first picture?
all of the pictures are so sweet!

I hope your mum will be fine - I cross my fingers :)

Karin said...

Wonderful! It really looks like spring at yours. We've had great weather the last couples of days and it has "exploded". Spring flowers everywhere but not tulips yet. Thalia daffodil is my favourite too!

Kram Karin

Gail said...

Yolande,

Just checking to see how your mother and you are doing?

Gail

Kylee Baumle said...

First of all, my prayers are with your mother, that she will do well in surgery and will have a quick and complete recovery. Please keep us posted!

Your 'Thalia' is lovely and I hope mine will be the same. I planted some for the first time last fall. I've got a gajillion daffodils coming up all over the place and didn't get them labeled last fall, so it will be a surprise when they bloom!

Naturegirl said...

Yolanda first of all I would like to send healing energy and a wish for a speedy recovery to you dear mother! Oh how know the worry of having an ailing parent..Hugs to you both!
Well Spring has certainly sprung even though it was interupted by a bit of snow! Glad to see that you are surrounded by blossoms!
sunkissed in Arizona and loving it!
hugs NG xo

Anonymous said...

dat is schrikken hé , ik hoop dat het inmiddels weer wat beter gaat met haar ???
meis alle sterkte gewenst !
groetjes Lenie

Anonymous said...

Hopelijk gaat het weer wat beter met je moeder Yolanda,sterkte ermee!
In de tuin gaat het nu hard hè,
heerlijk hoor, het begint er een stuk aantrekkelijker uit te zien
met al dat vrolijk bloeiende spul.
Op de plekken waar de buurtkatten hier komen kakken leg ik takken van de rozen neer, daar blijven ze wel uit, probeer het maar eens!
Jouw Doronica bloeit ook al zo mooi, bloeit ook lekker lang door
dat vind ik er zo leuk aan!
Jouw vergeetmenietjes zijn al een stuk verder dan de mijne, maar straks is het weer één blauw tapijt!
Gezellig zo'n "tuinmaatje" ook al loopt ze dan weleens door je beeld.
Komend weekend weer winterse buien en kans op nachtvorst, jakkes,
dat wordt wéér een en ander binnen halen, dan blijft het tenminste mooi!
groetjes, Marian

Rosengeranium said...

I hope your mother is doing fine an that the bypass was a success. A stroll through your garden with your cat was just what I needed today. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hello Yolanda,
thank you for your visit. Sedums are just great.. so many different plants to choose from.
Just published the layout with selected plants for the shade garden in front of our house.
Hope your mother is doing well after her operation.

-Cheers.

Surya said...

I hope your mother is getting better right now, after the operation.

Your garden is very beautiful in spring. Good luck with yout blueberries...