Friday, March 14, 2008

New direction

We've had some mild temperatures and sunshine here over the past few weeks, and that has encouraged the daffodils to bloom. Those cheerful yellow flowers have got me searching for other signs of Spring. The mild and rainy Pacific Northwest winters provide a perfect climate for growing many types of plants, and there are a variety of wonderful public gardens in the region. Why not explore some of these gardens, and perhaps learn something more about the landscape and the history of this place at the same time?

My goal is to visit one garden a week through the summer. Of course I couldn't wait to get started. Because it is still early in the growing season, I wanted to start with a garden that contained early-blooming plants. Well, I'm not a botanist, and definitely a long way from being a master gardener--most of my gardening experience consists of buying seasonal plants for a small collection of containers that live on the front porch, balcony, or wherever they fit. So, I began by looking around to see what was blooming in the neighborhood. Daffodils, Camellias, a few ambitious azaleas. I remembered hearing about a lilac garden in Portland's Duniway Park and decided to make that the site of my first garden visit. Aren't lilacs one of the first flowering shrubs to make a spectacular showing in the Spring?

Apparently not. The lilacs looked like they needed another few weeks before they'd be blossoming. So, it was on to plan B--Trilliums!

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Winter blues

Holiday guests, cold and gray days, short light and long nights all add up to the usual mid-winter slowdown. Sleep sounds appealing when I ought to be working. The good news is that now the solstice has passed, the days get brighter and longer. It just takes time. This morning I woke up early, before dawn, and sat in my living room which was lit only by the single string of Christmas lights around the big front window. It was peaceful, and the glow was just enough to watch the sunrise by. Not a bad start to the new year.