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Blue flowers always bring a smile to my face… forget-me-nots, crocus, iris, delphinium, Himalayan poppies, and this sweet little grape hyacinth.
The delicate pale blue tinged with white caught my eye…
It’s less that 2 weeks into February and guess what I spotted in my garden today…
Which means these won’t be far behind!
I love living in the northwest.
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Winter has come to the northwest and brought several inches of not so fluffy snow with it. But amidst the blanket of white, the lovely Helleborus (also known as the Christmas Rose) still blooms.
This particular variety is the Helleborus Josef Lemper. It blooms from December to February and is hardy to -30 degrees! If you’d like to add Helleborus to your own garden, it likes part to full shade and moist, well drained soil. Remove old leaves in the spring and mulch to maintain summer moisture.
It’s also supposed to deer resistant, mom, if you want to test that theory at your house… 
Feel free to download this image to your desktop to enjoy the beautify of white winter blooms!
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I was fortunate to spend a week on the lush garden isle of Kauai in November. I love all the beautiful orchids growing wild in the trees.
The middle of winter is the perfect time for delicate, tropical orchids, don’t you think?
I would love to growth them in my home, but they prefer and thrive in a much warmer environment than I like to live in. So I just enjoy them at garden stores, or when I travel.
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I’ve had a very busy summer. Far too busy – and I’ve spent far too much time sitting at my computer.
But I’ve tried to take a little time to stop and smell the roses – and all the other beautiful flowers I’ve come upon.
I really loved these delicate salmon-pink roses. They did smell delicious…
Roses by George Eliot
You love the roses – so do I. I wish
The sky would rain down roses, as they rain
From off the shaken bush. Why will it not?
Then all the valley would be pink and white
And soft to tread on. They would fall as light
As feathers, smelling sweet; and it would be
Like sleeping and like waking, all at once!
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Over the weekend I took my granddaughter to see the new stage musical, Aladdin, at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. It was a great production and my granddaughter was in absolute heaven.
Today’s post is in honor of her favorite character, Jasmine.
Star Jasmine isn’t a true Jasmine – it’s an evergreen climbing vine that will beautify fences, trellises and even trees. But it gives off a delicious scent that is similar to the true jasmine.
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I passed by this field of lovely pink lupine the other day and couldn’t resist stopping to take some photos.
The bees were in absolute heaven buzzing from blossom to blossom…
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I love my garden. It’s small, but it’s sweet and colorful. It attracts birds, bees and butterflies. I really love hearing the hum of the hummingbird who darts in and out of the fuchsia blossoms.
Each season has it’s own beauty and color. The daffodils, tulips, forget-me-nots, aubretia and soapwort have faded – but the foxglove, campanula, Asiatic lilies, hardy geraniums, begonias and lobelia are glorious. You might notice I have a fondness for a blue, purple and pink garden.
What’s blooming in your garden right now?
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Today at the garden store I discovered a lovely new flower… which is actually an herb - Lemon Bergamot. It was the only one on the shelf, and the shop owner hadn’t noticed it before and kept asking if I “really” wanted it. I think he was hoping I’d leave it in his care. But no – it is a beautiful new addition to my garden.
In addition to being lovely and interesting, hummingbirds love it. And the fragrant lemony leaves are supposed to make a tasty tea and flavoring. I’ll have to give that a try in on a cool evening.
Here are the details if you’d like to look for it at your local garden shop:
Monarda citriodora, commonly knows as Mint Lemon, Lemon Bergamot, Bee Balm, and Purple Horsemint. Likes full sun, in rich, moist, well-drained soil. Also does well in pots.
Have you ever made tea from this pretty plant? Any recipes you’ve used it in – if so, please share them!
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Flowers make me happy.
One of my favorite spring flowers is the blue forget-me-not. I love them because they bloom early, bloom a long time, and reseed themselves very easily in my garden. And because they are blue.
A couple of years ago I discovered that the plant is also available in pink and in white varieties, and decided to add a few pink among the blue.
Ever wonder what happens when you plant pink forget-me-nots alongside blue forget-me-nots?
Well, nothing unusual the first year.
But if you let them go to seed you may be in for a delightful surprise come next spring…
I was excited to discover this interesting pink/blue/purple variety blooming this year. I think they are beautiful and I like them even better than the plain pink.
If you’d like to add this sweet perennial to your garden, they do well in full sun as well as nearly full shade. Just remember they like a lot of water. They will return each spring from the same roots, forming expanding clumps – and bloom from seed the second season.
FREE WALLPAPER: If you’d like to download this image below to use as wallpaper for your computer, just click on it to enlarge, then save! Enjoy!
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