February Weather--Typically English

Sun and wind and cold, followed by rain and wind and cold. Repeat this weather pattern about twenty times more and you've got the month of February all wrapped up, here in Northern Virginia.  Oh, these raw days are enough to make me look forward to the changing of the monthly guard, which is March, another cold, rainy and raw month. I think even the devil deer are tired of it all, too! Where am I, in England?  It seems as though even the Philadelphia Flower Show, starting next week, has their GPS set for Great Britain as well with an English theme, this year.

But, how long do I have to wait for daffodils to bloom, pretty pansies to pop and creeping phlox to start creeping again, outside?  This February weather has been blah enough and, with the sudden demise of Matthew in the season finale of Downton Abbey, even more blah.  It has taken me a week to get over that, as best I can--poor Mary!  What in heaven's name was that Julian Fellows fellow thinking, letting Matthew drive so carelessly, on those winding English country roads, anyway??

In spite of my February doldrums, the pussy willow harvest was completed this weekend here at Blooming Hill and P. Lorenz (a.k.a. Peter) took time off from his winter project of renovating the upstairs bathrooms (like we don't already have enough to do around here) to create a few of his signature pussy willow wreaths for spring.  Where is that spring, anyway?  Did I already ask that?  To coin a Martha Stewart saying, the closing of the books on this February, "is a GOOD thing."

Yet, as I write this, there is a robin singing in the yard, the first I've seen and heard this year and, a couple of cardinals are greeting his arrival, as only good neighbors should.  Perhaps I shall brew a cup of lavender tea, add a little honey and channel Queen Elizabeth I as that is, perhaps, what she would do, according to tea legend and English history.  I'll just have to endure this weather, waiting for spring to finally make her entrance--probably all of the way from England--somewhere, sometime soon.

A Rose, By Any Other Name....

Pink "Attar of Roses" blossoms in the greenhouse just beginning to bloom.

Variegated leaves of rose-scented "Lady Plymouth."

A rose, by any other name, is still a rose, right?  Well, sort of, even when it is a scented geranium.  You know, those lovely pelargoniums that are just coming out of their winter slumber and greening up for their early spring "debutante" season.  Perhaps they heard that Easter is early this year and even though they want to be part of St. Valentine's party, they also have big plans to show off their frilly-leaved figures in a perfect go-to-church outfit.

Roses are the embodiment of love, beauty and grace and red roses in particular  exclaim, "I love you!"

"Snowflake" and "Old-fashioned Rose in the greenhouse responding to some much coveted sunlight, even in the greenhouse, at this time of year.

The frilly foliage of "Old-fashioned Rose."

While roses are considered the ambassadors of all things love, in the language of flowers, rose-scented geraniums convey preference and during Victorian times, no self-respecting bouquet of flowers, especially on Valentines Day, would dare to show up at any lady's door without these sweetly scented velvet and lace stems topped off with their coquettish blossoms included in the mix.   If you use your imagination, those petite petals often resemble a pretty pair of spring earrings to boot.  Best of all, the fair lady who was lucky enough to receive such a bouquet of love, could breathe in the fresh citrus and mint top notes that introduce the full-bodied fragrance of the rose scented geranium.   Aaaaaaahhhhhhh...love is in the air!  Can spring be closer than we think?  Well, I prefer to think so.  Happy Valentine's Day.

Crocus, "Pleasures of Hope"

Instead of trying to chase away those winter blues, embrace them in all of their glory. In the language of flowers, a crocus conveys cheerfulness, youthful gladness and mirth all in the spirit of hope for greener and warmer days to come.  Right now, during this cold month of February, with endless clippers blowing down from Canada and dusting the Blooming Hill landscape with snow, a little bit of hope and mirth goes a long way.

A beautiful illustration of crocuses with snowdrops and ivy.

The crocus comes in white as well as shades of purple and golden and, when we are lucky enough to see them popping through the frozen ground, often with snow glazing their petals, one can feel the gush of pleasure that spring is not so far off after all, no matter what the groundhog says.  Whether it's sooner or later, the presence of crocuses promises the coming of spring.  Hope truly does spring eternal.

A Flower Prayer for Healing and Reconciliation

I am a member of the Worship Committee at my church and, like all churches with many different people who come together for a few hours each week to worship, along with all of the good things, like fellowship and spiritual support, we also have our share of strife and struggle.  It seems as though we are finally coming out of a particularly rough time of it and this Sunday is our congregational meeting which has been dubbed a service for "Healing and Reconciliation."  Along with that, the budget will be reviewed and new lay leaders and officers will be elected into various leadership roles for the church.

In any case, as a member of the Worship Committee, I was charged with the task of coming up with table centerpieces that would convey the spirit of the day--healing and reconciliation.  Even though it's January, it seems as though life has not slowed down for me. So, it has just been in the last few days that thinking about these centerpieces has taken a forefront in the onslaught of activity and chores on my "to-do" list.

In my eighteen years as a devoted member of this church, I feel as though I've seen, heard and done a lot of things, along with so many others who I know have worked, most certainly, a lot harder than me at keeping  it's doors open.  Thus, we as a congregation will come to church this Sunday morning having weathered the ongoing growing pains of faith and community alike as we look forward to hopefully, an ongoing bright future.  Along with that, this is a good-sized congregation meaning that there are a lot of tables that will need centerpieces.

What shall I do?!?  Out came my books on the language of flowers so that I could somehow convey a message of what, I think, we as a congregation, are looking for as we worship together and then come to an understanding of what lays before us in the year of 2013 and beyond--In flowers, no less!  I looked out into the snow covered and very asleep herb garden to see what may be peeking out of the cozy white blanket enveloping it and sighed.

In the end, with the help of a few stalwart herbs from the garden, dried flowers from this past summer and Micheal's Craft Store, I gathered assorted greenery that may, or not, help us to reflect upon as we discuss future plans, make hard budgetary decisions, elect some new leaders and, at the same time, hopefully look with optimism toward the future.  If anything, these petite tussy-mussy style bouquets will smell good!

Yarrow = HEALING
Olive twig = RECONCILIATION
Rosemary and lavender = DEVOTION
Pine branch = FRIENDSHIP & SPIRITUAL ENERGY
Creamy colored roses = UNITY
Rue = BEGINNING ANEW
Myrtle = PEACE

While gathering all of this greenery, I came to realize that, like them, our congregation may look a little weathered, in spite of it all. Yet, in the end, we are a resilient group of open and welcoming people and we will be around to see many, many more years in the life of this church. I really do find this to be a prayer and, I hope that my congregation and clergy alike, will find it within our hearts to come to a meeting of the minds, learn from our mistakes, celebrate our achievements and above all, listen for God's word.  Yes, the gathering of these flowers and greenery really is a prayer for my church.

January Flower Fix

Mist and fog, go away! Come again another day!  January, with it's cold, cloudy and raw days, has it's colorless claws firmly entrenched in this new year and even the much needed precipitation falling last night and today, cannot make up for what seems to be an endless, claustrophobic tunnel of gray mist.  What happened to the sun?  Shouldn't it be rising over this dark tangle of tree bark and branches?  I am trying to be patient. Here in northern Virginia, the weather forecasters keep promising, "Any minute now," even though the grey clouds and the cold mist wore out their welcome, days ago.

Even my "go-to" happy place, the greenhouse filled with lustrous green texture and the soft intermingled scents of rich, brown earth and the sweet-citrusy-piney aroma of lavender, rosemary and scented geranium could use a few more shots of pink and red to highlight it's top notes.  It's still a bit early in the year for flowers to sing out here but, a little sun would go along way to hurry them along.

I look for my car keys, grab my umbrella and head for the only place I know that may satisfy the flower hunger in me--the floral department in, where else?--the local grocery store!  Here, I can tip-toe through the tulips, converse with the orchids, revel in the roses and even hang out with Sweet William while a bevy of mums, carnations and baby's breath actually look happy to see me.  So, this is where the sun is.  Oh yeah--I better get a gallon of  milk while I'm here, too.

Flower Press Pleasantries

Sunday afternoons in January are made for puttering around the house and discovering pleasant memories.  The Christmas decorations are down and working in the garden is still weeks away so, I found myself rummaging through the attic, thumbing through old books and cleaning out various drawers.   As I whiled away the day, I came across a flower press I had bought just a few years after I was married.  Since I've been married almost thirty-three years, I think I can safely say that this would be a flower press of a vintage nature as it must be at least 27 years old.  It had me wondering just what quantifies an item as being vintage anyway???   I remember the day I bought it.  We were visiting the Baltimore Aquarium and I found it in the Nature Store located there in the Inner Harbor close to the aquarium.

Inside, the press revealed preserved flowers in softly faded hues from translucent to opaque in purples, pinks, amber and celedons. I must have placed them, fresh from the garden, in there, so long ago, to try my hand at preserving flowers soon after I brought the press home.  I was surprised to see how good they looked even after all of these years.  Zinnias, hibiscus, loosestrife and roses, dogwood blossoms, tanzy buds and ruffled leaves, along with my very favorite, lavender, had withstood the test of time.

I had grandiose plans to gather and press delicate blossoms collected from our yard, which was then, a small patch of green attached to a town home in Alexandria, Virginia, far away from Old Town yet fairly close to the airport.  In any case, I had an inkling toward flowers, back then, even when my priorities were focused on a pressure filled full-time job in retail management.  Looking back, I guess I should have known then this small, unassuming little book of the few flowers I gathered would lead me to Blooming Hill, in some way.

What a treasure to find, on a cold winter day, tucked away in a cabinet, neither hiding nor calling my name but waiting patiently to be opened and discovered again.  I don't have the heart to throw them out so, I think I will keep them pressed between the layers and, possibly add to these flowers this coming summer.  Perhaps, in another 27 years, or hopefully sooner, I can rediscover them once again waiting patiently in my bookcase.

We're Getting New Neighbors!

Here we are on the eighth day of Christmas--January 2, 2013 and, at Blooming Hill, we survived our very busy end of the 2012 season, the Mayan calender miscalculation (or whatever you want to call it) and even the fiscal cliff!  Wow!  What next??  Swarms of bees?Hahaha...What??...Really???  You mean that jolly little man in the brown truck parked in the driveway (sans reindeer) isn't delivering eight drummers drumming but, is delivering bees????

Well, not quite yet, but on this eighth day of Christmas, my true love had delivered to me a brand spankin' new bee hive!  SURPRISE!!  The honey bees will be arriving later in March when the weather softens and the bees get busy themselves and set up housekeeping in their new bee condo.

Wait a minute!...I know nothing about bees and besides that, who is gong to take care of this buzzing community of busy behavior since I am busily just trying to manage my own P's and Q's?  Ohhhhhhh, my true love has decided that we should be in the business of bees to help boost our lavender and flower gardens and my true love has also been taking a course on bees while reading whatever he can about the business of bees because, we are just not busy enough...ya' think!?!

Well, OKAYYYY.  Alert Welcome Wagon and bring on the bees.   We will be ready for them, or, at least, Peter will be!  Can't you just hear them happily humming along in their high-pitched voices while doing their work in the beautiful gardens?  Flitting from blossom to blossom, then back to their copper-topped home, right here at Blooming Hill.  I can just imagine tasting their delicious lavender-infused honey, too!  I think I'm likin' these new neighbors already!  Happy New Year!