Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Snowdrops...


Here's the Humble Bungalow front porch
the chairs stay out all winter 
while their cream cushions hibernate inside.

I am so longing for a warm patch of sunny weather.
It snowed last weekend and has been chilly
I've needed to wear a 
down coat, boots and gloves.

I admit that I am feeling a wee bit tired and grumpy.


Mighty oaks line this byway...
walking in this neighbourhood of old homes and granite walls
one can glimpse lovely gardens carefully tended year round.


A carpet of snowdrops 'neath the oaks...
there was a garden maintenance company tending this garden.


one of my dreams
 is to have a bed this lush and full of snowdrops...
and while we're dreaming...
I wouldn't mind having a gardener
someone who could do the heavy work 
the serious digging.


Coincidentally 
this dreamy magazine was in the mailbox when I got home.

Beth Chatto came and spoke to our Horticultural Society many moons ago
she was an animated and educated woman whose passion for gardens was inspiring and contagious.
I really must go back to the Society as it was such a wonderful group of eccentrics
who shared knowledge and plant snips and enjoyed guest speakers from around the globe.

I held the job of membership chairperson
 which at the time had 1200 members
I was responsible for the collection of fees, typing up the addresses and mailing out the newsletter.
A group of 8-10 volunteers, all women,
 would meet here in The Humble Bungalow once a month 
we'd stuff 1200 envelopes, lick stamps 
and chatter at the dining table.
The kettle was on and tea was sipped...
"china service"
home baked goodies were consumed
and often toddlers would be rushing about.
I remember fondly the crumbs and chaos of toys 
and quiet after the ladies left...
then it was time to clean up and beetle off to deposit the letters in the post.
Good times!

Gardens Illustrated is a fabulous publication
I treat myself to an annual subscription
if you love to garden peruse one of these issues and you'll see why it's worth buying.
(and we gardeners are a very frugal lot)


Rare Irish snowdrops.


Wow this is a snowdrop!
"Hill Poe"
a late bloomer
discovered in 1911 in the garden at Riverton County, Tipperary.


While on my walk I passed by the flower shop and bought a bunch of flowers.
Parrot tulips
in
chartreuse and white.
Inspired by the snowdrops.


not quite open


I am dreaming of snowdrops
and Spring...

 I need to snap out of this cold weather funk.

Is it time to go out and buy something truly frivolous
or eat some quality chocolate?

What would you do?

Here comes Pepper
I think she's freaked out by the gale force winds that are pummeling the Bungalow
the 100 year old windows are rattling and the gusts are coming through the cracks!
I'd better go.

Tell me what's the weather like where you are?

Thanks for stopping by and spending some time with me here in The Humble Bungalow
I wouldn't be here if you didn't pop in now and again...
Hostess
XO

42 comments:

Sue/the view from great island said...

Those parrot tulips look worthy of a Dutch master! U actually spotted a little purple flower blooming on the side of the driveway while I was walking the dogs yesterday...amazing!

Susan B said...

The snowdrops and tulips are just lovely (and lively!). Flowers are such a mood lifter!

Judith said...

Hostess the snowdrops are in full bloom are here,especially love the sight of them in old orchards...it is 15c here very warm in the sun.

Have another white Hyacinth the house smells divine.

The villages here all have their own gardening clubs...plenty of rivalry between them all!!

The white Parrot tulips will look lovely in your bungalow. Ida

Anonymous said...

Hi: Here in Comox it is cool and sunny today, but it was a howling gale with rain and snow when I went to bed last evening. The car was covered in 'ice' this monring and there was lots of black ice on the roads.
I do have snowdrops in bloom. My Viburnum Bodantense has given the best show ever this year - perhaps it has liked the milder winter.
I am heading down to Victoria at the end of March, and wonder about the best consignment shops to visit.
Tulips - they are my favourite spring flower, and they are so beautiful when left to bloom and droop in their vase.
Let's both hope for warmer weather - enough with down coats and winter boots. Peg

Adrienne Shubin said...

Such lovely flowers. I bought some daffodils yesterday - think I mentioned that in my last comment to you.
We are having cold and wet weather but it's supposed to be warm and sunny this weekend.

I find doing something kind for a stranger always gets me out of a blah mood. Yesterday, an elderly woman in line ahead of me at the market was trying to unload her grocery cart. She had a brace on one hand so I offered to do it for her and she let me. It really made my day to be able to help her. She told me I earned a star on my crown. So cute. I wasn't going to tell anyone I did that - didn't even tell my husband - but I thought it might help you get our of your funk should you have the opportunity to help someone else.

If you don't, try calling an old friend or getting that chocolate you mentioned. Maybe a cup of hot chocolate to warm your cockles? xo

the gardener's cottage said...

i love snowdrops leslie. i don't have any here but we did at our last home. you would just hate me if you knew how beautiful it was here. so i won't say. but i guess i just did. sorry. i say eat the chocolate and go shopping. xo janet

Diane said...

Thank you for the uplifting pics! Today it's a clear, sunny sky in Chicago, very windy but warm, almost 50F! So ready for spring, but nothing flowering yet. I have a wonderful "gardener" who comes by for 2 hours a month and helps me with heavy moving of bushes or plants in the garden. He is a horticulture student and very knowledgeable with shade gardens, so he has been a great help! Love your tulips, so cheery!

MamaBirdEmma said...

I've been dreaming of parrot tulips! The wicker furniture on your porch is lovely. We have a sunroom in our new house and I'd love to set up a seating area like you have.

mette said...

My report will cheer you up.
We have LOTS of snow. On the path to the stable it is up to my waist ( and I am 5´10" ).
How´s that for starters?
There is slippery ice under the ice. I fell again yesterday.
The horses have started their shedding. They need to be brushed briskly for about 2-3 months now - daily.
The flowers are expensive, I do my own mani- and pedicures and eating chocolate does not give me kicks.
Actually I don´t need anything right now.
Do you feel any better by now ; )?

Swissy said...

Leslie, I've been sort of in your present zone for a while now. No real winter in the NE of USA, lots of grey days. Today: snow! It looks beautiful. But I also bought tulips, dressed "mindfully", to quote Adrienne, and met a lovely lady for coffee. She grows forgetful, but she still charms and loves the conversation. You've had a lot of house upheaval for a while, haven't you? No matter how exciting the project, the disorder finally gets to one. You will be brighter very soon.

Lynne said...

Dreary rainy weather in Michigan. I am ready for blue sky and springtime fragrance. Thank you for cheering me a bit . . . love the Parrot Tulip and Snow Drops are such a favorite. The Garden magazine is one I have enjoyed in the past. Bringing tulips and other touches of spring into our home helps me feel more cheery . . . Happy sunny days are just around the corner!

annie@mostlovelythings said...

Oh I do love your post today. When we lived in CT we had snow drops and as much as i marveled at these little beauties poking their way through the cold dirt in a bed under a huge tree...I think back and not once did I ever bring any inside to enjoy. I can't imagine why. I did often wonder who planted them and when. I can hardly wait to get back to the east coast and hopefully someone in the last 112 years planted snowdrops in our new house.

It's quite cold for southern California...not as cold as your weather, but for here. I'm actually enjoying it.
xo
annie

La Vie Quotidienne said...

Oh how beautiful the Snow Drops are. Here is it quite nice, hoping for more rain, maybe tomorrow.

I visited Beth Chatto's garden a few years ago and she lead us on a tour...a delightful lady and the garden is spectacular!

Pondside said...

You know, only too well, what the weather is like here. I drove through thick sleet on my way home this afternoon. I am well and truly tired of it! Tomorrow I'm going to treat myself to the biggest, most colourful bunch of tulips I can find.

Anonymous said...

wE HAD quite a bit of snow falling over Brentwood Bay today , it didnt settle . I can see the malahat from my livingroom window and it has a lovely sugar coating down the sides. Pink tulips may be something I should get for myself tomorrow. Donna

Lane said...

Beautiful images. I love getting tulips in the winter. I have only a few snow drops , but hundreds of daffodils and tulips in the spring. Today, 10-16 inches of snow in the NNE, first in months!

Duchesse said...

In the depths of a Montréal winter, it is a treat to have real hot chocolate at Juliette et Chocolat, served in a pitcher and drunk in a small bowl... bliss. (And now I can't drink the average, watery kind.)

Enjoy your gardening magazines and take heart that now it is March already!

Share my Garden said...

White parrot tulips, how absolutely beautiful.
I visited Beth Chatto's garden a number of years ago, when her then new dry garden was attracting a great deal of publicity. (She lives on the eastern side of the country which is already this early in the year threatened with drought.) The large garden, transformed from a former car park, was planted never to require watering, and was an absolute delight!

Nova said...

The weather here in the middle of the country changes rapidly this time of year. Today is to be a lovely 65+ degrees but we had tornadoes that just came through two days ago and this weekend will be cold again. Makes getting dressed quite a challenge. I must say how much I enjoy reading your blog. It gives me so much inspiration as we are in our first home. I hope one day it will reflect half the character and love that yours does.
Tootles, Nova

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

It would be nice to have a Dutch Master painting of tulips, that style of art with the exquisite floral detail is sheer perfection.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I agree and I have been back to the flower shop for more which I'll show in a future post.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Healthy rivalry I hope!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Peg please send me an email and I'll compile a list of my favourites.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Great advice Adrienne.
Helping others is admirable and your crown must be quite stunning!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Janet I could never ever hate you or where you live...
I went shopping!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Oh your helper sounds wonderful. I had not thought of a horticultural student that's a brilliant idea.
Thank you!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Most of the wicker has been found in thrift shops and one piece was on the boulevard for free!
I painted them all black to match the trim on the windows. A sunroom would be great especially in winter!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Mette,
your weather does sounds cold and thank you for cheering me up!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Swissy your day sounds lovely. I am going to have lunch out with Mother on the weekend, dinner at the home of our dear friends and as I type there is a bright blue sky above!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Blue skies this morning and I bought some more flowers and did some shopping...
things are looking brighter.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Snowdrops are quite lovely and en masse they are stunning.
Do snowdrops grow in California?

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Your tour lead by the lady herself must have been exciting. She is such a character and so lively.
I cannot imagine the thought of "hoping for rain!" I'd send some your way if I could!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Please show us your tulip bouquet.
Well thankfully we have a blue sky overhead this morning!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Sounds like you have a lovely view from your window Donna.
Do you have a waterfront home?

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Oh I'd love to see a picture of your garden. Perhaps you could email me an image when they bloom.
That's a lot of snow!

Anonymous said...

Buy something frivolous for Spring. In LA - so you know our weather is always nice...and boring.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Your hot chocolate sounds like the kind that was made in the shop in the movie Chocolat.
Sounds decadent.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Drought tolerant plants are all the rage here.
I still love and grow roses which are greedy when it comes to water and we have watering restrictions in the summer.

It's interesting to me that so many great plantsmen and women come from the UK. Oh and the gardens of the stately homes make me swoon!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Welcome Nova. Congratulations on your first home!
We are still in our first home and it's a work in progress.
Your part of the country sounds warm but I'm not sure how I'd handle tornadoes...

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Kathy I did some shopping and bought more flowers.
Feeling better and the sky is blue today.
Nice weather and boring are two words I would not expect in the same breath.

Mummaducka said...

WE are at the end of summer here in OZ, the garden is all full of weeds due to all the rain. I haven't ventured in to weed as I'm a bit terrified of the snakes that are lurking. Even my paddock grass around the house is very tall and THICK. when I mowed the other day, I came back around the loop on the ride on, and I saw that the mower had chopped up a deadly eastern brown snake and I hadn't even noticed! The grass is that thick!
The temperatures are only around the 35 degree celcius mark but do get up to over 40 sometimes, HOT! though we haven't had a hot summer really as there's been so much rain. But now there is plenty of mold around!

We do get tired of the seasons, here we only seem to have a few weeks of autumn and spring and the summer and winter dominate!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

YIKES! If I had to garden with deadly snakes I might, no who am I kidding, I'd definitely hire a gardener!