trying not to kill the beautiful things
I saw an unexpected pop of color this evening as I looked out from my sunroom. Once I threw on my slip-on Skechers and went out to investigate, at the base of the butterfly bush I found this lovely tulip.
Which I didn’t plant.
That means it’s been there under my nose for six springs and either never bloomed or never been noticed. Nothing else in that bed is that particular color, though, so I can’t imagine I would have missed that pop of coral.
Welcome to the Early Spring Border, little tulip.
Hail-snow last night left slushy snow on the driveway and on the few intrepid blooms. Hopefully this counts as the snow that usually falls close to my birthday and we’ll be done now.
It’s been a typically wacky spring here in NW Ohio Zone 6. Bulbs and buds are coming up slower than the past two (early) springs, and I’m OK with that. I’m not so OK with the hail-snow that I saw this evening, or the fact that it’s been really too cold to get out into the beds and borders and do the cleanup they so desperately deserve.
I got out a couple days ago when it was unseasonably warm and took a few photos of the emerging colors:
Last year, my Zone 6 garden had an especially early spring; by this time, I was seeing crocuses and reticulated irises in bloom, and fat buds on the hyacinths. Even the year before was an early spring — crocuses of yellow and purple had shown their colors, although I hadn’t yet planted the irises.
This year, things seem to be proceeding at a more normal pace — maybe even a bit behind the average. My usual early-blooming yellow crocuses are nowhere to be seen, and the only color (besides green) in my Early Spring Border are these two reticulated irises.
Although these are the only actual blooms so far, I can see the leafy green promise of daffodils, alliums, hyacinths, muscari, peonies, and a few tulips.
These next few weeks are when the garden really wakes from its long winter slumber. I’m looking forward to enjoying some less-frigid weekends outdoors, doing some spring cleanup and preparing the beds and borders for their chance to shine come April and May.
As always, many thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting Bloom Day on the 15th of each month!
The deer left me six dulce rojo paprika peppers by harvest time last fall. I’ve had them sitting in my kitchen, drying, for months now, and I finally decided that tonight was the night I’d put them through my spice grinder and turn them into a delicious spice.
I unintentionally made “pink paprika” by also including some seeds and ribs of the peppers — those inside bits can be hard to shake out of a dry pepper sometimes. Perhaps next time, I’ll slice them in half and remove the ribs and seeds before I dry them…?
At any rate, it definitely has a distinct smell and taste about it, and it’s just a little different from any store-bought paprika I’ve tried. I hadn’t been planning to buy any more seeds for this year’s garden, but I might have to try some different pepper varieties now.
