Saturday, May 21, 2011

White In The Shade


Columbine... double white....the flower of the spring.


"What a desolate place would be a world without flowers. It would be a face without a smile; a feast without a welcome. Are not flowers the stars of the earth? Are not our stars the flowers of heaven?" ~ Clara L. Balfour
It has been a real struggle to write these last few weeks and for several months now. Life gets in the way and with doctor's appointments for two parents and emergencies that seem never ending and balancing diabetic diets and gout diets and even soft diets for the same person and cooking and grocery shopping and a little planting thrown in... well, by night time the thoughts in my head are mostly non-existent. So I take my pictures... those that I have been able to take... and play. There are so many beautiful flowers opening up on a daily basis and many a surprise... (since I didn't map out the flower beds that well last year and have forgotten exactly what was where)... with such beauty you would think I would be inspired. But my muse is buried under mountains of pills for people and pets and organizing trips to the doctor with as little duplication and extra driving as possible.

This was a new addition to my shade garden last summer... a white double columbine. It prefers shade or partial sun but not too much. It will wilt in the heat in Virginia. But the columbine is hardy too... last year I planted a bunch out behind the fence, right next to the large tree that snapped off during a summer storm. After the people came to remove the tree, I noticed they had trampled most of the growing columbine plants and I grieved. But this spring, little sprouts of green began to grow in the most familiar leaf shape...little scalloped leaves... and before you knew it there were columbine.... purple and white, solid purple, burgundy, pink and white and pale yellow. Most often they die back to the ground in late fall, but emerge again in spring... ours have bloomed through April and into May. Now most are topped with the growing seed pods, but this white double is still blooming strong. I plan to collect more seed to add to our population behind the fence.

(end of post)
Today's Flowers

5 comments:

Sandra Hangey said...

ethereal  is the word that comes to mind. these are really really beautiful flowers and photography. sorry you are going through so much and I hope things settle down for you soon. post when you can and we will be waiting for you when you can not.

Sandra Hangey said...

the top photos of flowers stays for about a week, it gets a new one every day, they are red with yellow trim and the change colors each day, and about the 6th day they start to droop. the bush has 4 pods on it like that one. i see it when i look out my kitchen window and it makes me happy 

Patricia Hunter said...

 God bless you for loving your parents so well. I know a bit of what that is all about, and it can be a tough and lonely and exhausting place. Few people understand. I also know the personal ministry of photography, how it soothes the soul, how God uses it to speak to us in our isolated circumstances...and then allows us to share that glimpse of His glory with others. Your photography is gorgeous, and these photos are stunning. Evidence that you, my friend, have eyes to see life's mercies among the thorns... 

rohatt said...

 Wow!! Glorious images of delicate, ethereal flowers. The soft focus to perfection! 

Ramblingwoods said...

You are a wonderful daughter...