Spring has FINALLY come to Maine! Mud season ended in April. I love wildflowers, and violets are everywhere in my garden.
The first to bloom were the forsythias, a cheerful contrast to our white pines.
These run wild in our woods. Anyone know what they are?
I can’t remember the name of this blooming bush. I’m a sad excuse for a garden blogger.
True to name are forget me nots.
Azaleas grace our walkway.
Buzzing bumble bees are the sound of spring.
My mother (above) and father came for a long weekend visit from NYC. Happy Mother’s Day! Photo by Anthony Lamport.
Blog Watch: This post is part of
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day hosted at May Dreams Garden on Friday May 15 (I'm 2 days early since I post weekly.) Elizabeth@About New York and PinkPurl hosted a
Haiku Festival on May 11th.
Hey Teenager linked to an amusing article on
Young Adult Fiction Clichés by author Joelle Anthony. Vicki Archer@French Essence had a thought provoking
post on vending machine books and other threats to independent bookstores.
The Story Siren blogged about the ethical quandary of reviewing books by authors who are friends with the reviewer. Be sure to read the comments by other book bloggers too.
Spring has FINALLY come to Maine! Mud season ended in April. I love wildflowers, and violets are everywhere in my garden.
The first to bloom were the forsythias, a cheerful contrast to our white pines.
These run wild in our woods. Anyone know what they are?
I can’t remember the name of this blooming bush. I’m a sad excuse for a garden blogger.
True to name are forget me nots.
Azaleas grace our walkway.
Buzzing bumble bees are the sound of spring.
My mother (above) and father came for a long weekend visit from NYC. Happy Mother’s Day! Photo by Anthony Lamport.
Blog Watch: This post is part of Garden Bloggers Bloom Day hosted at May Dreams Garden on Friday May 15 (I'm 2 days early since I post weekly.) Elizabeth@About New York and PinkPurl hosted a Haiku Festival on May 11th. Hey Teenager linked to an amusing article on Young Adult Fiction Clichés by author Joelle Anthony. Vicki Archer@French Essence had a thought provoking post on vending machine books and other threats to independent bookstores. The Story Siren blogged about the ethical quandary of reviewing books by authors who are friends with the reviewer. Be sure to read the comments by other book bloggers too.
Sarah
ReplyDeleteOnly one word comes to my mind while I was reading your post and the word is: beautiful-beautiful-beautiful!
Thank-you for sharing your wonderful pictures.
Tracy :-)
Isn't it wonderful? I feel as though I just woke from a too-long sleep and threw off a suffocating comforter.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, as ever.
You are a very welcomed sight for a garden blogger, I would say :-)! So, your spring's finally here, there, rather and you're basking in it. Lovely photo of that bumblebee. Many thanks for your marvellous post. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and Happy Mothers' Day to you and to your mum (although belatedly).
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
Happy Bloom Day to you! I think your second shrub is pieris, not sure the first plant. I hope your Mother's Day was wonderful!
ReplyDeleteA belated Happy Mother's Day! The photos spring make this post look like something out of a story book. Then again, it is...all your posts are!
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful, the scent from the azaleas wafting through my screen, almost!!!
Busy busy bumble bees going about their business, socialising.
Happy Spring~!
Oh, and a belated Happy Mother's Day to your mom, who looks lovely!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blooms, stunning photographs. What a wonderful photographer you are, Sarah, you quite definitely have a true artist's eye!
ReplyDeleteHappy, happy belated Mother's Day to you and to your lovely looking mother.
One of the many things I loved about living in Maine were the huge and almost wild azalea bushes that grew along the roadside in Kennebunkport. It never ceased to amaze me that after such long, harsh winters they could come back to such brilliant life. Next up - the lilacs!
ReplyDeleteTHe flower is andromeda! (not the Andromeda strain, I trust).
ReplyDeleteWhat a gloriously vivid spring you are having - a great joy to share it with you --splendid photos as ever.
Yes, happy belated Mother's Day.
Tracy, thank you, thank you, thank you!
ReplyDeleteMary Ellen, perfect simile.
ACIL, I love how we can see the pollen on her legs. She was moving so quickly, I couldn’t see that when I shot the photo.
Tina, thanks – I thought you’d know.
MS, Happy Mother’s Day and Spring to you too!
Tessa, thank you! It was a good mother’s day.
Cid, I feel the same way. My lilacs are just waiting to burst.
Elizabeth, Andromeda! Perfect name for a lovely bloom.
Your unidentified weed flower is blackberry, soon to turn into a juicy fruit. Lovely pictures.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the mention Sarah - I love your flower photographs, your garden must be just gorgeous now, xv.
ReplyDeleteLV, that would be nice!
ReplyDeleteVicki, it is so gorgeous in Maine at this time of year because everything blooms at once after our late start.
Beautiful flowers! Such vibrant colors. I am just so enjoying this spring, more than normal I think.
ReplyDeleteThat yellow one - is that the one that goes green in the summer? I always see these bushes here in New England that turn yellow in spring and then go green. I love those!
Alyson, yes, those are forsythia. They bloom first in yellow and fill in with green leaves later. I think we both really needed spring this year.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots. Great azeleas.
ReplyDeletePlease tell your husband (I meant to tell you this weeks ago and forgot) that I covered Test cricket and Wimbledon each English summer!)
I love your blog! What beautiful photos. I am delighted to see you blog and gardens and such amazing sculpture.
ReplyDeleteYour spring photographs are exquisite. I love the way you captured all of the beautiful details -- including the bumblebee!
ReplyDeleteThis morning, there were raindrops all over the lamb's ear (stachys)and I immediately wanted to find my camera. I'm realizing that I need to upgrade my camera if I want to get that wonderfully up-close textures.
The fourth picture looks like lily of the valley to me. (It likes shady woodland.) I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong, though. Doesn't it have a lovely little flower?
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to see that spring has finally come to Maine! Although spring has been around for awhile here in Illinois, all the rain we've had lately has put us in another mud season:)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos of the wildflowers. I can't identify most of them either. Sometimes the ones I think are wildflowers turn out to be weeds:)
Superb photographs. Lovely stuff, indeed!
ReplyDeleteLovely post! Beautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteI tend to think the names aren't all that important as just taking the time to enjoy their beauty. You did good Sarah :}
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful flowers and photos! I think it's funny that I too posted a picture of my azaleas with a buzzing bumblebee on them this week. I didn't know they were azaleas, so thank you for telling me!
ReplyDeleteI love the lushness of the pines entwined with flowers.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos.
Happy belated mother's day to you and your mother.
David, thanks. My husband is completely envious.
ReplyDeleteRed Studio, thank you and welcome to my blog! I’ll come visit yours soon.
Bee, the bumble bee was a most tricky subject. I hadn’t realized how much they buzz around without staying still. For close up shots, a DSLR with a macro lens is best. I have the DSLR, but I don’t have a macro lens yet. Everyone has come up with a different guess on my blooms.
Rose, a wildflower by any other name? Sorry to hear about your mud. We’ve had an unusually dry spring, but it’s raining today. Good writing weather.
Dave and C-M, thanks.
Troutbirder, I like your attitude.
Donna, it is all part of our New England landscape.
Shauna, Happy Mother’s Day to you too.
Although your winter photos were beautiful, I am glad to see that things have thawed and plants are blooming. I agree with Tina on her ID of Pieris aka Andronmeda. I would disagree with Lakeviewer on the Blackberry ID, the foliage is not right and the flower form is a bit off from Blackberry. However, it is very nice, no matter the name. Hope you have a great spring.
ReplyDeleteLes, spring is very welcome here. Good to hear that we have one positive ID on my Pieris/Andromeda shrub. I cut it back dramatically last fall as it was blocking the windows and was relieved that it still blooming. It is just starting to fill in.
ReplyDeleteThe wildflower is low, thorn-less and found in shady woodlands all over this part of Maine so I agree that it isn’t blackberry. I saw a lot in a wildlife refuge, Wolfe’s Neck Park last weekend. Happy spring to you too!
Happy Bloom Day Sarah, and Happy Mother's Day (belated.) Your May blooms are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI was dubious about the blackberry ID, but happy to know the blooms are similar since I planted a blackberry this spring. The birds will probably get the berries before I do, but I'll be on the lookout for the blooms all the same.
That's a great pic of your mom. And I'm glad to hear that spring has arrived because I will be back soon.
ReplyDeleteI believe your wild woodland
ReplyDeleteflowers are wood anemones.
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/anemonequin.html
I like your blog very much, especially the photos. Thank you for sharing.
Another comment...goes by...
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely mum you have! Treasure her NOW!
ReplyDeleteAnd I think the 1st flowers are some kind of hellibore ( Xmassy Rose??) but someone will probably prove me wrong...!
What a wonderful little visit to Maine. And thanks for the ID on the andromeda. Wish I could have it and your lovely cool weather.
ReplyDeleteHiya Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI wish that Anemona nemorosa would run wild in my wood.
Actually, one or two would do.
Your flowers remind me of what is come and gone and I miss them already.
Fleeting is the word.
You and your mum share the same smile.
jo
Beautiful flowers!
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm back! Congratulations on the Post of the Day Award from authorblog!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures!
ReplyDeleteGG, so nice to reconnect with you! I enjoyed your GBBD post too. I once asked a farmer what to do about critters getting my berries, and he said the trick was to plant a lot.
ReplyDeleteDavid, my father got a really nice shot of her. Spring is definitely underway.
Thanh, thanks for the plant ID – I think you are right. Welcome to my blog!
AC, welcome to my blog.
Jan, it is nice to spend time with my mother. These blooms are tricky to ID.
Linda, welcome to my blog and thanks for the plant ID – Andromeda seems to be the winner. I enjoyed visiting your blog from the GBBD link. You should enable access to your blogger profile so others can visit through that link too.
Jo, they are lovely. Thanks for confirming the plant ID. A nice smile is a good thing to inherit from a mother. I couldn’t access your blog through either your blogger link or the GBBD link. Come back and post another comment if you fix it. I’d love to see your blooms.
Jewels, thanks and welcome to my blog.
CM, thanks for letting me know. A true honor. David is so good to connect us all.
Katie, thanks and welcome to my blog. I enjoyed your GBBD flower quilt.
Hi Sarah...someone may have already id-ed but the white flower is a wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia) a sweet native!
ReplyDeleteHappy Bloom Day! gail
Gail, thanks - yes, we have near consensus on the wood anemone. It makes me feel better knowing my neighbors by name. It is such a delightful name, and I'm extra pleased to learn that it is native instead of a foreign invasive (like me?)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos - I'm glad spring has finally arrived for you!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty spring blooms, Sarah! I love how everything looks so rich and damp, a bit like England, I think. Your Spring is so late! I am sure you all are enjoying it :-)
ReplyDeleteHi, Sarah, Your mother is beautiful! I must find my way here more often, Sarah. I lost the thread since you returned from the UK. Hope your writing is going well.
ReplyDeletePhillip and JAPRA, our late spring is extra appreciated! Everything blooms at once in May.
ReplyDeleteKathryn, thank you; so nice to reconnect with you! I loved the rhodies on your blog.
I can almost smell the violets! They are my favorite Spring flower. Our azaleas finished blooming a few weeks ago. Spring comes some time in March in Oklahoma. Really really early!
ReplyDeleteStacy, lucky you! The only good thing about a late spring is it’s easier to stay inside and write.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful -- as is your mother.
ReplyDeleteMimi, thanks!
ReplyDeleteLovely blooms and mom photo!
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely examples of Springtime in Maine. And your mother has the most beautiful smile!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sue and Pamela!
ReplyDeleteGetting caught up with you, Sarah, to reward myself for a bit o' writing.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely photos! Now I'm inspired to get working on my garden. No! Must...write more....will be...strong!
Who am I kidding? I'm a rotten gardener. But I AM tempted to go hike in the Gorge for some wildflower enjoyment.
FF, it is nice to catch up. Great news that you are writing! Confession: I’m not much of a gardener but wildflowers and shrubs can thrive even with my neglect. Enjoy your hike and good luck with your writing.
ReplyDelete