3.30.2009

Spring Trumpets

Daffodils…Such loyal little guys! Every year, they stretch for the spring sun, require little care and reward you when all else is bleak.

Because of this rich simplicity, we plant hundreds (daffodils, jonquils and narcissus) every fall around “The Compound.” The Compound is an area of about ten acres, surrounding the house, which we devote the most attention to. The “daffs” are set out in natural drifts in hopes to blend, rather than showcase their brief, razzle-dazzle explosion of color.

Like heirloom roses, daffs often map long-gone, home foundations. If mistakenly dug up and left to the elements, their enduring nature still forces an annual bouquet. In these habitats, they stand as a permanent marker of a past family heritage, a lost garden or a buried pathway.

So, fifty years from now, will the daffodils at ShadowWoods tell similar stories?
(Photo: "Jetfire" daffodils)

3.27.2009

Warm White

How quickly things change! It was snowing last weekend and it's 74 degrees today. I'm running around in shorts with a set of very white legs.

Our biggest fear at ShadowWoods is forest fire. If the rain spigot is turned off too early, the forest stresses till autumn, and makes for a longer, scarier and more probable fire season.

I hope that a cool down, married with some rain, is in the not-too-distant forecast. I'm more than happy to cover my legs back up!
(Photo: A dusting of snow, late spring)