Wednesday, February 9, 2011

English Garden Party

My lovely bloggy friend Sarah of Modern Country Style is hosting an English Garden Party today.  She can do that because she actually lives in England!  The Cotswolds, no less.  I’m sure to her it seems quite normal, but to me it seems so romantic!  She has a real English garden; that’s it on her party button.

Modern Country Style 

I have a typical American yard, but I do not have a green thumb.  Every year I set out a few baskets of annuals, and that’s about it.  However, I did some looking through my photos and found some shots of flowers and such to give us a little visual relief from this winter weather.  Enjoy!

Around here one of the first harbingers of spring is forsythia.  Our red house had a large back yard that was surrounded on two sides with huge forsythia bushes.  It was quite spectacular when they were all in bloom, but of course I don’t seem to have a photo of that.

 Here are my boys in that house with our forsythia Easter tree, 2003.

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Pinkerbelle at the apple orchard, 2003.

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And here she is with a pot of flowers from my brother’s rehearsal dinner, 2006.  Classic P.

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House #10 had two of these spring-blooming trees in the front yard.

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In our current house:  first leaf buds on the little maple tree in our front yard,

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baskets newly hung on the porch,

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and (later in the summer) my grandmother’s ice-cream parlor chair turned planter.

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I wonder if the sap is stirring yet,
If wintry birds are dreaming of a mate,
If frozen snowdrops feel as yet the sun
And crocus fires are kindling one by one:
Sing, robin, sing!
I still am sore in doubt concerning Spring.

                             from “The First Spring Day” by Christina Rossetti

Hurry, Spring!

11 comments:

Mom in High Heels said...

OMG, I long to travel through the Cotswolds! And have an English Garden. My allergies are so bad though that I fear it will never happen. Never mind the fact that half my house plants are dead. Off to check out the garden party!

Paula@SweetPea said...

Thanks for posting pictures to remind us that spring is on the way. This winter has been a long one!

Richella Parham said...

I LOVE Christina Rosetti! I don't think I'd ever read that poem. Thank you for posting it.

It's funny--in most ways I hate for summer to approach. It stays hot here for so long! Yet I long for spring to come, even though summer follows close on its heels. I guess I might as well start enjoying the seasons as they come rather than wishing for the next one. . . but I loved looking at your springy photos!

laughwithusblog said...

Thank you for posting the beauty in all these places. I suppose for now I must find beauty in the snow... :)

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

Such pretty (American) garden pics, Holly! ;) I love forsythia branches...such a pretty way to decorate for Spring. Love the shot of pouty Pinkerbelle!!!

Fishtail Cottage said...

so looking forward to hanging baskets again, that is one of the items that symbolizes "spring" is here to me!!! xoxo
That Crabapple is beautiful! xoox

Cindy said...

Isn't Sarah's garden lovely? I adore anything English. I would so love to visit there one day.
Your photos are all beautiful, I'm looking forward to Spring, but Winter has been so nice, I will be sad to see the last snow fall.
Have a great day,
Cindy

Cheryl said...

Pretty flowers. We are all missing them this time of year.
I stopped by to see when your next Pottery Barn Knock Off is scheduled. I made something the other night. :o) My post is scheduled and ready.

FrouFrouBritches said...

Such pretty pictures! Ya know I kill all plants within two feet of me, right? Sad! I love seeing everyone else's pretties though. After the snow today, I'm soooo ready for spring!

Pam Kessler said...

I love forsythia. We planted a few bushes last year so hopefully this spring they will be in bloom.

Sarah @ Modern Country Style said...

I can't wait for the blossom to come out on the trees. What gorgeous photos you've posted. Your children are so sweet.

I love your first point: that I take it for granted that I live in the Cotswolds, whereas to you it seems so romantic. Similarly, I don't know what a typical American yard would look like. I'd imagine it like in Desperate Housewives!!

That's one of the reasons that I LOVE blogging so much. You get to know much more of how people *really* are in different parts of the world. I think we should take over the running of the world - just think how peaceful it would all be!! ;-)

Sarahx