Tuesday, April 22, 2014

The Beauty of Spring

Happy Spring! 

I hope Spring has finally nudged out Winter for her appearance on stage.

Quilter in Motion posted some nice photos of Springtime in her area which encouraged me to take a walk with my camera.

My Irises are starting to bloom. This one has such a large bloom, it's as big as my hand! My sister over at Sew Much and More gave me the roots several years ago and this is the first year they're blooming. They seem to be popping up everywhere now that roots have had time to spread!


 In Mythology Iris means "the goddess of the rainbow, along which she travelled to earth as a messenger of the gods." (dictionary.com).  Maybe she brings the message that Spring is here.


My vine Roses are starting to bloom now. I have these growing in several spots in my back yard and when they are all in full bloom, my backyard is a sea of Roses!


And my treasured Oregon Grape (a.k.a Grape Holly or Leatherleaf Mahonia) In the early early Spring it produces little yellow flowers that eventually gives way to these berries. Its actually the State Flower of Oregon. Apparently it grows well here in central Georgia because my plant is about 20 years old and 6 feet tall. 

Over the next few weeks the berries will turn this vibrant blue-purple, shinning bright in the sunlight. The birds love the berries, the Mockingbirds especially... and they are such a joy to watch from my living room window! I've recently read that the berries were used for medicinal purposes by the American Indians.




My hydrangeas are just starting to leaf out but this is a picture from last year I thought I'd throw in. I love the blue flower heads.


Spring is amazing!

What do you have sprouting and growing in your yard?

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Living! Happy Quilting!






4 comments:

  1. The azaleas are over for the most part, and Pepsi's daffodil is finished blooming. My pansies are going strong still though. And the nandina is flowering to make those bright red fall berries later in the year!

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  2. Thanks for mentioning my blog on yours, DeAnna. I came over to check out your blog and I love the photos. What program are you using to get such lovely features (framing, etc)? Just curious. I see you are following the In the Garden BOM. Don't you just LOVE her designs??
    Thanks again for stopping over. I'll be back.

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  3. D - I'm so glad to see your Iris blooming this year! I love the vibrant purple color! A little history on those Iris, is I originally got them from my in-laws when they lived in Texarkana, AR and planted them at my house in Little Rock, AR. After some years they needed thinning and Dad said he would like to have a few. I brought a bunch to him in Hammond, La. When we moved from Little Rock to Alexander, AR, I didn't have time to dig up any of the Iris to plant at our new home. I remembered Dad had the ones I had given him, and by that time his needed to be thinned, so the next time I was in Hammond, I dug up a bunch and planted them at our new home. The ones I gave you are from that bunch, so they are from a family of Iris' that were from Texarkana, AR; Little Rock, AR; Hammond, LA; Alexander, AR; and then to your house in Georgia!

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  4. That is quite a flower family history on the Irises. All the flowers have such vibrant color. Makes a person want to spend time outside surrounded by color. Comforting - Just like the being surrounded by a beautiful quilt.

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