After a very dry Winter, Spring has brought with it such welcome rain. Rain that has sparked the new growth of this new season. The grass is growing green again. After their deciduous Winter, the first leaves are unfurling on the plane tree. Creamy, fragrant blossoms cover our mandarin tree. The bees and the butterflies are busy, attracted by the emergence of more and more flowers. While I am excited too, by the blue of the cornflowers and the deep orange buds on the hibiscus, I am more enchanted this year by the freshness of Spring's green.
New leaves emerging on the Plane Trees.
A honeybee foraging in a mandarin blossom.
A little cucumber seedling.
Feathery new growth on Yarrow.
A honeybee foraging in a mandarin blossom.
My own enthusiasm for the garden, which had waned with the lack of rain, has returned anew. Little seedlings, cucumber and snow peas mostly, have been tucked into warm, replenished soil. Pots of multicoloured petunias have been planted up and will no doubt flower soon. Clumps of day lilies have been divided and replanted in the little garden by the front gates and a dwarf mulberry tree settled into a pot where it will hopefully thrive. It seems that rush of fresh Spring green, that followed that most welcome rain, has lifted my inner-gardener's hopes!
I have deeply felt the change from Winter to Spring this year, more strongly than I can remember in years gone by. How about you? How have you responded to the turning of nature's seasons in your part of the world?
Meg
p.s. I am keenly aware of how lucky we have been to receive rain here. There are many in Australia; farming families and communities, their stock and our wild creatures; struggling with terrible drought. I hope that the heavens will open over their parched lands soon. Xx
I have deeply felt the change from Winter to Spring this year, more strongly than I can remember in years gone by. How about you? How have you responded to the turning of nature's seasons in your part of the world?
Meg
p.s. I am keenly aware of how lucky we have been to receive rain here. There are many in Australia; farming families and communities, their stock and our wild creatures; struggling with terrible drought. I hope that the heavens will open over their parched lands soon. Xx
Spring is always such a shift in the mood isn't it? I'm enjoying the warmth in the mornings. To be able to hang our clothes in the sun to dry rather then inside on drying racks near the fire. The grass is greening up which is always nice to see. The transformation of spring always amazes me!
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Warm mornings are lovely indeed! I am hoping it doesn't get too hot too quickly up here as the days right now are just gorgeous and balmy. Meg:)
DeleteBeautiful photos Meg! Spring is just so refreshing and new! You are fortunate to have rain to make all things new again! Andrea
ReplyDeleteVery lucky to have had rain, Andrea. Our Winter was very dry and everything was looking so parched so it's lovely to see that fresh green returning again. Meg:)
DeleteSummer is almost over and I'm getting ready for fall gardening.
ReplyDeleteMeg, I wish Australian farmers would get the heavy rain we've been having here. It's like two extremes between here and over there. While one country suffers from severe draught, here we are trying to escape hurricanes and torrential rains.
Yes, I think many of our Aussie farmers would welcome even a fraction of the rain you're getting, Nil. I hope you are staying safe! MegXx
DeleteI'm always glad to hear of rain falling in someone else's garden. Even if it's not falling in mine. We haven't had any decent rain, since autumn. So my garden is real crispy. I have hopes for the summer rain being extremely generous. Just need those few showers in between. :)
ReplyDeleteI like seeing the photos of your garden, new life emerging is always so inspiring.
I hope the showers and rain you are wishing for comes through soon, Chris. Fingers crossed for storm clouds out your way. Meg:)
DeleteSpring has certainly sprung, even here where it is horribly dry the few small showers we had are starting to have a small effect. There are small green shoots where a week ago was bare dirt.
ReplyDeleteWe too lost the gardening enthusiasm, glad you are getting yours back.
We are enjoying the lovly warm days and muld nights.
Take care Meg
Cheers
Jane.
It's hard to be enthusiastic about gardening when water is scarce and there's not much hope in the forecasts. I hope you get more than a few small showers soon, Jane. Meg:)
DeleteIt is lovely to see spring photos when everything is slowly dying back for winter now. Glad you had some rain x
ReplyDeleteYou must be a world away, Christina, approaching the colder seasons while we leave them behind for warmer days. I'm glad you liked these early Spring photos. Meg:)
DeleteYour drought has made the news often here in UK, we moan about our weather, but really we do not have issues as other have around the world. I love this post, you tell of hope and new growth, we are entering our decline in the garden, the leaves have started to drop off tree's, my harvest are all but over, I plant to tidy the back end of the garden and settle it for winter. The greenhouse will be cleaned and all my tender plants will winter under the glass.
ReplyDeleteI'm always interested in how others in different parts of the world garden. I wouldn't know where to start if I lived where you do, Marlene. I don't even own a greenhouse because it never gets that cold here! Meg:)
DeleteIt's hard for me to imagine a Christmas in summer. Somehow it wouldn't be the same without cold dark nights to snuggle by the fire.
ReplyDeleteHi Cherie. I often think I wouldn't mind a cold and snowy Christmas, especially when we get Summer days that are so blazingly hot. And a full roast dinner would be nice for it's far too hot for that here. Cold meats, salads and seafood are the foods of our Xmas. Meg:)
DeleteWe would love a snowy Christmas but in truth they are rare. It is usually tipping down with rain.. Not quite the Christmas that we see in films
DeleteWe'd be glad for rain over here in Australia at moment, Cherie. There are many farmers struggling with drought that will have rain on the Xmas wish lists. Meg
DeleteLove those photos, Meg. We didn't get a lot of rain here but the other side of town on the Range got quite a downfall one day. The ground is rock hard. Still it is not as bad as it is for our farmers so I shouldn't complain. They are doing it tough aren't they? Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'd want to be a farmer, Chel. They really do it so tough at times and this drought is breaking the hearts of so many. I really think we have to look after our farmers during the good times as well as the more difficult ones. During the week, I was listening to a radio interview discussing the impact of $1 per Litre milk on the livelihoods and viability of small dairy farms. The drought is hurting some of them but so is a particular supermarket's pricing of milk. I think we all have a responsibility to look beyond the bargain basement price of some of our basic foodstuffs because often the one being squeezed is the farmer who produces it. In the long run, that is no good for any of us because without farmers we'd all be hungry. I do hope our farmers get some rain very soon as I also hope you get some out your way too. Fingers crossed! Meg:)
DeleteYour garden looks promising, Meg. Citrus trees do well in the drought. I love the cucumber seedling. I am still harvesting delicious, tender zucchini. The Cinderella pumpkins went in late, but I think I will get a few before it becomes too cold. It's getting time to plant lettuce and spinach. Growing food is so rewarding...
ReplyDeleteIt is so rewarding! There's nothing like fresh food from just outside your door. Zucchini sounds lovely, they are such great veg to grow because they are so versatile. Do you eat the zucchini flowers too? Meg:)
DeleteI especially love that bee photo. She is the delicious, warm color of dark honey!! Blessings on the bees!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing bees in the garden and can spend quite a while trying to get a clear photo. I will just get a bee in focus and it will buzz away to the next flower! Meg:D
DeleteSo glad to hear you have had rain Meg.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't been so lucky here this season. It is so dry and I have had to water right through winter. I never have to do that. The frosts were incredible and constant throughout winter (even getting the occasional one now), so it has taken a toll on the plants. And the wind this spring so far means dirty drought weather.
Your garden will certainly benefit from the rain. I love how the plants all point to the sky as if to say thank you to the heavens. They grow inches with just a little bit of life giving moisture.
The yarrow in my patch has taken off everywhere. That plant is definitely a survivor!
xTania
I hope you get rain soon, Tania. It is amazing how plants respond to rain and how many can survive periods of dry weather. It lifts our own spirits too! Meg:)
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