The month of May, with its promise of reliably warmer weather, has long been a favorite season.
The early flowering bulbs & fruit trees begin to lift my spirits well before,the substantial push & sturdier growth convinces me… propels me into the garden.
However the usual schedule around our Island’s traditional Spring Studio Tour means some inevitable bits of frustration with the complications of double duty as artist & gardener.However, this year’s changes in all calendars has been a gift of deeper time for garden projects which often get glossed-over in the traditional schedule requiring the preparation of the studio for visiting clients.
In addition, rising to the top of many other reasons May is the merry month…
Stephen & I celebrate it as our anniversary. This is our 25th year!
One part of our very quiet celebrations includes our friend Michael’s tradition of making May wine with the blossoms of Sweet Woodruff which we have as a ground cover…
But, long before May our garden is in bloom… even during a rare dusting of snow!
Such cold snaps are great for kale!
The smaller of our two palm trees became even more exotic.
Life continues to cautiously awaken at soil level. This is the bud/blossom of the Petticides or Butterburr, which we love in later season for its enormous round foliage.
A willow living very close to the salty Sound water briefly gifts us with hearty, wonderfully messy catkins.
Our woodsy setting invites an amazing variety of fungi & mushrooms about which I am quite wonderingly ignorant……
But then on some days comes the low sun…
Vacillating weather patterns are intense conversations between Sky Water Earth.
Sun & wet, timing & position… dancing… repeatedly offer rainbows as a continuing promise of spring…
Plus sunsets, which are always reflected light on our east side… oft-times more dramatic for that.
Multiple reflections: sun to sky & clouds then to water… ephemeral firmament.
Moon rise being that…
Dramatic roots bringing up the energy of such cosmic stuff into our garden…
Yet… drama might well be the Star Magnolia’s middle name! She holds visual space for sweet weeks.
An early favorite of mine is a small species Daffodil.
Ephemeral Trillium…
The delicate blooms of Solomon’s Seal hang like pendulous gondolas traversing arches of leafy stems.
I’m pleased that we’ve had a recurrence of this Fritillaria meleagris with its improbably checkered patterning.
Tulips we brought from Amsterdam several years ago made a show…
Tulips must sometimes come into the kitchen, especially if they get downed while we weed… an accidental fortune!
This Amsterdam one, seen in the reflection of our window, displays the concept of encouraging its gorgeous color as a piece in glass.
It has been an iris bonanza. We love differently abled. We love bonzai.
The delightfully curious “Mouse” plant has intensely vital sword-shaped foliage into which ones fingers must carefully explore to expose the elusive mouse-like blossoms… a lovely purple before they are picked to begin fading in the light while maintaining sculptural integrity as the leaf ages into a range of rich orange tones.
How can I pass-up trying the abundance of kale blossoms pureed & frozen for soup or smoothies later?
A view from the upper “This Is It Deck” show a part of the garden… gently gnarly & kinda kinky as these two…
