Easter Garden Tour

The bouquet above is not from my garden. It was bought as Easter decor for the house. Happy Easter, friends! I love the combination of the tulips and freesia. So pretty and the freesia is wonderfully fragrant.

I am excited to report that there are things happening outside! This year's slow, slow spring has arrived here in Montreal. It was only a few days ago that we had our last snowfall (Wednesday to be precise) but it melted quickly and my garden is finally coming to life.

Come on a little Easter garden tour with me.

These are all crocuses, but I also have scilla and botanical tulips blooming. Also one solitary, lonely dwarf iris. In the days ahead, they will be joined by daffodils, tulips, snowdrops, spanish bluebells and grape hyacinths. Oh, and I can't wait to see the leaves open on the trees.

I dug up some crocuses this past week just before the snowfall and did a little painting of them.

I love my garden throughout the year but spring makes my heart race. I hope the world is blooming around you.

Easter Greetings

The bunny arrived during the night. We have finished our Easter egg hunt in the backyard and the chocolate is now being devoured.

Our mop-top Meeko found the whole morning to be very exciting. And, don't worry, I have now placed the chocolate eggs well out of his reach. (Chocolate is toxic to dogs.)

A very Happy Easter to all who are celebrating today. ♥

From The Graphics Fairy

Wrapped With Flowers

I like to surround myself with flowers.  During the summer, I just need to walk out my back door to do so.  This time of year when my garden is just starting up, if I want to be surrounded, I have to resort to other measures.

If I still was in my apartment in midtown Toronto where I lived years ago, I would have walked to the corner of Avenue and Davenport Roads to the grocers that sold literally buckets of flowers.  I would just stand there sometimes and breathe in the beautiful fragrance of freesia, roses and lilies.  Then I would buy an armful of flowers for not very much money--enough to fill a couple of vases at home and a vase in my office during my corporate writing days.

I added some twigs from my amelanchier (serviceberry) to this arrangement

When I moved to Montreal years ago, I imagined that I would find similar flower shops. After all, it's a city with a decidedly European flair. But sadly, I've never found an equivalent in downtown Montreal.  There are florists of course, but none with wide selections and low prices. And in the suburbs where I live, the choices are even more limited.

So on Thursday when I started to feel the need to be surrounded by flowers, I went to get my flowers at Costco. Not as romantic as a walk in midtown to buy an armful of flowers for sure, but the bouquets at Costco are generous and well priced.  My three bunches of tulips were able to be split into six beautiful bouquets. So this Easter weekend, I am most happily surrounded with flowers.

And do you remember my Christmas cactus that decided to bloom just before Valentine's Day?  The other side of it has decided to celebrate Easter.  I like a plant with a sense of occasion. :)