Flower for the Day Azalea 4-30-14

My azaleas have burst into bloom over the last week. I have a mixture of Karen and Herbert azaleas. They both have rich lavender purple orchid blooms. Karen

blooms initially followed in a week or two by Herbert. 

 These are Karen blossoms which are single and luscious.  

Lake Aspen Spillway and Falls 4-26-14

Lake Aspen has been very high this year after the spring rains. Excess volume goes 

over the spillway which is just around the corner from our place.

 

The water  flows down a fairly deep gorge, under a bridge,

 

over the bedrock  and down some nice falls. Right after the rain there is quite an impressive

amount of water. Jan enjoys creek walking when there is not much water .

 

 

Flower for the Day Periwinkle 4-28-14

 

There are large beds of periwinkle (Vinca minor) along the north and west sides of the house.

It is an ideal ground cover. It is beautiful to behold, easy to walk on, smothers most small weeds,

handles the draught well, and stays green all winter.

 

It blooms twice a year,

and it has a spectacular lavender blue flower.

 

Flower for the Day Last of the Daffodils 4-23-14

A little different in color arrangement.

 

Th is is my favorite daffodil. Its almost like a rose.

 

Flower for the Day Red Buds on the Red Bud 4-21-14

The delicate branches of the red bud tree are striking this time of year. The red

flower buds come right off the branches.

 

 

Flower for the Day Red Tulips 4-18-14

Don't get me wrong. Tulips are ok. But I have never needed them or felt passionate 

about them. They were just there as somewhat colorful early garden space fillers.

So I drop some bulbs in before the frost and forget about them.  

On closer look when they quietly arrive they can be interesting. 

Oh my, I've fallen in love. What a feeling.

Happy Easter. Ich wunsche Dir ein frohe Osterfest. 

 

Flower for the Day Miniature Daffodils 4-16-14

Narcissus asturiensis. These are popular dwarf daffodils. They are delightfully diminutive. My gnomes love these dwarfs.

The Overflow

We have a house on Lake Aspen, one of over 100 lakes  in Innsbrook Resort, in the Village of Innsbrook, Missouri outside of St Louis. (www.innsbrook-resort.com) It is a man made lake and the dam is around the corner to the right. Each spring there are rains that overwhelm the spillway both with water and a winters worth of debris. The previous owners did not warn us about this natural phenomenon but our new next door neighbors  said, "Oh, that's just The Overflow." The water rises so quickly that the lake flows over the tie wall around the lake.  You can see trees and logs and trash that have been carried over the wall and 20 feet up the hill. The deluge has inundated our little sand beach and surrounded my new picnic table. 

But there is always the possibility of surprise in the detritus. One man's trash is surely another man's treasure. Above is a priceless 'found' object.  It is a woodpecker's nest in a hollow 

branch with three magnificent openings. It now hangs on the front porch.

Flower for the Day More Hyacinths 4-14-14

Last week they showed up.

  

This week they bloomed.

 

And nearby was a new color for me to enjoy.

 

Flower for the Day Hyacinth 4-9-14

Hyacinths grow from bulbs which produce 4-6 linear leaves and1-3 spikes (racemes)

of flowers.The name is derived from a plant, Hyakanthos, named by Homer for flower 

that supposedly grew up from the blood of a youth who was killed accidentally by an 

errant discus thrown by the god Apollo.