Saturday, May 2, 2009

Notes Celebrates Two Years


It has been two years this week, since my first post on Notes from a Cottage Garden. My, how time does fly! In honor of the occasion, I thought I would post some photos of my Spring garden, currently in it's prime. I have so enjoyed the tulips this year, especially since I have been mostly house-bound for 3 weeks with a case of Pleurisy, an inflammation of the tissue surrounding the lung. It is very painful and can take from weeks to months for recovery, with rest being the only effective treatment. It is difficult to rest when I want so badly to be working in the garden, but low energy levels have kept me from doing much. The colors in the garden have given me cheer while I recover, and I hope to be gardening again soon!




I planted these tulips in the front bed of my kitchen garden last fall. They go by the name 'Daydream', and the color is just amazing! This is a completely unretouched photo, taken on a sunny day. The tulips look like they are ablaze with fire! They started out mostly yellow with a few orange streaks, but now they are mostly orange. The foliage is sort of wimpy, but I can put up with it... in exchange for the beautiful blooms. :-)





This photo shows the front portion of the garden, off the patio.... with the rock gardens in the background. I added a new tulip bed last fall, just behind the smaller, rustic looking birdhouse. (I left this photo a larger size, so you can click on it to see things up close.) If you look carefully, you can see a sign in the front garden bed which reads "Mom's Garden". It was given to me by my children for Mother's Day many years ago, so is very special to me. In the very back of the photo, nearly covered by trees, is our very rustic chicken coop. One of my favorite beds is behind the birdbath, shown in the next photo.





This bed is home to grape hyacinths along the front, with mini daffodils in the middle. (I have forgotten their name, but they are so cute!) In the back of the bed are Tulips called
'Pretty in Pink'.






And look who came back this evening for a visit, to the same place where he made a mess a few weeks ago? None other than
Mr. Pheasant!



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Origin & History of the Tulip

The tulip is a wildflower said to originate from Persia. In the 1500s, tulips were extensively cultivated in Turkey, and because of their resemblance to the "tulbend" — a turban worn by Turkish men — were called tulipan.

In 1562, tulip bulbs from Constantinople reached Antwerp by ship. Before the turn of the century, tulips had been such a rarity that only the wealthy in Holland could afford them; consequently, tulips became a status symbol for the rich. However, by the 1620s, buying and selling tulips became an activity for merchants, and "tulip madness" ensued. Tulip trading crashed in 1637, throwing Holland into financial ruin. After the Dutch government enforced strict laws for cultivating and selling bulbs, the tulip became the national emblem of Holland.


27 comments:

Beth said...

Connie your garden is lovely and BIG! Holy Cow! I just love tulips but am too afraid to plant them with all the wildlife around here.

I would treasure anything my children would give me for the garden too. What a great Mother's Day gift.

Heather said...

Connie, I am sorry to hear you are down with illness. I hope the blooms that look so lovely in your yard are making the recoup time a little brighter. I love your kitchen garden!

Dirt Princess said...

Connie, hope you are doing better. your garden is lovely!!! I love the pheasant. Everything looks wonderful

sweetbay said...

Hope you are feeling better soon. I especially like the first photo. You're right, the tulip really does look like a flame. They're beautiful.

Victoria Williams said...

Love those tulips.
Your garden looks so neat and pretty. Also relaxing. I hope you can at least sit and enjoy it.

Chloe m said...

I hope you are up and about soon! You have an amazing garden. STUPENDOUS talent...Tulips, pretty in pink, so feminine!
I think that just looking at your own garden is very healing, I look at pictures of my garden when it is all snowy outside and I can't remember it's there.Thanks..

Catherine said...

I'm delighted to see that you are well enough to take a few lovely pictures for us. Your blog struck a memory chord of the year 1969 when I worked at a bulb farm near Sandy in Oregon. The 'natives' called it The Bub Farm which I found histerical.The 'bubs' were sent to Holland, if you can believe it!

Chelle said...

loving these first glimpses of your spring garden...and it's lovelier than ever mom...

O.I.M said...

your garden looks absolutely lovely. isn't spring simply wonderful? I hope you feel better soon and that you have many more blooms to cheer you on. happy anniversary too. it is always a pleasure to read your blog and see your pictures.
irena

Unknown said...

I wish you a speedy recovery!

Chris said...

Connie- Lovely pictures. I especially like the one of Mr. Pheasant. Hope you are feeling up to getting out in the garden more soon!

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I can identify with your illness at this time of year, as I had mono most of a summer a few years ago, and it took a long time to get my energy back.

I hope you have a quick, complete recovery. Your photos are lovely!

Debra Howard said...

Congratulations on your two years! What an accomplishment. Very pretty tulips.
Debbie

Roses and Lilacs said...

Your tulips are beautiful. I absolutely love that last photo. Hope you're feeling better soon. Anything to do with the lungs is frightening.
Marnie

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

What a pretty spring garden! It's so well organized and there doesn't look to be any weeds. And those tulips really do look ablaze. Happy 2nd anniversary and keep resting until you can get back at the garden.

Kathleen said...

Hi Connie. Congrats on your two year blogaversary. That's a long time. Your garden is gorgeous. It has to help in your recovery just looking at it. I hope you feel better soon.

Gram said...

Hope you are feeling better soon and are able to get into the garden. Your tulips are so beautiful and I envy the space you have. I have not been able to get into my garden much because the last 5 weekends we have had snow or rain and then it gets beautiful on Monday when I have to go back to work! I enjoy the history lessons you include.

joey said...

First and foremost, please get well, Connie. I can imagine through your fine photos how your heart aches to return to your beautiful garden. Mr. Pheasant knows this well and tucks good well wishes from me inside his beautiful feathers.

ChrisND said...

Your spring garden is great...and congratulations on 2-years sharing your garden with the world.

Our tulips are just starting and the grape hyacinths as well. I planted daffodils last fall and we may add more. The early bees appreciated them.

I hope you feel better.

Anonymous said...

First, happy anniversary! Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. What a lovely garden, someone is keeping it nice. It would make me feel better just to look out at it.

Susie said...

Your garden/beds are wonderful. You sure do have lots of them. I love how organized everything is.

I'm sorry to hear about your sickness. I hope you take care and get to feeling better soon so you can get back out in the garden.

Randy said...

Connie,
I hope you are feeling better, I know very well how it feels to want to work in the garden and not be able to. Get Well- Randy

Sandra said...

Happy Anniversary! I just found you so I have some catching up to do. Your blog and photos are very nice and your gardens are beautiful!

bogie said...

I thought that the tulips had been "enhanced", then I read that you hadn't retouched the photo at all - amazing!

Congrats on your 2 year blogoversary!

layanee said...

Spring in the garden is a sight to behold especially when you have planned it to perfection. I hope just looking at it while you recover gives you a bit more energy for the summer gardening chores.

Northern Shade said...

Those 'Daydream' tulips look like lighted garden ornaments. The backlighting really emphasizes the flame illusion. The blue grape hyacinth and pink tulips are a nice pairing.

The Weathered Pane said...

Connie, I hope you're feeling better! I'm looking forward to watching your garden grow again this year. Nancy