spring plants and flowers

poetry and prose about place

spring plants and flowers

A beautiful day here… I planted my small deck garden (yellow wax beans, zucchini, cucumber and lettuce), all old seed, so the seeds were planted thick. The red squirrel has already been here to see if he can purloin some seeds, but I have my beds covered with metal grates!!!!

I also nosed around for some springtime plants: the season moves so fast, it is hard to catch them! In our lawn, we have bugleweed (ajuga) and lily-of-the-valley in bloom, and columbines showing their floral buds. In the woods are bunchberry, teaberry and partridgeberry. No photos, but I have some drawings and paintings for you.

starflower – a drawing that formed the basis for the image in the new book I illustrated! ‘A Child’s Botanical Alphabet’

partridgeberry, no blossoms or berries on this little plant, poking up through fall’s debris

teaberry, a painting from later in the year when the berries are ripe

partridge berry – in late summer when the dark berries are ripe

If you love springtime flowers, you will love the new book ‘A Child’s Botanical Alphabet’ authored by Jennifer Houle and illustrated by me…. to order just click here.

I love this time of year. The wild shrubs are in bloom. Our flowering crab apple only lasted a day and now our walkway is a scattering of pink petals. Other types of apple are in bloom and create puffs of white and pink against the new-green of the tree leaves. Bushes with elongated bundles of white show me where there will be chokecherries.

All my best to you, on this lovely spring day.

Jane (a.k.a. Alexandra)