Garden Muse Day: Carpe Diem!

To the [Gardeners] To Make Much of Time

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,

Old time is still a-flying;

And this same flower that smiles today

Tomorrow will be dying . . .

--Robert Herrick (from "To the Virgins ...")

Today is the first of the month of May and time for another Garden Muse Day. While there are no doubt many appropriate poems for the month of May, I couldn't think of any because Herrick's poem and similar quotes swirled around in my brain. How quickly the garden is changing right now! Mr. McGregor's Daughter and others have posted photos of ephemerals recently, but in some ways everything about spring seems ephemeral. The flowering crabapple blossoms above that appeared last week opened up and then were literally gone with the wind within two days' time.

And my beloved redbud tree that has been lighting up my yard with its shock of lavender blooms the past week is already sporting a few leaves. Soon the blooms will be gone, leaving the heart-shaped green leaves in their stead.

"Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May . . ."

---from Shakespeare's Sonnet 18

While spring blooms last only so long, they have had a particularly tough time the last week with lots of rain and several days of fierce winds. This "Pink Impression" is in its final blowsy stage, as I call it, but it's amazing it has any petals left at all.

. . . Forward they come, with flaunting colors spread,

With torches burning, stepping out in time

To some unheard march . . .

--from "A Tulip Garden" by Amy Lowell

But even while many of the tulips are on their last legs, so to speak,

there are still a few unopened buds and daily surprises.

Careful planning went into deciding where each color and collection of bulbs would be planted last fall. A map was made to identify varieties for future reference. But as the warm days of November began to change into winter, I threw out the plans and quickly dug holes wherever I could and threw in the remaining bulbs. As a result, some strange combinations appeared like this unknown pink-tipped tulip next to an orange and yellow "Color Magic."

One tulip I was eagerly anticipating was this "Sunrise" whose buds I showed on my "Blogging Blips and Tulip Trends" post. As they opened up, I could see the ruffled tulip was going to be as promised in the catalog.

What I didn't expect, though, was that the blooms would be this big! When Beckie stopped by the other day to see my tulips, she commented that this looked like a peony blossom, and it does.

While there is a theme to this post, you may think this is a shameless excuse on my part to show off more of my tulips. You're right! I spent many hours late last fall planting over 200 tulips and daffodils, and my creaking knees groaned and complained the whole time. But it was worth every ache! I am enjoying the fruits of those labors so much this spring. This tulip is one of a collection called "Monet," which includes several different pastel shades of tulips.

Still another variety, "Apricot Beauty," one of my favorites. My very favorite tulip is pictured at the end of this post, but frankly every tulip is a favorite!

And just for a little variety, more daffodils were added last fall as well. These "Pink Charm" daffs bloom later than the standard yellows and others that have already faded. I didn't plan staggered bloom times--that was just a happy accident.

I've enjoyed my tulips so much this year that I'm already making plans for next year. Photos of each flowerbed and planting are being taken to make it easier in the fall to remember where bare spots might be filled. In the roadside flowerbed above, the various shades of pink tulips in the foreground were planted a year or two ago and may need to be replenished. This collection I mistakenly identified as "Monet" last spring, but it's actually a collection of pinks called "Appleblossom." "Prince" tulips in purple, red, and yellow can be seen in the back right, while "Angeliques" are just opening up in the center front.

The photo of the main flowerbed was especially important, because a few tulips had already been planted here, and I couldn't remember where they were last fall. Besides, this area was covered with perennials in November, making it difficult to find bare spots for digging holes.

There's still room in the shade garden, too, even though many bulbs were added here. As much as I've enjoyed admiring these tulips every day, not everyone shares my enthusiasm, as you'll notice. (Do enlarge the photo to get Tarzan's full reaction.)

While the blooms of spring may be fleeting, the good news is that there is always something new to take their place. The old-fashioned lilac is in full bloom right now, perfuming the air.

And more and more perennials are sprouting up. Do you recognize this plant? This is my "Sum and Substance" hosta which grew to an amazing size last year. I've never before noticed its leaves in early spring.

But before the summer garden grows, I hope you will take the time to enjoy every moment of a spring flower's beauty. For me, nothing can compare to this "Apricot Beauty" unless . . .

. . . it is my favorite of all: the delicate, ruffled "Angelique."

Enjoy every moment in your garden--Carpe Diem!

Garden Muse Day is the brainchild of Carolyn Gail; do visit her to see other musings on the month of May.