Thursday, March 31, 2022

GREEN SPRING GARDENS ON MARCH 20TH, 2022 - PART 2

I will start off by providing a link to a YouTube video, that tells you all about the garden, including its history of how it came to be.  It is a wonderful video.
It was especially nice to see the daffodils blooming.  

For me, this is very true!  And there is a nostalgia element here, as next to Calla Lilies, daffodils were my Mother's favorite flower and I always think of her when I see them.

Next is one of Gregg's photos.
My plant app gave me two ID's this time.  It said it was either a Black Alder or an American Hazelnut?  I love my plant app but it is not 100 percent sure on this one.  The small tree was about my height and the branches were like a corkscrew.  Would you please tell me if you know the correct ID?  I am always grateful for those who have more knowledge about these things than me.  I just had another thought, I could email the garden and ask, but would still be grateful for some help from more-in-the-know blogging friends.  Added note on 3-31-22 at 4.00 p.m.  Sandra at Madsnapper found the ID for me.  It is a Corkscrew Hazel.  Thanks Sandra :)
The next photo shows a favorite tree, not too far from the house.  The leaves are starting to show.  It has a light bark and is another I would like to ask the garden about when I email them.  I found this interesting website with information on the kind of trees that have that color bark.  Here again if you know what it is, please let me know, always appreciative of any help.


There were also Crocus.  I always enjoy seeing them bloom.  These are native to the Alps, southern Europe, the Mediterranean area, Northern Africa and the Middle East, and across Central Asia to Xinjiang Province in western China.
I mentioned the herb Saffron when talking about them before.  I read that saffron comes from, "...one in particular, called Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativus, and this blooms in the fall.  It is native to Greece and Southwest Asia.  The plant is cultivated for the production of the spice saffron, especially in Iran, and it is known to have numerous medicinal properties.  Also a famous medicinal herb with a long history of effective use.  Saffron acts as an antioxidant, sedative, an immune system booster and is also known as an anti-carcinogenic. It is also used in cosmetics and in perfumes.  One more fact about this particular crocus, Saffron-based pigments adorned a Prehistoric cave.  50,000 year old depictions of prehistoric beasts have been found in today's Iraq (north-west of Persian Empire)."
This is called the Spring starflower (botanical name Ipheion uniflorum).  It also goes by the names of Springstar, Mexican Star and Starlikes, and is native to Argentina and Uruguay.  This star-like flower appears early in the spring and lasts for about two weeks.  "Uniflorum" means 'single flower', referring to the fact that each stem bears only one flower.  It is a member of the onion family, so although the flowers have a sweet and slightly spicy scent, the leaves when crushed smell of onion or garlic.

Next we have Glory of the Snow, botanical name Scilla luciliae (more up-close pictures can be seen at the link).  Its common name is Boissier's glory-of-the-snow, blooms in the spring and is a perennial.  Native to western Turkey, it sounds like quite a hardy plant, being deer and critter resistant and is described as virtually disease and trouble free.  It can grow up to 4 to 6 inches tall (10 to 20 cm), and easily grows in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade.  Lots more information at the website above.

The following bloom many of you will recognize as the Hyacinth.   Its botanical name is Hyacinthus orientalis.  Other names are Common hyacinth, Garden hyacinth, Dutch hyacinths and Dutch hyacint.  It is a perennial and likes full sun but will grow in part shade.  
The word 'Hyacinth' has also surfaced in an ancient language called 'Thracopelasgian', which was spoken 4,000 years ago. The wild Hyacinth is a native of Turkey and the Middle East, along the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. Hyacinths were grown in Europe in the time of the Greeks and Romans. Both Homer and Virgil noted its sweet fragrance. After this, the Hyacinth faded from history and did not reappear until the 16th century when it was reintroduced into Western Europe from Turkey and Iran. Leonhardt Rauwolf, (a German doctor) collected some Hyacinths when he visited Turkey in 1573.

Next is the Helibore.  It is also called the Lenten Rose, or Christmas rose (not related to roses at all), and its botanical name is Helleborus orientalis.  It is a type of flowering plant that belongs to the buttercup family.  There are around 20 species of hellebore that originated from Europe and Asia.  It was used extensively as an herbal remedy in the past, but due to a high content of toxic substances, they are mostly cultivated for ornamental purposes today.  Historians believe that hellebore was one of the plants (part of herbal mixture) responsible for the death of Alexander the Great.

Another one of Gregg's photos below.  This is a Callery pear, also known as a Bradford pear.  Its botantical name is Pyrus calleryana.  It is named after a Frenchman, Joseph Marie Callery, who brought the plant from China to Europe.  It has a lifespan anywhere from 20 to 150 years, and can grow to an average height of 25 to 30 feet.  It produces sterile fruit because they do not self-pollinate.  They have been widely planted throughout the United States since the early 1900s as an ornamental.   More information on this can be found here.

That's all from our latest walk around the garden.  I am always looking forward to what will be blooming next time, and will probably be back in a couple of weeks.

Our weather turned very chilly and we were very surprised we got a snow shower a few days ago.  It lasted all of five minutes!  Messages from blogging friends told me that some of you had a lot more.  I hope it didn't hang around too long.  I am looking forward to our next walk and it won't be long before the temperatures start rising again, hopefully.  I haven't checked our ten-day weather forecast yet. 

Have a great day everyone.




39 comments:

  1. these two trees are so strange and intriguing!! And the color of the Starflower is beautiful; it looks like the sky. You are always finding new and interesting things there!

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    1. Thanks Ginny, all thanks to the people and their hard work who take care of the garden :) It benefits all of us and I am grateful.

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  2. Loving the spring display you have shared. Daffodils are sunshine on stalks aren't they? We have lots of spring starflowers and I am very pleased that they are spreading.

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    1. Thank you Sue and yes, they certainly are :) How lovely that you can enjoy the starflowers too.

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  3. I have no idea on what the trees are. Loving all the spring flowers. I'm looking forward to seeing daffodils bloom around here. That hyacinth is absolutely gorgeous. I can almost smell the heavenly scent.

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    1. Hi Ann, thank you and I hope you see them soon :) I know you've had a lot of snow your way.

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  4. A few weeks ago someone else had a Lenten rose on their blog. This is new to me. The tree with the white bark is perhaps a sycamore?!! Love everything here today. That garden would be an area to walk weekly for its showcasing!!

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    1. Thanks for the ID Anni :) Glad you enjoyed my post. If I lived closer I would be there every day.

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  5. Hello Denise,
    Beautiful flowers and photos. The tree is new to me, I have never seen one like that.
    Take care, enjoy your day!

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    1. Thank you Eileen, glad you enjoyed them. I wish you the same :)

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  6. my google lens search says corkscrew hazel, and the photos look exactly like yours.. i only know what google knows. ha ha... i love it whatever it is. all true that daffodils make us smile. so much beauty in one park. a five minute snow shower is one I could stand.

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    1. Thanks Sandra, that certainly fits this interesting design :) We were very surprised at the shortness of the snow shower.

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  7. Haha … five minutes of snow sounds perfect. Despite the weirdness of the weather, spring has sprung in many places. Certain flowers and their scents do evoke memories. I never see sweet peas without thinking of my mom.

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    1. Thanks Penelope, just as well it was only a short spell :) How nice that sweet peas makes you think of your mom. We also had sweet peas in my dad's garden, a whole trellis of them that stretched across the garden except for the pathway. They were a sight to behold.

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  8. Love the flowers but also love that "funny" tree, which your husband pictured. :-)

    🌼 🌼 🌼 🌼 🌼 🌼

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    1. Thank you BB, the tree has been ID'd as a Corkscrew hazel and we have Sandra at MadSnapper to thank for that :)

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  9. Biggeset sigh with those daffs and hyacinths. They'll happen here. Someday. Love that hellebore, too. What a great garden!

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    1. They do have that effect Jeanie :) I hope you see them soon :) Thank you!

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  10. I just love seeing all the colorful blossoms announcing that spring is here. After a long, cold, dead winter it is refreshing to say the least.

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    1. Me too Latane, it is very uplifting after the winter :)

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  11. Hooray for daffodils and other flowers that tell us Spring is coming and Spring is here. We have a curly plant like that curly one and we've been calling it a curly willow but we have no idea really what it is. The deer love to chew on it.

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    1. How true Ellen :) Interesting, I will have to look at the curly willow to see the similarities.

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  12. Very interesting information. I had a large Bradford pear cut down because it was too close to the house and allowed squirrels a path to the attic! Also I had read about how invasive they are considered now.

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    1. Oh those rascally squirrels! :) I think we are fortunate that we have not had any entering the attic. There are a lot of them around this neighborhood. They are everywhere.

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  13. I always learn a lot from your posts. The flowers are beautiful and the trees are interesting.

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    1. So glad Diane, I'm learning too :) Thank you!

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  14. They all look lovely the flowers in bloom - very partial to daffodils..and would you believe mine have started to peep up in the dirt in readiness for the on coming winter/spring.

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    1. That's amazing Margaret, I didn't think you had daffs at this time of the year when you are going into your winter :)

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  15. The gardens looks like they are coming alive with Spring flowers and plants. Oh, the Purple Hyacinth is beautiful, and what a striking color. The Spring Starflower is a delicate flower, so lovely. The tree is so unusual with its gnarly branches. I love to see old trees. This sounds like a peaceful place to visit where one can just rest and just be. : )

    ~Sheri

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    1. It's a great time of the year isn't it Sheri? :) My favorite two are Spring and Autumn. It is very peaceful and one where I can totally relax.

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  16. This was a nice walk in the garden with a lot in bloom, Denise I rather miss seeing daffodils which were always the first to bloom when we lived in VA.

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    1. Hi Dorothy, I'm sure you do :) I think I would too.

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  17. Thank you Linda, I hope you see the spring blooms soon and that you snow has now gone :)

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