Monday, April 29, 2013

Spring Floral Walkabout

Ahhhh.. you know when you're gone for a week of vacation, you come home and everything looks different?  I grabbed my camera (Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS19 with Leica 20X Full HD lens, 24mm Wide) and went on a walkabout to say hello to the new blooms popping out in the yard, and to check to see if the Lily-of-the-Valley was ready to pick.  :-)  Last afternoon hubby took his big loppers and I pointed to which branches of Lilac I wanted and I put together this FABOOOOO bouquet of my 3 shades of Lilac, lavender, dark purple and white.  Oh, I live for this each year!
It rained last night and I worried that it would ruin the lilacs, but at least this bouquet is perfection.  Can you just smell these?  BLISS!
This is my view from my easy chair in the den.  I love flowers on the table! 
On my walkabout I got a shot of my "White Garden" of lilac on the left and azalea on the right.  There are still lots of buds on the azalea before it's in full bloom. I bought and planted the white lilac from the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens in Woodland, Washington.
White flowers are so refreshing, don't you think? 
These white lilacs are very lush and full, I think it's a double blossom. 
To the left of the white lilac is a gigantic pink rosebud azalea.  No aroma with this, but it's just gorgeous.  I wonder which family planted this in our house's history of inhabitants?  I think it might have been the McKinley family who sold nursery stock from the center of our horseshoe driveway. 
The Lily-of-the-Valley are almost ready to pick.. but not quite.  They have completely filled in on the right of the front brick walkway. 
The yellow centered rhodie is in bloom and the deep pink ones are beginning to open.
Our pink dogwood never does very well as it's shadowed by 3 huge weeping birch trees.  But this branch looked happy! 
Dark pink rhodie.. I wish I knew the name of this one!  They get HUGE! 
Lilacs and barn.. the roses are in front of the lilacs and are bushing out and budding nicely. 
Some people call the dark purple ones French Lilacs.   
The apple tree is covered with blooms, so is our 3 pear trees in the pasture. 
Our chickens were happy to see us come home.  2 are in the hen house, Buffy is still broody and Hershey must be laying an egg.  The 2 Ameracaunas are laying a blue egg each every day!  They are the ones with tufted faces at the back and to the right. 
Our sage and chives are back, if you don't have pots of these, you should get some - they come back on their own every year!
The sage has these interesting blooms. 
Michael, our oldest grandson is 13!  A teenager!  Oh my!   
We gave him a "razor" scooter, he's a whiz with it and the wheels light up as you're zooming along.  :-)  I tried to get a photo with all the boys in it, but each one had someone with their eyes closed, so I gave up. :-)
My task today is to find a hat to wear at 2 events coming up.  First, on Thursday we're having a re-dedication ceremony at Portland Women's Forum at 10 am.  You are invited to attend!  Second is at the DAR State Conference where I will be singing with the State Chorus.  I wish I had a nice vintage hat already!!  Wish me luck finding one.  I hope you have a wonderful week!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

21 comments:

  1. Your flowers are outrageous, I'm totally jealous! Gosh, those lilacs are breathtaking. Lucky, lucky you. Happy birthday to Michael! My son has a Razor scooter and he looooves it. :)

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  2. Oh the lilacs!!!! I LOVE the lilac bouquet Teresa! They are my absolute favorite in the spring. Your Rhodies are very pretty too. Actually all of the flowers are beautiful.

    I'm still trying to convince Hubby that chickens would be a good thing. So far no luck though. :-)
    Have fun searching for your hats.
    Blessings,
    Betay

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  3. Oh my goodness, what a gorgeous bouquet of lilacs!

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  4. Such a nice post, as usual. All the flowers are so pretty. Talk to you soon. XO

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  5. Teresa~
    Your lilac bouquet turned out beautiful! Makes me want to cut some lilacs and bring them inside too:)
    Beautiful garden! LOVE the white flowers--I have quite a few because I adore the color and the 'light' they bring to the garden!
    Blessings,
    Aimee
    PS: Hope you find the right hat!

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  6. Wow! Your bouquet of lilacs is GORGEOUS!!! You have so many beautiful flowers in your yard. I think I'd be going on walk-about at least once everyday if my yard looked like that. Incredible!

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  7. Gorgeous bouquet of lilacs!! Makes your table look beautiful. Your garden is full of blooms and just looking at them makes me want to sneeze.i love them! Keep those pics coming!

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  8. Lilacs are my very favorite flower, and that bouquet is to die for!!! I love it. So beautiful and I can smell them from here!

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  9. oh me oh my...those lilacs of yours are stunning...and against your yellow wall...so so beautiful. I love lilacs...I have only one white bush and I must try to find one of those darker purple ones...sigh! Enjoy for me my friend.

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  10. Oh my, those lilacs are just gorgeous! How luck you are to have them growing on your property. Loved seeing all of the pretties!
    Hugs,
    Kris

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  11. Oh the lilacs are wonderful! I can smell them from here. Can't wait for mine to bloom. All your flowers are so pretty.

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  12. What a gorgeous vase of lilacs to admire on your table Teresa....just stunning. I can just imagine their scent...mmmm x

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  13. Stunning Teresa. love lilac and thre colours wonderful.
    Happy Birthday Michael x
    Happy hat hunting I used to make hats, pity we live so far apart hey? lol
    Hugs x

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  14. Oh I am so jealous!....sooooo very jealous!....I loooove your Lilacs! I just knew they would be gorgeous!!! They look really nice on your table in front of that big window....the perfect light! It's always a pleasure visiting your blog Teresa...keep those gorgeous photos coming!
    xx Shari

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  15. I love lilacs and just last night I noticed my lilac bush is beginning to bloom. I went up and took a deep whiff and it was heavenly! There doesn't seem to be too many of them though which means I may have to talk my neighbor into letting me cut some of theirs. It is certainly a beautiful time of year! ~Hugs, Patti

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  16. Love, love, love your gorgeous bouquet of lilacs! Lilacs are one of my favorites! Do you know of any tricks to keep them from wilting not long after they are plucked from the bush? I love bringing in bouquets of them, but mine tend to barely last one day.

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  17. Love, love, love your gorgeous bouquet of lilacs! Lilacs are one of my favorites! Do you know of any tricks to keep them from wilting not long after they are plucked from the bush? I love bringing in bouquets of them, but mine tend to barely last one day.

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  18. Lilacs are my absolute favorite flower, we can not grow them here and I miss them so much. Happy Birthday to your teenager.
    Hugs to you,
    Meredith

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  19. WOW! WOW! WOW! Thanks for sharing the beauty around you, and for teaching me about what I am viewing...that has to be the most perfect bouquet of lilacs I have ever seen in my whole 62 years of life~~~~~~heavenly~~~~~~
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHAEL!!! May your teens be joyously serene! I am eager to see what kind of hat you find, Teresa. Happy hunting :-)
    Love with hugs from Gracie

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  20. Oh those lilacs! Perfection!!

    Happy Birthday to Michael :)

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  21. Wonderful, wonderful lilacs! They are incredibly beautiful, Teresa, and you have arranged them perfectly too. I can just imagine their lovely fragrance!Sending very Happy Birthday wishes to your new teenager!
    Have a happy day!
    Helen x

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