Monday, April 7

A Drop of Sunshine

This morning, I grudgingly listened to my still-weak body and called in sick to work. Then I flipped over and went back to sleep for a while. Wake up achey, find a more comfortable position, fall asleep for a while, repeat.

Finally, I was out of Gatorade--and out of comfortable positions to sleep in the bed. So I decided to see if the couch might be a better bet, and headed downstairs. I let the dog out into a beautiful spring afternoon... and decided that I needed to open some of the windows, to help air out any flu bugs that were still hanging out here.

As I made my window rounds, I stopped at the big picture window to check on the dog and see if my little snowdrops had gotten any taller, like Ki's had. I was surprised to see something buttery yellow glinting at me, so I grabbed the camera and headed out to investigate. This is what I found:


My first winter aconite! YAY!

Also much anticipated is the first blooming of this lovely 'Pine Knot Strain' hellebore. The white and pink versions have bloomed before, but I don't remember seeing flowers in this deep shade of burgundy:


Even the flower stalks on this one are a deep wine color--lovely! And another began to flower in a fresh, bright green that I'd not seen in my hellebores before, either.

Wasn't I just asking for some happy surprises this spring? :)

23 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

You are giving yourself flowers while you are sick. These should make you perk up. Don't rush back to work. This flu strain is quite fierce. You don't want to be struck down again. Get well.

Anonymous said...

Goodness, I love the color of that hellebore. We're supposed to be able to grow them, but I haven't had much luck.

Love the first winter aconite. I lived in upstate New York for many years and it was always a question whether the aconites would flower first or some crocuses that happened to be in the lawn over a heating system at Cornell!

Entangled said...

I'm raising a glass to your winter aconite (OK, a cup of tea actually). It's great to see spring unfolding farther north.

Hope you're feeling better soon!

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Maybe seeing those flowers will lift your spirits enough to make you feel better. I'm so glad your Eranthis finally decided to show up. It seems that most of my Hellebores look like yours. It will be interesting to compare flower colors once they all bloom. Get well soon!

growingagardenindavis said...

Your garden knew just what you needed to help you feel better! I hope you do take the time to recover...there's lots of gardening coming up soon!

Anonymous said...

I don't know if you have the same flu I had, but mine knocked me on my butt for a week and then gave me weakness for another, and then a cough for the 3rd. I finally feel good for the 5 day in a row and I'm confident saying I am well again. Make sure you give yourself enough time and rest to recover fully!

Ki said...

Hope you recover soon! Isn't it amazing what a little flower can do to lift your spirits, especially one that was a surprise. Having a short memory span, I get a lot of little surprises in the spring. Like constantly receiving gifts - especially nice after the bleakness and gloom of winter ;) Maybe that's why I like to garden. Can't wait to see the hellebore flowers.

Anonymous said...

Someone brought you flowers! I must try the winter aconite as they seem to bloom so early! Anything that early is a welcome addition to my garden! Feel better!

Sue Swift said...

Hope this will help you feel better ... There's an award waiting for you on my blog if you'd like to come and collect it.
Sue

Ottawa Gardener said...

Flowers can cheer the sickest of us (at least I think so). Spring is beautiful isn't it? We are just barely getting into it. I love that hellebore.

gintoino said...

Kim, it looks like its award day for you since I also left you an award on my blog ;-)

Anonymous said...

Kim--I just read your comment over at Garden Rant about 30-something gardeners and I'm here to say I'll be your friend as I've been reading your blog anyway! Im going to be joining a garden club here shortly and am hoping I don't have the same experience! I'm really just looking for help and inspiration and am hoping to find it!

Unknown said...

Lisa, I did perk up a bit when I saw this little guy. I went back to work for just 1/2 of a day today, but am trying to be good about resting and such. Fierce, indeed!

Karen, funny you should say that--the neighbors' crocuses have beaten my aconite to the punch here. So handily, in fact, that I figured I wasn't going to see one this year at all.

Entangled, tea has been my drink of choice this week, too--along with Gatorade. I usually don't like Gatorade, but decided that I could only drink so much water. lol.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter, this one is a new one for me--with all of the moving I've subjected them to, not all of my 'Pine Knot' hellebores have flowered for me yet. I think that this, and the pretty lime green one, are the last two--and my favorites, so far. :)

I think it did, Leslie! And I know that there will be plenty of gardening to be had once I get better. I just hate being sick, so I'm whining a bit. *grin*

Heather, wow. That sounds miserable. I think you had the one my grandma had, and if so then I'm hoping that I have the one my Dad had instead--he had a cough for a week and a half and that was it. (Of course, he did get a flu shot this year, so maybe that helped him out.) I plan to be "good," and I hope that you are indeed over your bout, too!

Ki, I'm laughing because I'm the same way with the surprises. And then when I was cleaning up this morning, I found THREE (empty) BAGS of trout lily bulbs. Now I wonder where on earth I put those?! lol.

Thanks, Layanee! :)

Sue Swift and Gintoino, wow... now there's a way to boost a sick girl's spirits. Thank you both--I'll have to go check those out! :)

Ottawa Gardener, I think you're right... they do have a magical power, those flowers, don't they?

RR, I think that was another garden blogger who made the friend/garden club comment... but I'll gladly capitalize on it! :) Glad to see you pop in and comment--I can't wait to explore your blog and see what you're up to in the garden.

Unknown said...

Yes, be gentle with yourself, Kim, and don't rush back to work...you just enjoy the sunlight and flowers and let yourself get better. I'll take your flu in exchange for my diverticulitis, which is starting to sound like surgery for me, boo hiss. Very frustrating. If I eat much more fibre, I'll start to whinny like my horse! ;-)
there, I hope I made you giggle, and feel a bit better.

A wildlife gardener said...

Get well soon...love the colour of the flower...divine :)

Come and be cheered watching my latest little video :)

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Get well soon Kim. Hurray for your first winter aconite, it is such a cheerful flower, just what the doctor ordered!

meresy_g said...

Hope you feel better! THe flu is nasty. I tangled with it earlier in the year. WInter aconite is probably my favorite spring flower. I can't get mine to want to spread though. I love a carpet of aconite under a big deciduous tree first thing in the spring.

lisa said...

I'm glad you had a bright spot in your sick day! Just like we can't stop winter, it can't stop spring....thank goodness! Hope you feel better! :)

EAL said...

I never get sick, and dammit everybody at work knows it. I would love to, just to stay home once in a while.

BUT, we do have hellebore love in common. I'm now asking myself why I don't have 50 of these fantastic plants.

Gotta Garden said...

Winter Aconite! Lucky you! I have tried them so many times without success. I did see a garden in Portland that (one of these days I will actually blog about it...ha) had winter aconites spilling all over the paths...just lovely. I so wished they would have potted up some of the 'extras' and put them up for sale!

Hellebores...we just can't have too many! Such tough plants.

Sorry to hear you're not feeling well. Hope you're feeling better. Take care now.

Kylee Baumle said...

Don't you just love a day off work, even though you aren't feeling well? It's nice not to have to answer to anyone.

I don't have any winter aconite and have never had the desire for them, but your bloom sure looks cheery!

Unknown said...

Jodi, I'm really not good about taking care of myself... but you did make me giggle! And wince a bit, too... diverticulitis and surgery, ugh. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you're spared that somehow.

Thanks, wildlife gardener... I'll be by soon! (I really need to get caught up on my blog reading!)

yolanda elizabet, thank you for the good wishes. And yes, it IS such a cheerful little flower. :)

meresy_g!!! So nice to see you--haven't "seen" you around since you new tree post, and was hoping all was well. You know, y'all keep talking about these carpets of aconites... I need to find pictures of that. It sounds divine!

Lisa, that's at least a cheery thought. Glad that we can't stop spring. :)

EAL, I think that you never get sick... until this first time you do. *wink* *wink* (My former dh used to call them "mental health" days--I think you deserve some, too!)

And yes. I agree. Why don't I have 50 of these fantastic plants myself?!

gotta garden, nice to see you back around, too! I love spring--it's bringing lots of my favorite bloggers out of the woodwork. Yay! Did you take a picture of those aconites and the path?

Kylee, it definitely was nice not to have to answer to anyone. But I admit, I would have liked to not have to answer to anyone while I was out playing in the garden instead of lounging on the couch. *grin*

Teresa said...

I love Ivory Prince hellebores! To me they look like the perfect study for a ceramics class; they have the elegance you sometimes see in fine porceline.

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