Undoings (plus blooms)
January 15th, 2008 by Kristin Green
I can’t let a 15th of any month go by anymore without a peruse for blooms for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day – now a year old at May Dreams Gardens! This time of year it’s not easy to find outdoor blooms – I actually can’t tell if the hellebore is blooming today or still fully in bud (I didn’t want to track footprints into the bed to investigate)! More shall be revealed with the melt… Like most gardeners with a real hibernation style winter, we have more blooms indoors. Here is a little greenhouse selection:
Today at Blithewold has otherwise been about undoings. The garden volunteers came in to help finish un-decorating the house. It was a morning of organized chaos; a calm implosion of glitter and ribbon and a chance to reconnect with friends after the holidays. There is something about undoing that is a lot like gardening – it’s fairly tedious and yet relaxing (or is it mind-numbing? This group who spooled miles of tulle called it some kind of therapeutic – “moron therapy” I think it was…) 
and it’s completely gratifying to see the tree un-ornamented and boxes neatly packed and labeled – like finally taking a good satisfied look at the garden you spent all morning on your knees weeding. It seems like we only just decorated the tree and it will seem like only another moment before we’re back in the gardens together again. A couple of garden volunteers were honored at lunch today – Ann A. is beginning her 31st year in the gardens and Louise W. her 26th – that’s amazing dedication and devotion! And this gardener was honored and completely undone – I know now what it means to be “showered”! I’m going against the grain to include this picture of me (this blog is about Blithewold!) but I want those of you to whom my back was turned to see the giant grin you placed on my face (the tears didn’t show in the photo). Merci beaucoup beaucoup beaucoup!!
January 15th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Thanks for sharing the blooms of Blithewold, Kris! And what a nice surprise to see a picture of you as well. Sounds like you all had a productive and delightful day. Hooray for *all* of your dedicated volunteers!
January 15th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
I know what you mean when you say, “I can’t let a 15th of any month go by anymore without a peruse for blooms for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day”. It’s taken me a whole year just to work up to it but now I find I’m marking the days off the calendar so I can have an excuse to post some pics of my blooms.
Great to see your hellebore budding well. I can’t wait to see pics of it when its in full bloom.
January 15th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
“Moron therapy” sounds like fun. I think I like taking the decorations down even more than putting them up. (Does that make me a moron?) That’s a happy Hellebore – is it H. foetidus?
January 15th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Yes, now that the holiday decorations are put away, we can turn our attention back to the garden and start counting down the days to spring. I’m looking forward to seeing those hellebores in bloom!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
January 15th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Kris: Congrats to you! Great pictures all! Love that smile!
January 16th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Great blooms Kris for GBBD. Is it possible that the whole team will come and help me undo the Christmas decorations this December?
It sounds you all had a lot of fun undoing things.
How nice to see a pic of you. Layanee already said it: great smile! BTW the Bliss blooms are up too.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Yea for moron therapy (I find undecorating similarly soothing) and congrats on your celebrations. It’s nice too to put a face to the voice of Blithewold,Kris.
January 16th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Thank you, Nan and absolutely “hooray” for all the volunteers! They’re an amazing bunch!
Stuart, I’ll be by for a bloomday visit soon and I’ll definitely keep my eye and camera on that hellebore.
Mr. McG’s D, It was a fun morning – and I don’t think any of us who find enjoyment in the easy (mindless even) things are morons – we’re just easy to please! You are right about the hellebore – I managed to label it in the photo caption…
Carol, Thank you!
Layanee, Thank you too!
YE, I’ll bet the group would love any excuse for a trip to the Netherlands! I’ll be by soon to virtually visit and thank you!
Jodi, Thank you! (I’m unaccustomed to being on that side of the camera – I think I posted a pic of my boots once…!)
January 16th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Kris, congratulations! And it’s so nice to see a picture of you… this admittedly coming from someone who has never posted her own picture on her blog, I know… but it’s fun to put a face with the name and the words.
Thank you particularly for including the echeveria blooms. There’s something about those that really strike a chord with me.
January 17th, 2008 at 12:35 am
Kris, it’s nice to “meet” you at last. Great picture—you look like you’re having fun.
January 17th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Kim, Thanks and thanks! (We have a similar reticence I think!) I had trouble getting a pic of the echevaria that does it justice – I’ll have to keep trying. I love them too.
Pam, Thank you and I’m still flying from the fun that day!
January 17th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Kris,
As with others, it is good to put a face with your words. What a fun shower that must have been. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding – will Blithewold figure into the celebrations?
It must be fun getting to know and to work with the garden volunteers. They look like they are having a good time – undecorating is good for the soul too!
January 17th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Kris, It was a real treat to see your smiling face. Congratulations to a bride to be.
I believe “Moron therapy” is a misnomer for meditation. Those tedious jobs give us a time to reflect and think. I on the other hand will do “work” only an idiot would attempt.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Kate, Thank you! No, we won’t be married at Blithewold but I might force a forsythia branch or two so it could “figure in”! It is fun working with the volunteers – I’d highly (and think they’d highly) recommend volunteering at your local public garden (wish you could commute here from Sask.!)
Wiseacre, Thank you too! And you’re absolutely right about meditation. I think Sue, Cathy and Lynn were doing more laughing than meditating though…