MLK Quote

MLK Quote

Nature's Inspiration Movie

http://www.flickspire.com/m/HealthierL433/NaturesInspiration -- Nature's Inspiration Movie: The photographs in this short video are from award-winning photographer, Ken Jenkins, and they are breathtaking. However, this video is much more than beautiful photographs! Peggy Anderson has compiled beautiful quotations from the likes of Emerson, Thoreau, and many others that truly capture the beauty of nature and solitude. Absolute must watch for nature lovers.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

This post is in honor of GBBD hosted by Carol of http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/">May Dreams Garden. These are blooms on the bigger plants and trees in our garden. Last year, all these bloomed in early-April as 2011-2012 was one of the hottest year. This year, perhaps, everything is normal as this part of New Jersey continues to have frost until the late May. 

The dogwood in bloom; close-up of the blooms.

A small shrub of azalea; the blooms in close-up. This shrub remains a small shrub only about two feet tall with about three feet spread.

This is a big azalea tree. The whole tree is becoming like that. If you ask me about the size of the tree, I might have to say that it is 7 to 10 feet. Close-up of the blooms

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A kind of rhododendron tree; close-up of one of the bloom on the tree.

Another kind of azalea tree. This is also a big tree. The blooms are of deep-red (or may be very dark pink). Close-up of the bloom.

Close-up of the bloom of Persian-Lilac tree. The whole tree gets covered with big clusters of bloom like this. And the fragrance is heavenly, out of this world. The whole yard, place around it for many, many feet will be drenched in this sweet aroma for everyone to drink it and lose sense. But, this is a very invasive species. You plant one tree, forget about it, and come back a year later; the whole place will be covered with this tree. The second picture is the blooms on one of my blueberry-plant. The third picture is the bloom on beach-plum, a native plant/bush/shrub. The plum can be eaten by humans. If left on the tree, they will become one of the essential food for many of the native songbirds.

I appreciate the blooms of these trees because their beauties are of such fleeting nature. They will bloom for a short period during the early spring; rest of the year, they will be standing in a jungle of trees, favorite place for all sorts of birds to hang around. Looking at them at such time no one will be able to tell about the ephemeral beauty pageant they put up during the early spring of every year. I think I have come to appreciate nature, enjoy all these beauties and savor in the harvest because I do not get these all year round. If I were living in a tropical climate where some kind of fruits, vegetables and flowers can be grown throughout the year, I might not have appreciated nature, observed and learned it or waited eagerly for spring. This is the best time of the year as I wait enthusiastically for all the bounties to come, for all the secrets that my garden is going to reveal. This waiting is the best experience because once it comes, it goes away pretty fast; just like waiting for any festival is all the fun because once it is there, it is over in a blink of an eye. What do you think?

I also could not lose this opportunity about this post on Wisteria garden in Japan. Apparently there is a garden in Japan where about 10,000 square feet is dedicated to all sorts of wisteria. Here is the link with the pictures and the video. Click on link or click here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2324253/Flowers-world-Enchanting-wisteria-vines-Japan-real-life-version-blockbuster-Avatars-Tree-Souls.html

I have never been to that garden; so I don't know how it will feel when I see it face to face. But, seeing the pictures or the video, I am not feeling much interested; it's not appealing to me that much because it looks very artificial with all those artificial support; also, simply too many people. I like the look of everything natural with calm, quiteness around it; and not that many people. How about you?

16 comments:

  1. Lovely blooms!I agree with you on the wisteria garden. I love them and weeping willows over water, but like the natural look. My tiny little wisteria are doing great but will not look natural for a few years until I have them trained a little.

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    1. Erin, thank you :-). I am tempting to have wisteria, but they grow large and I don't space for them and they are also invasive, I heard. I have to see if I can grow them in a pot.

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  2. Your flowering trees and shrubs are gorgeous!

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  3. Such beautiful flowering trees! I do love them, especially the dogwoods. The beach plum is interesting, I have considered planting wild plum but heard that they send up sharp thorny stems when they sucker.

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    1. Jason, thank you :-). Oh Dear! I didn't hear about such things; but, well, I have to be careful. Don't know about the dogs though. However, these stems on the tree now don't have any thorn.

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  4. Beautiful! My fave has to be the Azalea.

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    1. Bridget, thanks :-). I have a hard time deciding which one is my favorite.

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  5. Lovely shots KL, those trees are so pretty as are the azaleas.

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    1. Karen, thank you :-) but nothing compared to your photos.

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  6. Gorgeous Azaleas Kl - your dogwoods are stunning. I've just planted a couple of Cornus and don't know if they flower or not. I certainly hope they do and look exactly like yours!!
    That plumm looks nice too - good if you provide food for the birds.

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    1. Angie, thank you :-). Hmm...what's cornus. Okay, something to look up and learn about.

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  7. Lovely photos! I absolutely adore azaleas and rhododendrons, only my tiny garden is stopping me from having many more. And the lilac looks wonderful to, I can almost smell it :-)
    Have a great week-end, take care, Helene.

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    1. Hi Helene, thank you :-). Some of the smaller azalea bushes -- they can be grown in the pots (big pots). I hope you had a great weekend :-).

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  8. I am with you...the more natural the better but maybe I am just saying that because my natural look right now is weeds....haha!! Love all your flowering trees and shrubs...I am replacing my big ash trees that have to be taken down with flowering native trees and shrubs but it is slow going.

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    1. Donna, I hear, I hear about weeds. I have given up on them :-).

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