Norton Gallery

Come with me, down the path, to see one of the most beautiful places

 in Shreveport this time of year.

 

Acres of azaleas like this native variety which has a heavenly scent.

George Tabor and Fomosa's

Big ole snowball  bushes with dozens of delicate little flowers clustered all together.

 

Bronze statues amid the gardens add an extra dimension of visual interest.

There are still lots of buds to open and this weekend will probably be peak viewing.

 

Loveliness every where.

 

Red and green Japanese maples.

 

 

The Camelias were just sweetness itself.

 

Let’s continue down the walkway a little farther……..

 

 

Delicious Wisteria….I have always loved saying that word…..Wisteria.

It seems so Southern, the way it rolls off the tongue.

 It conjures up images of front porches, sweet tea and

ladies visiting as they sat in the swing. 

I love words that evoke a pleasant memory, feeling or mental picture.

 

Greybeards are scattered over the grounds.... a perfect backdrop for the statue.

These sweet faced pansies won’t last long once the weather heats up for good.

I hope you enjoyed our walk. The weather was cloudy and a little on the chilly side the afternoon we visited. I have a new camera and couldn’t wait to practice…….

and you can tell……I need lots and lots of practice!

 But I learned some things and hopefully, soon I will show some improvement!

 

Colors of Spring

Everywhere I look these days, there is something pretty to see.

 Spring has been “bustin” out all over.

I can’t seem to capture the color purple to my satisfaction, but this wisteria blooming on the island is so lovely.  The March wind has been blowing all week making it almost impossible to take pictures, but I managed a few.

 

The Redbud trees have been spectacular. Their color is so pretty, even when fading.

 

The last of the daffodils.

 

The azaleas are just beginning to shine. This white variety is always the first to bloom.

This is the first one I purchased when we built our house over 25 years ago.

It was marked down to .99 with no tag and has been the best dollar I have ever spent.

Remember the old TG&Y stores? That’s were it came from.

 

The dogwood in my back yard hasn’t been as pretty this year for some reason.

Here are a couple of blooms, just opened. I like the creamy green color.

 

And here are some blooms from this week.

 They look a little bedraggled and I am guessing it is

 probably the wind. It has blown pretty strong at times.
For some really beautiful dogwood pictures, visit Janie at
southernlagniappe to see her pink dogwood blooms.

 

We are planning to go to the Norton Gallery tomorrow. I have a new camera I would like to practice with, but will probably take my trusty old Canon that I am familiar with as well. There are acres of gardens and miles of paths to wander along with water features. Sounds like heaven to me.

I will share what I see next time.

Vintage Flower Pot

I went to one of our local gardening centers yesterday to buy new coco mats for the baskets that hold Boston Ferns on the front porch.

(which I also ended up buying ..the ferns I mean) 

I will just confess, I have NO willpower when it comes to resisting plants, especially if there is a bloom attached, so it was really hard to resist filling a cart with flowers.

I did pretty well..... however.... this cyclamen came home with me for a touch of color in the  house along with a Gerbera Daisy for the porch.

I put it in this old flower pot given to me by a friend. It had been in storage for quite a while and was dusty and dirty. I brought it home, soaked in soapy water with a bit of bleach and cleaned it up. It has a few age spots, but I love, love, love the color and just look at the form.

Pretty scalloped border and swirled sides. It has an attached saucer and other than a few stains, in really good condition.

It doesn’t take much to make me happy.

I know my daughter and my sister both will covet this little flower pot, and one of them will probably end up with it one day. But for now, I am enjoying it along with it’s contents while planning what I want to plant in the yard this year.

You can see through the heart, the saucer is scalloped also….love it.

Finally, Spring!

Sunshine, warm temperature and Azaleas in bud. It must really be Spring.

The dry summer last year took a toll on our plants. Our yard is over an acre and too large to keep watered with conditions as dry as 2010. Several large Azalea bushes appear not to have survived. We are going to cut them to the ground and see if perhaps they will still sprout from the roots. I hate to loose 20 year old plants, but if they are gone, I have an opportunity to replace with something new!

Come along and see what is blooming on the Cypress Knee Swamp.

English Dogwood in bud.

Their flowers are a creamy white and similar to the Dogwood bloom.

I just love the Oakleaf Hydrangea.

Even the shape of the leaf and the color is pretty to me.

Lovely Spirea with its graceful form and sweet, fragrant little flower clusters.

The wind was blowing and I couldn't get a really good picture of the yellow Jasmine.

 I decided to share anyway just because the color is so pretty.



Years ago, a friend gave me this apricot colored Flowering Quince.

 We shared a love of gardening and took several gardening classes together.

 I always think of Toni when this blooms in the spring. 

The blooms are a pale peachy apricot color, turning darker as they open fully.

The Dogwood is just beginning to open buds.

I am giving it a few more days before I try to capture it's beauty.

"It's so beautiful!'

she said, a little breathless with her speed..

It has come!.. It is here now!

It has come, the Spring!"

                                 Frances Burnett

That pretty much sums up how I felt today.

It is finally spring!

In February 2006, I had retired after working for 35 years in the telecommunications industry. I had a little more time for creative activities and I decided to start a blog. The first picture I ever posted was of a Saucer Magnolia, or Tulip Magnolia as some folks call it, taken at my back door, much like the picture above. Then, I mostly journaled the passing of my days here on Cypress Knee Swamp. It was a way of keeping in touch with my family living in Mississippi and other parts of Louisiana.

I don't journal as much these days, just posting quick thoughts and pictures that I love to take of my part of the world. I am glad I started the blogging journey, even though I am not as committed as most. I have learned much from fellow bloggers and always enjoy the beautiful pictures, thoughts and activities from new found friends.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

A Hint of Spring

To analyze the charms of flowers

is like dissecting music;

it is one of those things which

it is far better to enjoy than to

attempt to understand. 

                H.T. Tuckerman

How is it that a walk around the

yard and just the smallest vinca bloom

can remove  the remnants of a

stressful day?

I think the poet is right,

I simply allowed myself to be

charmed.

Looking Up

The sky today is a watery, grey color and the beautiful warm temperature we had yesterday has fallen to a chilly 50 degrees.

As I was editing some photos this afternoon, I decided in addition to having a love affair with flowers, animals, trees and just nature in general, I love the great expanse of the heavens as well.

So, I am sharing some “sky” pictures. Some I have shared before,

 others have been filed away for such a grey day as today.

Sunrise on beautiful Myrtle Beach, SC

Very dark and angry sky taken in eastern Louisiana.

These were some of the blackest clouds I had ever seen.

Fiery sunset taken in Vicksburg, MS. 

 Everyone who sees this picture assumes it is a fire,

 but it is an actual sunset.

Fluffy, white clouds at a rest stop somewhere in west Texas.

Controlled burn in Wyoming.

+

Sunset in western Mississippi.

And, with that, the sun also sets on this post.

I'll be looking up tomorrow, hoping for a blue sky!