PEAR TREE LOG

pear tree log: I started this blog to keep my younger son, Jonny, in touch with life in Lincolnshire, while he spent a year working in China. That year turned into five! Now he is home and training to become a physics teacher. This is simply a patchwork quilt of some of the things I enjoy - life in rural Lincolnshire, our animals, friends, architecture, books, the gardens, and things of passing interest.



Thursday, 5 April 2012

Violets, Lambs, and Lily of the Valley

This afternoon Harry and I visited Arnold,  he's looking great and really enjoyed his treats - but I think most of all he was happy to see young Harry.  Then we went across to the fish pond and walked along the riverbank.  We followed the sound of bleating lambs.  Poor little Number 43 had lost his mother.  He was desolate.  
Poor lonely No. 43!  Maaamaaa.
We watched for a few minutes but there was no grand reunion.  Eventually we left them to it as we were distracting them.  I hope they have found one another now.


The hedgerows in the lanes are filled with wonderful spring flowers.  The snowdrops have given way to daffodils which are just beginning to look a little tired in places, primroses, aconites, and clumps of violets - if you look carefully.
 Sweet little bunch of violets - image borrowed
Even when we are busy in the garden I still manage to fit in plenty of walks.  I love flowers for their beauty, but I particularly enjoy them when they are scented.  I have to check each clump of violets to see whether any of them have that elusive, wonderful perfume.  So often I am disappointed.  


Today I found a tiny clump of violets which are scented!  The reward for my persistence, I guess.  
Borrowed image of an old-fashioned violet seller
While fighting dragons in the woods, with Harry, I was also thrilled to see the first signs of a small clump of Lily of the Valley coming through.  I have tried growing them for the last 16 years, without success.    I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that finally I have got some going.
Lily of the Valley - borrowed image -  as mine are not yet in flower.


Lily of the Valley was my mother's favourite flower, she died 16 years ago and it has been my personal mission to grow some in memory of her.  All those years of disappointment have been swept away by seeing those  six or seven spikes and tiny flower buds.


George is going to put a temporary, protective cage around them - I don't want clumsy dragons, or the Gruffalo trampling them.   I have my fingers crossed that these will naturalise and be happy, but I'll get some more planted and keep on trying.  
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28 comments:

  1. Joanne Noragon5 April 2012 at 18:37

    Do keep on with the Lily of the Valley. They are my favorite, too, because of my great grandmother. I lost the transplants I brought from my last house to a drought. My dad called them damned weeds. Give them a good start and they do spread their fragrance way around.

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    1. Elaine5 April 2012 at 21:41

      Hi Joanne, I have high hopes this time - but as insurance I'll also keep trying. They are beautiful.

      Delete
  2. Jane and Chris5 April 2012 at 18:54

    I do like the new look!
    Once the Lily of the Valley have taken hold you'll never get rid of them. I loved Lily of the Valley and had them in my wedding bouquet. The florist gave me the roots to grow,but they died. The ones we have here are, as Joanne's Dad called them, damned weeds!
    Jane x

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    1. Elaine5 April 2012 at 21:42

      Hi Jane, I do hope you are right - if they spread like weeds through the wood I shall be a happy woman!

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  3. Scarlet5 April 2012 at 18:58

    My Grandma and her sisters were named Lily, Violet and May. I had lily of the valley in my wedding bouquet for my Grandma - it smelled amazing. I had some at the old house but then it disappeared- I don't know if the slugs demolished it but one year it was there and the next it just didn't appear. I had lots of clumps of violets though and brought some with me when we moved here - they're in bloom at the moment.

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    1. Elaine5 April 2012 at 21:44

      Hi Scarlet, This year the violets have been amazing. I am thrilled to bits with the Lily of the Valley, because they are so pretty and perfumed, but mainly because of what they mean to me.

      Delete
  4. Unknown5 April 2012 at 19:03

    blog is looking very pretty... what happened to not blogging for a while?

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    1. Elaine5 April 2012 at 21:46

      Hi Dom, I attended a session of Bloggers Anonymous, they decided I was a hopeless case!

      Delete
  5. Rae5 April 2012 at 19:19

    The Lily of the Valley reminds me of my mother also. My mother grew them from original transplants she received from her mother. Now I grow them from her plantings. My daughter is now re-planting some of mine at her place. 4 generations later, Lilies of the Valley have become our family tradition.

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    1. Elaine5 April 2012 at 21:48

      Hi Rae, That is such a lovely tradition. How lovely to know that the parent plants came from your Great Grandma, that makes them so special!

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  6. Meggie5 April 2012 at 19:48

    I'm loving the new look of the blog...the soft greens seem to fit with your words. It has a wonderful flow about it. Lily of the Valley is a flower I don't have. It is so delicate looking. You are so lucky to have young Harry close by...

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    1. Elaine5 April 2012 at 21:51

      Hi Meggie, I'm so pleased you like it. I think young Harry definitely helps to keep us active - he has boundless energy. Heaven help us when Francesca joins in as well!!

      Delete
  7. Jan5 April 2012 at 20:19

    I love your new look. The pictures in the collage are gorgeous and the background is lovely. Have a great Easter weekend! Jx

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    1. Elaine5 April 2012 at 21:53

      Hi Jan, I have to thank you for the information on where to find out how to do the header collage. The trouble is it becomes so much fun that I kept messing about with it! Happy Easter weekend.

      Delete
  8. Green Dragonette5 April 2012 at 20:31

    Hi Elaine,

    Love the new header-beautiful use of photos. Your new look to the website is a real visual treat to the eyes-lovely!
    Happy Easter to you all!

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    Replies
    1. Elaine5 April 2012 at 21:54

      Hi Green Dragonette, I'm so pleased you like it. I had a lot of fun putting it together. Happy Easter.

      Delete
  9. Doohie5 April 2012 at 20:41

    I like Lily of the valley, but they are steadily taking over my garden and I may eventually start calling them weeds.
    Plenty of room though if you have them in a wood. Good luck with them.

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    1. Elaine5 April 2012 at 21:55

      Hi Doohie, Please, please, please let them spread like weeds in the wood! It would make such a change from nettles.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous5 April 2012 at 21:47

    Love the new header too. Also love the delicate little bells of the lily. (Is is a cool climate flower? Temperatures here are already consistently in the 80s.)

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    1. Elaine5 April 2012 at 22:00

      Hi Janet, I had great fun playing about with the header! Lily of the Valley does need moist shady conditions - we have to have a few rewards for putting up with our climate!

      Delete
  11. Ms Sparrow5 April 2012 at 21:50

    I used to mow my mother's lawn and the lily-of-the-valley on the side of her house kept creeping farther and farther into the lawn. I hope it's in a place where it can spread without causing you to regret having planted it!

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    1. Elaine5 April 2012 at 22:03

      Hi Ms Sparrow, Our woodland area is probably more than enough space for the lily of the valley to spread out and multiply. Interesting to think that many years down the line they could be cussing Grandma Elaine for planting those weeds in the woods!! I'll take the chance.

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  12. Jenny6 April 2012 at 13:30

    My mother loves scented violets but they are hard to find in our part of Canada. She has one little patch that she transplanted from her sister's house years ago and she always looks forward to them blooming. Great pic of Harry and the chicken on the banner.

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  13. Elaine6 April 2012 at 16:47

    Hi Jenny, It has been a wonderful year for those beautiful little violets - such a shame that so many lack the scent. I can imagine the pleasure which your mother gets from her patch of scented ones!

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  14. Moving with Mitchell6 April 2012 at 18:11

    The lily of the valley is beautiful and brings back memories of my childhood! By the way, did you borrow that old image of yourself from your brother? You're lovely in pink, but I'm not enamored with the hat.

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    1. Elaine7 April 2012 at 09:23

      Hi Mitch, Mmmn, I agree, not one of my better hats! Lily of the valley is wonderful, they delight my eyes and my nose. Our few tiny blooms are doing very well, I truly hope they spread like weeds.

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  15. Knatolee7 April 2012 at 02:51

    Poor little lamb, I'm sure he found his Mum eventually!

    Love the pretty spring blooms!

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    1. Elaine7 April 2012 at 09:25

      Hi Natalie, I love spring flowers, little beacons of beauty to help us out of the dark days of winter and when they come packaged with a wonderful perfume I love them even more.

      Delete

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