Monday, February 7, 2011

Memories of Spring


Imagine living in the year 1887, and it's the beginning of February. You've had a fair amount of snow - a lot, actually - and five days out of seven are gray and gloomy. It's cold and the weather forecast is for it to be even colder (did they have weather forecasts back then?). You're a gardener and you're longing to see the spring flowers, but you know it will be weeks, perhaps months, before you'll be cheered by them.


A Winter's Morning, Peter Henry Emerson

From Wikipedia
Thanks to color photography, we don't have to wait to see those beautiful spring blooms! The first known color photograph was produced by Levi Hill around 1850. As you can see, the color is vague, but you've got to start somewhere! (And notice the subject is holding a potted plant!) It wasn't until 1935 that Kodachrome was brought to the public, and it was in the form of 16mm movie film. The following year, color print film became available.

Photography has come a long way since those days and we now don't even use film, for the most part. Digital photography has made it easy for us to capture the beauty of so many things, and to share it with the world, if we want to.

So, in 2011, it's the beginning of February. We've had a fair amount of snow - a lot, actually - and five days out of seven are gray and gloomy. It's cold and the weather forecast is for it to be even colder. I'm a gardener and I'm longing to see the spring flowers, but I know it will be weeks, perhaps months, before I'll be cheered by them.

Oh no it won't! Until I can see the real thing, I'll enjoy these photos of past spring blooms. It's the next best thing...




Double Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis 'Flore Pleno')

Striped Squill (Puschkinia libanotica)

Iris reticulata 'Harmony'

Species Crocus (Crocus sieberi subsp. sublimis 'Tricolor')

Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa forbesii)

Species Tulip (Tulipa humilis var. pulchella)

Unknown Tulipa

Peony Tulip (Tulipa 'Margarita') with Bloody Sorrel (Rumex sanguineus)

Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Rubra')

Labrador violet (Viola labradorica)

Dutch Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis 'Woodstock') and
our native Giant White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)

Dutch Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis 'Festival Blue')

Geum coccineum 'Cooky'

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis)

Unknown daffodil

Daffodil (Narcissus 'Pink Charm')

False Forget-Me-Not (Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost')


Species Tulip (Tulipa 'Little Beauty')

Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x loebneri) 'Leonard Messel'

Helleborus

Unknown crabapple (Malus sp.)

Grecian Windflower (Anemone coronaria)


For more lovely spring blooms, visit A Hocking Hills Garden, where Lona takes a look back at summer with a pink theme!



8 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

You are a tease. It will be awhile before we see any of these beautiful blooms.

meemsnyc said...

This is making me really crave spring!

Kylee Baumle said...

Lisa ~ Not meant to be a tease, but I am hanging by a thread here - grasping at spring! LOL!

Donna said...

Kylee it's like looking at photos of my garden..funny how we gardeners have such similar tastes in plants...your photos are beautiful...

Kylee Baumle said...

meems ~ I know! I'm not sure it's helping us any! We just want it all the more!

Donna ~ We have great taste, don't we? ;-)

Terra said...

That black and white portrait of a pond in winter is perfect, and your color photos are bursting with joy. Love those bleeding hearts.

Lona said...

What gorgeous Spring blooms for a snowy day Kylee. I love the image of the orange and yellow tulips with the water drops. The Geum is beautiful too. I have not tried that one. Oh, dear. LOL! Try that email Kylee I have tickets on the way. Yeah!!

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I enjoyed your history lesson and lovely spring blooms. I'm hanging by a thread, too.

I showed my blog to a co-worker today, and he was saying how hard it is to see the flowers, because he is so anxious for spring to get here.

He has a Baker's Creek seed catalog that I am going to order from with him and another friend of his.

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