Inspired by Elizabeth Lawrence's statement “[w]e can have flowers nearly every month of the year,” Carol, of May Dreams Gardens, started Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. It is abundantly clear to me that Lawrence never spent a winter in Chicago (other than during an El Nino winter). Even if I had something in bloom outside, there's no way I could find it under the couple of feet of snow on the ground. Even if I could, I wouldn't venture outside to look for it right now, with windchills in the dangerous range, with exposed skin freezing within 10 minutes. Right now it's -12F/-24C with a forecasted high of -2F/-19C, school has been cancelled because of the cold for the first time since my Fourth-grader has been in school, and it's supposed to get down to -16F/-26C by tomorrow morning. So what's a snowbound gardener to do? I bought a plant in bloom.Here it is, a Primula obconica:
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Some of the flowers are clustered a bit too closely together.
Here it is with a vase handpainted by my mom.
She's quite talented, especially when you consider that she's never taken an art class. Too bad she doesn't have time to do ceramics anymore.In keeping with the plant theme, here's a photo of a cactus.
The cactus is made of glass, and in the background is, surprise, the Primula.
And now, for a slight change of pace, here is a photo I like to call "Still Life with Italian Carnevale Mask."
For something not entirely different, here is a photo of a Chinese Foo Dog that's also an incense burner.
I must beg your indulgence for all these photos of a single plant. I plead the insanity defense. A Looney Tunes cartoon said it best (as sung by Bugs Bunny):
I'm going cuckoo, woo-woo!
Here comes the choo-choo, woo-woo!
I'm so gooney Looney Tuney, touched in the head
Please pass the ketchup, I think I'll go to bed
I am the screwball, woo-woo
Throw me the eightball, woo-woo
Once I knew a thing or two, but now I'm a buckaroo
Hinky-dinky parlais....voo-hoo!
It's been snowing too much and it's been much too cold. I think the technical term for my malady is "Cabin Fever." Please don't judge me too harshly. Remember, I haven't had any flowers to photograph since November.
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58 comments:
LOL, MMD! It's no wonder you're feeling a little stir-crazy--we're actually a degree colder than you! Great job of stretching out those blooms to the max; I'm having trouble deciding which view I like best:) I have a similar bloom post which will be up soon.
(Your last post slipped under the radar on my blog roll--I've left a comment there.)
MMD don't apologise I think this is a great post. It is lovely what pleasure one pot of flowers can bring to you and me. I really like this series of pictures.
Best wishes Sylvia (England)
Hi MMD, you did what you have to do, improvise! And splendid job of it too. We are cold here for us, single digits tonight, but nothing like what you are experiencing, stay safe and warm, if you can! Love the vase by mom and the foo dog, always a fave here. :-)
Frances
Well you did it then-flowers each month! It is pretty too. And I got a kick out of the cartoon tune too~!
You-ooo are so funny! Your plant is beautiful, however! You must have tucked it under your coat to get it safely home!
You have looney tunes, I have Dr. Seuss. ;-)
Dear MMD,
Loved this post! Even with Cabin Fever you are creative and inspired. The primula is lovely and she seems to be one of those girls that can wear anything and look good! Keep warm and watch a really fun movie!
gail
Next to me you've got the worse case of epatoozies I've seen, MMD :-) There's no cure except to fly South or wait for Spring.
Love your pretty new blue flower, Primula obconica . I suppose you could plant it outside when Spring comes.
Put on some hot chocolate to chase those "stir-crazy" blues away. And, think warm thoughts : It's going to be in the 40's next week :-)
Those are the sweetest little blooms! And your containers are beautiful -- I especially like the hand painted vase your mother made.
Rose - I'm so glad you got the visual joke/pun about having to stretch the blooms of one plant to make a post. We're really been hard pressed this winter. Stay in or bundle up!
Sylvia - it is such a pleasure to have some flowers in the house. I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Frances - I decided I didn't want to sit out of 3 Bloom Days. It's a good thing I can ad lib. Maybe I should enroll at Second City.
Tina - I was inspired after watching the Looney Tunes marathon on New Year's Day on Cartoon Network.
Shady - I got the plant at Whole Foods and surrounded it in the bag with other stuff. I put it in the front seat and turned on the heat. Of course it wasn't below zero that day. I do believe that this winter has finally gotten to us!
Gail - I planned ahead & got a couple of movies on DVD from the library for me & the kids to watch. I have a feeling they'll be off school tomorrow too.
Carolyn Gail - epatoozies is a great way to describe it. I hope you'll be making a pilgrimage soon to the land of sunny beaches. I've been thinking about planting Primulas for a while, but I couldn't decided on what. There are so many. If this plant is still alive come spring, I'm going to give it a chance outside.
Nancy Bond - thanks! Can you believe my mom was going to give that vase away? She said she had too many. It was in a box of stuff that she said we could go through & take what we wanted.
No need to apologize for this post MrMcD. I am smiling all the while I am reading it. I must read it again as a matter of fact. I want to sing along with Bugs.
Your Mom's hand-painted vase is marvelous. What a lovely heirloom.
Be safe in that cold.
P.S. I wanted to say that I have grown these primulas in my garden during summer. They do great in pots in shade. You might be able to keep this one until spring when you can pot it out. Mine bloom like the dickens. They are wonderful. I just didn't bring mine in because I can't seem to keep anything like that alive all winter. I gave them a more appropriate appreciative send off rather than letting them aggonizingly slowly dieing inside.
Ha! It works because every photo is interesting in its own way. Good shooting!
What a great post. I too would go stir crazy if I had to content with the weather that you have.
Of your blooms - I rather like the
Primula "Chinese Foo Dog"
Although the "Still Life with Italian Carnevale Mask." is pretty cool too.
K
Beautiful! I love the Chinese Foo Dog! Very fitting for Chines New Year's coming up soon. I'm starting to wonder if I had better house plants if I didn't live in California...
Ugh, it's terrible, isn't it? We're in the same boat you're in. Tomorrow's supposed to be another lovely sub-zero day.
I love your primula, and I think the insanity defense is totally appropriate in this circumstance. I'll just have to remember to buy another blooming plant next month so I can participate again :-)
Such beautiful blooms. I think you made the most of them given your "illness". :-)
I'm sure you are going a bit stir crazy right now MMD! It's a trait that effects us devoted gardeners. Thanks for giving us some different perspectives on the Primula. That one plant compliments many a scene. ;)
Great post. It is bitter cold and white on my Mass. hilltop. A friend in milder Connecticut sent me a humorous letter and photo to post about the Inaugural Poppy, so I got two Bloom Day posts.
Wonderful photos! The hand painted vase is very beautiful - what a keepsake!
MMD. I had to laugh when I finally figured out what was going on with the primula! But I must say I like it's choice of photo props. The vase painted by your Mothers is lovely-a great heirloom.
Aren't we having fun in the weather!? At least the sun is shinning here today even though the temp is still -11 with wind chill in the -30's. BRRRR!!!
What a nice Primula. I love the color.
And I'm sitting here complaining about our cold - Ha!, I've got nothing on you. Your mother is very talented. That vase is beautiful. Love the color of the primula.
I like your plan, buy plants in bloom. Too bad the plant eating cat would devour it. I just have frost and blankets of snow to look at. I didn't venture outside to get any pictures today, it's WAY too cold. Enjoy the day home with the kids!
Wow so it is colder than it is here out there in Chicago. We are supposed to dip below 0 tonight. I know how you feel. They're coming to take me away ha ha hee hee....
You poor darling girl, I feel stir crazy, and I can get outside. I love your Primula, and I hope it cheers you for the next two weeks.
I also laughed a great deal over your other still life plants.~~Dee
No, that's not Looney MMD, I'd call it most inventive!
Glad you liked the blooms over at mine :)
Love the post and covet the Foo Dog, MMD.
Those are some old-fashioned temperatures, kiddo, more like what Chicago had in late 1970's to mid-1980's when my kids were little. I can remember hearing the rafters making creaking sounds when it was -24 at Christmas in 1983.
You may be stir crazy but your creativity turned those emotions into a great post!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
But it's such a lovely plant! I enjoyed all the different views of it.
That is a well-travelled plant: container hopping in style.
Hope your weather lets up soon.
But you've composed such beautiful pictures with that one plant! And, made us chuckle to boot! Good job and that is a lovely primula.
You've dealt with the lack of blooms quite creatively! I love the vase your mom painted. It looks like bachelor buttons. That plant is pretty, too, in all of its poses.
This was a great post and those of us in the north know just how you feel. I love the Foo dog but I've always dreamed of a Canivale mask — lucky you. And the Primula had a bit of an icy cold color that's perfect for January!
How funny, MMD. Man, I know you must be ready for spring at this point. Hang in there! At least all the indoor time makes for good Spring Fling planning time. ;-)
I considered buying a primrose last weekend myself. But the colors were so garish. I didn't care for any of them. No sense buying a plant you don't like.
Love the primula, but be careful, it may figure out what a star it is and start making demands of you... light, water, maybe even fertilizer... and then before you know it, it might want you to get it another plant to keep it company!
You might end up with all kinds of indoor plants!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Photos and poem are terrific! Thanks.
LOL-I loved your post! What a lovely lavender color you found!
I LOVE your sense of stir-crazy humour, MMD! And I particularly like that wonderful incense burner. My sister gave me some nice lavender incense before Christmas and it needs a nice burner for it. And I fully intend to buy a plant in bloom as soon as we move out of the frozen-zone temperatures.
I love the Chinese Foo Dog! And thanks for the blooms. -15 here last night (to be repeated the next couple of nights) and 2-3 feet of snow... any hint of flower is very much appreciated.
Such a fun post MMD! I love your primula and your artful displaying of it. Very creative!
Your mom's vase is beautiful!
Hi MMD,
I've never seen that particular primula before, and it's a lovely one! I wonder if it can play nice and be hardy here though, but you might as well give it a shot ... we've tried several kinds ourselves and always failed until I got some plain old P. polyanthus mix that was advertised as "guaranteed winter hardy," and they have performed wonderfully for us.
Keep this one in a sunny window and don't over water (but don't let dry out either!) and you should be able to nurse it through to spring to plant out then. It will probably look pretty ratty by then, but if it's alive it has a chance!
Loved this post and nary a criticism from me for the whimsy ... at least you have a sense of humor right now. Something this wretched cold has sucked from my humor veins. I got up to -18F this morning and watched us warm all the way up to -5F for the high today!!! Now we're back down to -16F as I write....
You and yours stay warm now!!
Your hand-painted vase is lovely--way to go mom!
My dear, it's clear...your wit is in full bloom!
There, there, don't take it to heart so MMD. Just look at that gorgeous primula of yours, isn't it simply marvellous with all those delicate flowers? And I see that you have a very rare cactus too, Cactus Glassius, you lucky girl you. ;-)
Fun post, I really enjoyed reading it.
Hi again MMD, great fun – you do know how to put on a show for GBBD :-D
Minus 26 – gosh that doesn’t bear thinking of! Stir crazy perhaps but your imagination certainly is doing the business! Goes without saying I guess but – keep warm :-D
MMD -- Ha ha! That's a lovely Primula, and I think buying a plant in bloom is exactly what the doctor orders for Cabin Fever. I think you should just keep buying until some of that snow melts and you can smell green again. Stay warm and Happy GBBD.
Stir crazy is right. I both want to run around like a crazed, well, gardener, and just stay in bed!
Well done, MMD. It's getting tough to keep up with the Bloom Day tradition in these extreme weather conditions, but you came up with a great solution. Thanks for sharing!
MMD, I have to admit, you had me smiling--even chuckling aloud-through the entire (almost) post! A very clever idea & carried out perfectly:)
Lisa - thanks for the advice. If the plant survives until summer, I'll put it out in it's pot. Let's all sing along with Bugs, I have been.
EAL - thanks! I need get back in the practice of indoor photography.
Karen - this probably makes you feel a lot better about the cold you've been having.
Hi, Town Mouse, thanks for visiting! I was thinking about Chinese New Year, & I'm waiting for the Year of the Dog to come around again.
Colleen - it's sad, but we have to keep buying plants in bloom this winter. I'm hoping next winter I'll be enjoying Galanthus blooms by now.
Thanks, Jean!
Perennialgardener - I'm afraid all the attention is turning the Primula into a bit of a Diva. I absolutely refuse to give it bottled water, no matter how much it demands.
Pat Leuchtman - I think the date of inaguration was moved up from March to distract everyone from winter. ;^)
Thanks, Alan! I do treasure the vase. I haven't even used it for flowers.
Beckie - it seems like this winter if it's not subzero, it's snowing. BRRRR! is right.
Hi, SweetBay, thanks for visiting!
Phillip - yes, it can always be worse. It was -30 at a suburb 40 miles west of here. I thank you on behalf of my mom for the compliment!
Cinj - I haven't left the house for 3 days, except to lean out & grab the mail. It's too cold to bring any plants home, unless you want them freeze-dried.
JGH - that's the song my brother sings. When is spring, again?
Dee - I'm glad you appreciate my sense of humor. I may have to feature my Cacti in a post of their own, now that they have beautiful containers.
VP - insanity is the mother of invention?
Annie - yep, this is a throwback to those nasty winters. I remember them well. We had to go to my uncle's house that brutually cold Christmas Eve. I'll never forget it, and that's why I no longer go out in those temperatures.
HMH - thanks!
Joco - actually, the plant didn't travel at all. I just changed the backgrounds and my angle. But it made me feel as if I was in a different space.
Layanee - I had to come up with something to make 1 measely plant interesting. Glad you liked it.
If I lived in frigid Chicago, I think I'd go a little crazy each winter too! But I do live in Columbus Ohio, and we're pretty darned cold and snowy too. I keep picking up the primulas, and putting them back. I predict that my next trip to Meijer will result in one actually coming home with me! Must have blooming things!
You could also sing "I've got a lovely little primula" to the tune of "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts". It's such a pretty plant, it deserves to be serenaded!
Fun post!
Thanks for sharing some of your favorite things.
Hey MMD, are you still stir crazy?
I’ve something you might want to take a look at. This might help for a little while! If you’ve time, I’d really love to hear what you would choose :-D
Hi, everybody - sorry I couldn't keep up with the comments here or return visits. I've been busy working on Spring Fling preparations. I guess being busy will help keep me from going off the deep end completely.
Do I detect another M added to your monicker...as in Mad Mr. McGrecgor's Daughter? :)
You're not alone...although your temps are even lower than ours, and I sincerely sympathize. I cringe at the thought of having to go out!
Your primula is beautiful, and your mother does have a wonderful talent. The vase is lovely.
I like you glass head with the violet too. Very creative :)
Hi, Kerri - I'm Mad, I tell you, simply Mad! I'll take that as a compliment, along with the others, and say thank you!
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