For the first time ever, my Easter lilies and Red Tiger Amaryllis bloomed at the same time.
Awesome: a two-fer!
I’m sharing them here with you as a visual postcard and an early Happy Mothers’ Day to all my fellow Moms out there.
© 2018 Glover Gardens
When I travel, the Grill-Meister keeps me posted on happenings at home. I love it when he sends flower photos – they make me feel so connected to Glover Gardens. This week was no exception. I was in Washington, where it was cold and rainy all week (although I was almost never outside because I was attending a conference), and these pics with the Grill-Meister’s cheery messages provided all the sunshine I needed.
“Frank-biscus is showing off!” (The hibiscus below is named after my Dad; see Death is Life-Affirming: Hibiscus Haiku).
“….So is Mahogany Splendor aka Hollywood Video….” (The Grill-Meister gives nicknames to many things, and calls this unusual hibiscus with the red foliage and velvety maroon flowers Hollywood Video.)
“And Yuletide Camellia sez ‘Don’t Forget About Me!'” (This winter beauty is blooming early this year.)
I love how the Grill-Meister’s shadow is in the photo above, and how he keeps me grounded in the flora of Glover Gardens when I’m away.
Copyright 2017, Glover Gardens Cookbook
A couple of days ago, I shared a lovely hibiscus haiku written by my cousin’s wife in the wake of my Dad’s death, which accompanied a hibiscus. We named it “Frank-biscus” to honor him.
We have an abundance of hibiscus at Glover Gardens, and I used some of them in the post instead of highlighting Frank-biscus, which hadn’t yet bloomed after being re-potted.
Yesterday, as Hurricane Harvey was sending advance rainstorms to herald his impending arrival, Frank-biscus opened up a beautiful, bright pink blossom!
To me, this was a reminder from God – during all of the fearsome ravaging brought by the hurricane – that nature is also beauty.
Here’s the haiku again, now properly paired with Frank-biscus.
your much-beloved dad
like this hibiscus flower
blossomed love and life
Copyright 2017, Glover Gardens Cookbook
I love hibiscus! And hibiscus seem to love Glover Gardens. Here are a few of my favorite Glover Gardens hibiscus pics, a late-summer garden digital postcard.
Copyright 2017, Glover Gardens Cookbook (feel free to share with attribution and links)
Happy Sunday from Glover Gardens! This brilliant red rose is too pretty not to share, standing out amidst its neighbors of purple heart and plumbago. The name of the rose variety is Don Juan, and I guess it does look a little seductive. I can’t decide whether to cut it and enjoy its beauty and fragrance inside the house, or to leave it where it is as a star in the landscape.
Copyright 2017, Glover Gardens Cookbook
I had some spare time over an April weekend in Paris and visited the Jacquemart-Andre Museum.
Sheer loveliness.
I haven’t had time to collect my thoughts and photos yet, but here’s a look at the floral arrangement in the drawing room. Happy Wednesday!
Stay tuned – more to come!
In Montmartre, I looked up and saw a fence, some flowers and a tower. I love Paris.
Copyright 2017, Glover Gardens Cookbook
I have the good fortune to be in Paris over the weekend, and stumbled upon the Rue des Martyrs (Street of Martyrs for those of us who don’t “parlez vous francais”). What a wonderful street! Vibrant colors, great smells from a variety of cafés, fantastic people-watching, actually, make that people-and-dog-watching, a myriad of store and tiny boutiques and, the most tempting to me, a marvelous array of food and flower shops. It was like an extended farmers’ market. What a great street for an afternoon walk on a beautiful April day in Paris.
Foodie heaven!
Back at the hotel, I did some quick internet research on the Rue des Martyrs and found a review of a book that raves about this magic street even more than I did just now. Published in November of 2016, The Only Street in Paris: Life on the Rue des Martyrs, was written by Elaine Sciolino, the former Paris Bureau Chief of the New York Times. Reviewer Sinclair McKay from the Telegraph (London) said in January of this year: “She argues with seductive force that here is where you will find the undying soul of the city; real Parisians from all walks of life – the “intimate, human side of Paris”, somewhere with ‘the feel of a small village’.
Yes! That’s exactly how it felt just now when I was traversing down this authentic, neighborhood-feeling street. I learned from the article that, along with 60 other streets / neighborhoods in Paris, the Rue des Martyrs is protected from ever having chain businesses move in.
If one artisan business moves out, it can only be replaced with another. Only the French would dare to try and hold back the ineluctable corporatist forces that have conquered the rest of us.
So of course I ordered the book from Amazon, of course I will go back to the Rue des Martyrs the next time in Paris armed with all of my new knowledge, and of course I took lots of photos to share with you. But just the food and flower shops – I have my priorities.
Copyright 2017, Glover Gardens Cookbook
We only get about 6 weeks of California-like weather here in Southeast Texas each year, and we are smack in the middle of the 2016 fall issue. Gee whiz, it’s so beautiful! I had to whip up a quick haiku to honor it.
The leaves are falling,
but the flowers are still blooming:
October’s party.
I hope you enjoy the pictures! Look for the bold little lizard shedding his skin in the October sun.
Find more Glover Gardens haiku here.
Rainfall’s aftermath:
Bent-but-not-broken blooms.
Metaphor for life.
Find more Glover Gardens haiku by clicking here.
