Friday 10 February 2012

Thanks (10 FEB 2012)

As you might have gathered, there's not much happening in my garden at the moment. It all looked so promising on New Year's day with the bulbs forcing up their leaves prematurely, but then icy temperatures set in and most of the plants were put on hold.
   
       
hellebores battling on - two weeks ago






















I resorted to blogging about tufts of grass and dirty birdbaths, too afraid that if I took a break I would lose momentum and then stop, never to return again (that's what happened to my parkruns).

On Saturday afternoon, I wandered around the garden taking photos of the plants but they were not worthy of a post, so I thought this would be a short thank-you note ...

Last week I was presented with the Versatile Blogger award by Donna and Holley. I would like to say thank-you by linking their names directly to my favourite posts by them. Both these ladies are prolific writers & gardeners, or is it gardeners & writers? - I can't tell which is their first love. Whenever I type "Essence" or "Abundance", their posts always pop up in my mind, almost as if they have copyrighted these words - you'll see what I mean. Posts which affect me in this way score 5 hearts (top rating in Blotanical) and I don't give 5 hearts away easily.

Then on Saturday evening a few hours after taking the photos, it started to snow gently but persistently so that on Sunday morning the blanket of snow was several inches deep, more like a duvet protecting the plants. The weather forecasters had been predicting that it would snow for a few days, but extreme weather conditions (it doesn't snow here every year) always seem to catch us by surprise in the UK. I realised that I had captured the plants while some were preparing for what was to come, others didn't seem to care and a few were oblivious.
 
hellebores on Saturday                                            ....  and Sunday


S
Some garden bloggers deliver consistently for years, others lose their way or stop altogether with more important things to do during the several hours a week it takes to maintain a blog, but their 5-heart-posts remain in our memories regardless. A time when they were on top of their game, when the response from the blogging community added an extra dimension.

      
camellia on Saturday                                            ....  and Sunday

I'm bending the rules of the Versatile Blogger award slightly. (You didn't really want to know 7 things about me did you ?)  Instead of passing on awards to other bloggers, I've set up a quiz with some more examples of 5-heart-posts in alphabetical order. I didn't have the forethought to bookmark them systematically through the past year, so I sat here and did a brain-dump into Google of what I could remember and found all the posts I was thinking of.
I guarantee that if you click on any of these, you wont be disappointed ...

This gardener lets his wife choose the plants sometimes :  post #1

Who would have thought that Luton could be so exotic ?   :  post #2

The secret life of snowdrops :  post #3

"Blue and Green are never seen". They complement each other here though  :  post #4 



       
winter jasmine on Saturday                                            ....  and Sunday

Who wouldn't like to have daisies in their lawn ? :  post #5

Fancy eyeing up a world heritage site ? :  post #6

How could there possibly be a connection between politics and plants ? : post #7

What would Van Gogh have done with a microwave oven ? :  post #8

How to protect your plants for winter (at least until its pruning time) :  post #9

  
dwarf quince on Saturday                                            ....  and Sunday

A big thought cloud in a small garden :  post #10

A braver gardener than I :  post #11

A patient study of garden history :  post #12

Eloquent advice on family planning :  post #13



      
daffodils on Saturday                                            ....  and Sunday


We reap what we sow, and this blogger sows a lot : post #14


Watch out for pollinators getting up to mischief : post #15


Is it possible to learn from other gardeners' mistakes ?  post #16


Even Parisians hide gnomes in their back gardens :   post #17


      
crocus in the lawn on Saturday                                           ....  and Sunday



PS. If you were wondering what to blog about next week too ...
Check out Stacy's (unofficial) meme : 13 or fewer ways of looking at a Crocus
http://microcosm-in-the-q.blogspot.com/2012/02/thirteen-or-fewer-ways-of-looking-at.html


©Copyright 2012 b-a-g. All rights reserved. Content created by b-a-g for http://experiments-with-plants.blogspot.com/2012/02/thanks-10-feb-2012.html

23 comments:

Jenny said...

I can't get enough of your hellebores. The only flowers that I saw today were those of the skunk cabbage - and they're not even open yet - still wrapped in spathes. Your lovely petals are a very welcome site. Thanks for faving me on Blotanical - I look forward to exploring your experiments!

Donna@GWGT said...

You really did pick some memorable posts. I guessed most of them without clicking, but clicking on some to make sure I was right. Plus a couple I did not read originally. Thanks for including GWGT in the group. The snow really must have surprised your blooms, a few are really sulking. That daffodil is soooo sad.

Diana Studer said...

That is an absolute treasure trove - some of my favourites in there - Carolyn's thermogenic snowdrops are exotic to me! And what a gap Edith Hope has left - I keep hoping to see her again. When my blog is visited from Budapest ... I wonder, is that her?

Pam's English Garden said...

Dear b-a-g, Such fun! I enjoyed your guessing game. And, yes, I would have liked reading seven things about you. P. x

Crystal said...

You've just taken me on a wonderful trip around gardening blog land. I really enjoyed that, and visited some blogs I hadn't come across before. Thank you for the entertainment.

greggo said...

I really enjoyed following your quiz..nicely done.

Donna@Gardens Eye View said...

This is one the nicest thank yous I have ever received...I don't know which is my first love either...I think they are forever linked...what a joy it was to read that post again and to visit so many favorite blogs...Essence was just a year ago...we certainly would have loved to learn 7 things about you but I like how your bent the rules :) Your plants at least are blooming a bit...nothing but cold and flurries...

HolleyGarden said...

Your hellebores are so pretty! And I love the color of your quince. I hope they both come through the snow unharmed. I love the fun way you linked to other's posts. What a wonderful way to showcase them. I, too, have read a lot of posts that stick in the back of my mind. However, I really did want to learn 7 things about you!

b-a-g said...

Thanks Jenny and Welcome to Blotanical - I see potential for 5-heart posts in your blog already : http://spokesandpetals.wordpress.com

Thanks Donna (GWGT) - The snow is thawing now. The good news is that the poor daffodil has been perfectly preserved.

Thanks Diana - I miss Edith too, a charismatic and classy lady.

Thanks Pam, Crystal & Greggo - Glad you had fun with the quiz.

Thanks Donna (GEV) & Holley - Sorry about bending the rules. I'll share 3 b-a-g facts :
(1) I don't read as much as I should, but when I do I like to dip into old classics.
(2)... on the other hand I'm a pop music junkie. My favourite song to sing in the garden is "Inner Visions" by Stevie Wonder.
(3) I haven't travelled much, but the area of London where I live is very cosmopolitan, so in a way I have seen the world through the people I've met.

The Sage Butterfly said...

This was a nice way to honor some bloggers with blog post favorites...very nice. And congratulations on your award. You deserve it!

Stacy said...

This was such a hoot, b-a-g--I loved the quiz. Learning about thermogenetic flowers made my day, too. Thanks for including Microcosm in that wonderful bunch.

I hope your spring flowers survive--they'll probably be happier with the snow cover than just with those icy temps. Yay for your crocus lawn!

Christine @ The Gardening Blog said...

Bag, I actually would have enjoyed hearing 7 things about you :)

I enjoyed your take on this though!

Christine @ The Gardening Blog said...

I forgot to say I love the photos of the dwarf quince and Stevie Wonder!

Mark and Gaz said...

This winter has been so promising until we had the recent cold spell and the eastern part of the country got blanketed in snow. Thankfully it looks like the mild weather has once again returned. In the next few days you'll be able to do a bit more in the garden.

Thanks for the link on your quiz. It was a pleasant surprise, I wasn't expecting it at all and only saw it as I read your blog. Most appreciated :)

linniew said...

What a creative way to respond to the Versatile Blog award-- Many thanks for including me b-a-g. You and your writing are a cherished part of my blogging life. Love the quince and the snow together!

debsgarden said...

I think this was the best response to an award ever! And thank you for including one of my posts in the group! I had read a lot of these post, but some were new and I appreciate the links. But one thing: I really would like to know those random facts about you!

Laura Bloomsbury said...

Awards or no awards, you are certainly a versatile blogger with a unique approach which makes your posts a pleasure to read. What a great way to introduce others. Shoe size from the the footprints in the snow are just one of the things to know about you. The rest is in your five heart posts

Alistair said...

B-a-g, a captivating post full of interest and fun, and one which will stay with me. Thank you for such an amusing way of linking to my site, talk about laugh! Dont you dare think of giving up blogging, like Diana I still miss Edith Hope and look for her returning.

b-a-g said...

Thanks Sage Butterfly, Linnie & Deb - I really enjoyed compiling the quiz. I probably spend more time reading blogs than writing mine.

Thanks Stacy - Even the crocus survived!

Thanks Christine - I wonder which Stevie Wonder song you sing in the garden.

It's a pleasure Mark & Gaz - I think of you as modern-day planthunters.

Thanks Laura - They might be my footprints ...

Thanks Alistair - I knew you would see the funny side!

Malar said...

This is really interesting post. You have record each of them!

Carolyn @ Carolyn's Shade Gardens said...

That was incredible. I follow most of those blogs and so recognized a lot of them from your brief description, including my own. You are so creative. Even so I am waiting for the unknown facts about you---you promised.

Janet/Plantaliscious said...

What a lovely way to say "thank you" - and I really enjoyed your pictures too. It is a strange time in the garden, a case of "nearly but not yet". Your hellebores are wonderful, mine are rather more behind. And thank you for picking one of my posts for this, I was genuinely thrilled and touched.

b-a-g said...

Thanks Malar - they deserved it!

Thanks Carolyn - I think it's because we started blogging around the same time, so we are in the same support group. I guessed your snowdrops post would be popular.

Thanks Janet - Your post has some useful inventions in it.

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