The Color Purple

You knew this was coming. Scanning through the last 30 days of photos, I came across a whole lotta purple. Plus, most of the flowers are unfamiliar to me, meaning, aside from the premier English gardeners I know, and maybe Pam,  they will be unfamiliar to you as well. I'm learning, although perhaps the more accurate statement would be that I'm hearing the names of things and promptly forgetting them!

I do pretty much have a handle on lilacs now, and although you've seen this color once, who can see too many lilacs?

Just yesterday I came across white lilacs, and this beautiful color which, color-wise, is a little hard to categorize; I'm placing it in the purple family.

While on the topic of yesterday, what a crazy day it was. After completing a sewing project, showering, that sort of thing, I was ready to walk out the door for errands. Except, I could not find  my keys. David called right about then and he was chatting away when I finally told him I was in search of my keys. This was around 10 in the morning. It's a crazy story with multiple players becoming involved over the next two hours, but the upshot is that I finally found them in a very unlikely place. Not the fridge, not any drawers, not in the previous day's jacket pocket, all places I searched multiple times. No, my friends, it was in the HOOD of that jacket! Here's what I think happened. Wednesday, the day became warm, and my jacket came off. Arriving home, the jacket, backpack, and apparently keys went on the dining table. Tidying up later on, well, you can put two and two together, can't you?

One thing I learned from this experience, after talking to the concierge, is that they can track all of our comings and goings from both the cameras in the elevators, and our key fob activity. Kind of creepy.

Purple!! Here's what the above looks like up close. I'd been watching the plants, wondering what the red berries would become.

Ad nauseam I've been mentioning both how green the trees are, and the abundance of blossoms on everything, and now you can see why. To date, I've yet to find out what that bush is, nor do I know what this flower is.

Here's one I'm familiar with from Florida; Regina used to grow the most beautiful irises.

And I do know pansies, however, when we try growing them in Florida, they generally do not fill out like this. Surprisingly, a fellow was taking all of them out in front of the Wall Center, a swanky building across the street from our church. It broke my heart watching them go in the trash.

Interspersed amongst the purple was that super cool gold color that I'd never before seen. Purple daisies? New to me, however, they probably have another fancier name.

Another mystery bloomer,

and another,

and yet another.

Are these violets, gardener friends? Talking to Maureen the other day, she expressed an undying affection for violets, asking me had I seen them. Who knows?

Then again, maybe these are violets?

It came as quite a surprise, the first time I came across a purple azalea, having known only white and various shades of pink.

Actually, during that same conversation with Maureen, while walking in SP, I saw three different shades of purple azaleas. Amazing. Although Vancouver is considered mild. I would describe what happens here as extreme. Extreme rainfall leading to extreme plant life.

Stuff just seems to grow, one on top of another! Although this post is devoted to purples, it seems as if some of the flowers are on the blue end of the spectrum as shown above and below.

Here's one flowering plant I know, not well, but I have seen Wisteria at Cypress Grove Park in Orlando. And although the trellis there had blooms, nothing like this.

Back to that extreme theme, whereas the days were incredibly short in the winter, now they are incredibly long. In December, there was daylight, such as it was, for about eight hours. Now, on the other hand, daylight is crazy long. As in over 16 hours, and we are still a month away from the Summer Solstice.

So, I said yesterday was crazy, there was the "jokes on me", incident in the morning. After rummaging through the condo more times than you can imagine, I finally took the jacket out of the closet to, well, I didn't know what I was going to do differently, but while taking it off the hangar I felt some heaviness, and voila!

After dinner I convinced Bruce to come downstairs to the park so I could show him another mind boggling plant that I'll show you soon. Putting on the infamous jacket, we prepared to leave, except, Bruce's key would not come out of the lock! Early on in our stay, that lock gave us fits until a neighbor put some graphite in the hole, but of late, it has been difficult to remove, although not impossible. This time it was the latter! Within the hour, by now around 8:30, a locksmith had come and gone and we can once again lock the door without incident. Presuming I don't lose my keys again....

What color would you call this?

I can't forget these cool tulips.

This one is definitely purple, unknown as it may be.

Isn't this fun?

I'm looking forward to seeing what this one becomes.

That is, if I can remember where I saw it!! I've got a small routine now, looking for each day's new excitement in plants. Seriously, how is it possible that purple reigns supreme?

And to think that I've forgotten the blooming rosemary, something mine never did, and the anemones that I adore!

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I think I'll get this day going, as there is always more to see during this time of the year. (as if I have experience)

 In a word: GLORIOUS!!!

yours truly,

Gail