Monday, 21 March 2016
The azalea that’s in the backyard and easiest for me to watch is still mostly buds, but it’s on the verge of…burgeoning!
The ones in the front yard are the near-fluorescent pink, and they’re still buds, too.
Healthy azaleas are stunners—they’re so dense with blooms.
Here’s just one of a few opened buds. I can’t discern any patterns to the few that are opened—they’re not just where there’s more sun, for example.
Sunday, 20 March 2016
Our tree is full out, as are others, but some will attain this glory in the next few days.
Saturday, 19 March 2016
It is leafing-out time. Last week, just a hint of green in the trees. Look at them now!
And the delicate early-spring blooms are nearing the end of their rotation. Love irises. Should the plural really be “iri”? Better in poetry?
Over in the fancy, decorative veg-garden at the ABG, the last of the overwintering species are hanging on, although the kale is getting leggy.
Here’s a small specimen from the showy and not-so-showy orchids scattered amongst the greenery and other-season plants in the conservatories. I’m not usually a pink person, but the shades in this one take my breath away.
The bonsai society held down the show-room, along with vendors of Japanese display rocks and the proper low tables for bonsai display. Here’s a closeup of the stems of…get this!…REDWOODS. What patience to create and maintain this miniature tree-garden!
The architectural changes are beginning to show, also. The hidey-walls are coming down and we can see more than just the upper story of the new restaurant. We are told it is to be open along with the new Chihuly exhibit at the end of April.
Just a few hours at the Atlanta BotGarden….
Friday, 18 March 2016
When the weather is unseasonably HOT, Spring arrives at an accelerated rate.
Thursday, 17 March 2016
Of course, I have no idea what the last meal was of Paddy-who-became-St_Paddy.
Being far more Orange-men than Irishmen, we didn’t wear green…or drink green beer. Of course, we’re not Catholic either…so there ya go.
As to food, we had a green salad (say: sah-LAHD), and braised pork over left-over rice with some carrots stirred in. I tried to do crock-pot BBQ, but it came out VERY wet, hence braised. It was good, but not even a fake version of BBQ.
Vaguely Irish in concept, but not in meat (pork not mutton) or in flavors (BBQ not…root veg). Then, there are those New-World tomatoes….
Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Sometimes I feel like a lone tortellini in a world of mini-raviolis.
Tuesday, 15 March 2016
On the BeltLine, I found this yellow magnolia. I wonder if it’s a less robust plant…not sure why, though….
Then, in the BotGarden, I think this is a crocus, but a very splayed one, if that is what it is.
Here’s a random closeup from the conservatory, presently decorated with blooming orchids. Somehow, it’s not quite visual overkill.
And this was just plain strange. Huge pot with a tree in it…and a fungus showing a propensity to cover the world, beginning with a label. Where’s Supergal? Batdude? Who’s to save us?
Monday, 14 March 2016
Over at PiedPk, I found many good-sized log-turtles. They do a great job of balancing their nearly-planar shell-bottoms on the rounded logs.
I also found this pale pink redbud. Pretty sure it’s a redbud, anyway.
* Lake Clara Meer.
Sunday, 13 March 2016
Coming through PiedPk, we periodically found ourselves drenched the scent of apple-blossoms. I call this shot apple blossom cloud. Different kind of cloud than I’m usually dealing with….
Mostly, we roamed the ABG. We saw the Orchid Show—which was only the section winners, and kinda strange (best books, best arrangement…some seemed off-point to me). We saw the snapping turtle with his mouth open underwater (he’s been frisky this winter/spring)—only photo is…mostly reflection, so I haven’t presented it.
The bulbs are their own show, although the choice to plant all tulip beds with two colors struck me as…a different kind of staid, and too similar to monochromatic in perceived energy levels. Not sure why.
The Chihuly atop the fountain was gone, we figured in prep for the bigger show that’s coming in April. Then we found the armature and pieces disassembled and laid out across the floor of one of the rental rooms. Problem solved.
I didn’t find the label on this but assume it’s some azalea variant with thin, spidery petals. Looked distorted. But still pretty.
Saturday, 12 March 2016
Not sure what to write about; I’m immersed in an embarrassment of riches.
Above, Xocolatl hazelnut-chocolate spread on Walker’s shortbread, topped with fresh raspberries. Spectacular simple dessert….
And this, well, the redbuds are opening. Even though I took a happy photo.