• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Home Garden Companion

Home Garden Companion

Ilona's Garden Journal

  • Plant Library On The Journal
    • All Season Garden Color
    • Sitemap
  • Garden chores
    • Essential Garden Tools For Beginners
    • Garden Tips and Advice
  • Ilona’s Garden Home
    • Old House Blog
    • Garden Librarian
  • Ilona’s Garden Flavor Shop
  • Privacy Policy

early bloomers

18.04.10 | Joanne Dibble | 4 Comments

here in the ga. piedmont, we are in the full flush of spring; the many sweet smells
of a dixie springtime are almost overwhelming in the still night air. a huge wisteria
vine climbs into my old magnolia tree; they seem to co-exist well, and i havent
got the heart to do the “right”thing, which would be cutting the vines out of the tree
[ it would take a bucket truck, anyway]
i am a laissez-faire gardener, and as the magnolia seems to flourish year after year,
i see no reason to deny myself the mixture of their heady scents, come summer.

the precession of fragrant blooms begin in late january, with winter honeysuckle’s
[ lonicera sp.] pale little waxy yellow blooms flooding the air with impossibly
strong lemony perfume. a “wake-up call” that winter’s end is near. this year
in spite of winter’s unusually cold temps, they arrived slightly later, but bloomed
profusely all through february. they are the first note in the song of fragrant early
flowers…directly after, the various narcissi appear, one by one and join their sweet
odor in harmony, onward into february’s cold snaps.

march blew in like a lion, but sunshine brought out a few early gold wild jasmine blooms,
as well as brilliant new green grass. the wisteria begins to flower, culminating in the huge
lush purple column, in full bloom in early april. the wild pear and pinklipped apple
blossoms sing of the coming early summer. two ancient black locust trees add hints
of vanilla to the chorus. their blooms are in small white cascades- quite similar to wisteria
clusters. the yard gardenias [and my bonsai dwarf] are full of palegreen buds. when they
come to blooming-time, within a week. the air will be intoxicating as a carefully
constructed french perfume, with its many layers of scents blended into a glorious whole.

the nights are a bit cool- ranging in the mid 50’s- but you can find me outside in the
wooden yard-chair,wrapped in a quilt…for hours i breathe this symphony of smells,
picking out the notes and harmonies until i am scent-drunk, and ready for bed.
with the nights warming and all my windows open, i rest in my bed with the
flower orchestra soothing me to sleep.

~soft hypnotic scents / floating in darkness / fragrant sedative~

vty, j-lea

Share this:

  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

← Previous Post
Springtime Garden Tips
Next Post →
Visit Hocking Hills- Lonadawn

About Joanne Dibble

DISCLOSURE: I may be an affiliate for products that I recommend. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Thank you, in advance for your support! Privacy Policy

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ilona says

    April 18, 2010 at 12:13 pm

    lovely, J., you have transported me 🙂

    The South always seems to have a sensual perfume that the North only manages for a brief time in June. Yet, we never have quite that overtaking combination of scents and trance-inducing warmth. I’ve wondered whether the climate gives rise to the sweet words that Southern writers exhibit – like yours!

  2. Michelle says

    April 18, 2010 at 1:52 pm

    Beautious!

  3. Rob (ourfrenchgarden) says

    April 18, 2010 at 7:15 pm

    I’m there. I can smell the perfume from here. Frankly, I’d live on that porch.

  4. johanna_lea says

    April 20, 2010 at 2:16 pm

    thanks youall!

    rob, my old house has huge windows
    almost to the floor. also no A/C,
    so they are always wide open. i practically live out there anyway, but screens help w.
    voracious mosquitos.

Primary Sidebar

Oh, hi there!

I was a garden blog pioneer, and began writing on this blog in 2003. Before that I had begun a garden website that has been at its own domain since 2006, Ilona's Garden.

I still love writing, gardening, and art after all these years, although travel and grandchildren have become a big part of my life, now.

Newest Postings Here

  • Hawaiian Flower Arrangements
  • HELLLOOOO, From The Other Side
  • February Gardening, Last of Winter in the Flower Garden
  • Compilation of Past Mini-Posts of 2003
  • Wayback in Ilona Garden Time

Visit for a Spell

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Mission

Finding your way home via the garden path

Books, Tools, Tips

Read reviews from the GardenLibarian

Portrait of a Gardener

gardener musings
Musings

What’s Wrong With Today’s Gardening?

Modern gardening
What Is Wrong?

Garden Journal

fine garden journal
Journal, Planner and Log Book
buy quality plants

You might also like

seeds

National Seed Swap Day in January

Garden advice

What Makes a Low Maintenance Garden?

Create A Child’s Garden, Grow Love For Nature

Growing Indoor Flowers In December

I Found Out About “She Sheds” And Coincidentally, About Friends

Newest Postings Here

  • Hawaiian Flower Arrangements
  • HELLLOOOO, From The Other Side
  • February Gardening, Last of Winter in the Flower Garden
  • Compilation of Past Mini-Posts of 2003
  • Wayback in Ilona Garden Time

Books, Tools, Tips

Read reviews from the GardenLibarian

Standouts

10 Useful Gardening Tips For Spring

Do You Grow Herbs? 10 Reasons To Love Them

10 Cool Season Annual Flowers To Plant

Standouts

August Gardening: Ten Suggestions

What are your ten top choices for perennial plantings?

ilonagarden

With village lights With village lights
Christmas decor #christmasspirit🎄 Christmas decor #christmasspirit🎄
Instagram post 17935013548845771 Instagram post 17935013548845771
Instagram post 17981374354427684 Instagram post 17981374354427684
Instagram post 17865517706595888 Instagram post 17865517706595888
Gift of flowers by my bedside Gift of flowers by my bedside
#mockorange #juneflowers #ohio #mockorange #juneflowers #ohio
Instagram post 18224713828022497 Instagram post 18224713828022497
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Join Me

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 · Your Site Name

Hazel Theme by Code + Coconut