The language of flowers

Ken just e-mailed to ask if I wanted him to order some daffodil bouquets from the American Cancer Society, and I said yes! Of course! Because daffodils are one of my favorite flowers. I love that they're one of the first things to bloom. I love that they bloom in time for my late March birthday. I love that they were one of the few things the deer in Tuxedo Park didn't eat. I love that they're often fragrant. I love that they (at least the King Alfred variety) are so unapologetically, screamingly, in-your-facedly yellow.

And suddenly I'm spending this winter's afternoon thinking about flowers. Here's my list of faves. What does your list look like?

1. Peonies--my hands down favorite. In my next life I want to be a peony farmer, although I will only cultivate those with a heady scent.

2. Roses--my front yard is filled with Fragrant Cloud, which is a coral rose, touched by a sheen of blue.

3. Pansies--I have nothing but respect for this tough cheerful little customer. The orange shades smell best, but a yard full of sky blue pansies is heartbreakingly beautiful.

4. Iris--you see I have a fondness for the traditional, late-spring bloomers. When the air is warm, I want to lie down on the grass, close my eyes, and inhale clouds of iris.

5. Oriental poppies--Becky once said they were the dopiest plants on earth with their big hairy foilage and floppy stems. But who can resist the brilliant papery blooms? They only bloom for about a week. But I think they're worth waiting for.

And, of course, daffodils--soon appearing in a garden close to you!

A thought

So I have this big sprawling hairy dopey orange oriental poppy that is taking over my front yard. I've tried pulling it up year after year, but it always comes back, so I've just said FINE. Whatever. YOU WIN, BIG SPRAWLING HAIRY DOPEY ORANGE ORIENTAL POPPY! Because you know what? If something wants to BE that badly, then I probably oughta just let that thing be.

It's a tricky life act--trying to figure out when to do battle and when to surrender.

May . . .

. . . is the best smelling month.

Yesterday I went on a ramble through the Aves, which quickly morphed into an extended sniffing tour. Lilacs! Daphne! Viburnum! Not to mention Sweet Woodruff, crabapple blossom, late tulips and Cheerfulness daffodils. It's just extraordinary that all of this LIFE is so accessible. Step out of your front door and there it is.

Last year during a particularly trying spell, the thought occurred to me that no matter how bad things got, I could always step out of my front door and see some beautiful thing. Every. Single. Day.

And I did.