A Gnome at Rest

Spring has definately taken over the back yard. The rose bushes are blooming like mad, and it is so reassuring to see that they made it back. In fact, I had a surprise return this spring. Last year I had to dig up and destroy my 'Neptune' rose. I was sad because that rose was such a beautiful and reliable bloomer. Imagine my surprise when I saw leaves that looked an awful lot like rose leaves. Apparently, 'Neptune' is staging a comeback from the roots. :)

I also finally got to see my Pheasant Eye daffodils bloom. I planted them quite a few years ago but never saw them bloom.

Trees in Silos and an Old Lotus Pot

Last year I bought a beautiful clay pot to grow my lotus in. It was not cheap, I paid about $70 for it. It was so beautiful and the lotus grew in it and bloomed. Fast forward to the winter. My husband and I were eating in the breakfast nook that looks out into the back yard. I thought it sounded like people were shooting in the field behind the house, and wondered what the heck they were doing. The next day, when the snow was gone, we found out what the gunshot noises were. My beautiful pot lay in pieces because I hadn't drained the water out of it before the freeze, and it broke.

Two things happened this spring. In our mad dash across the country too see my Dad, we passed through beautiful farmland. On many of the old farms, there was an interesting sight that I had never noticed before. Trees grew out the tops of old, abandoned silo buildings. I suppose that it does make sense, since trees fight up through thick forests to small openings in the canopies after all. Apparently there are other people whose interest was piqued, because there is a Flickr group dedicated to them. We also started renovating the garden in the back yard (again), and I wanted to find another use for my broken lotus pot. Thinking back to the trees in silos, here is what I came up with:

I pieced together the remains of the pot with the bottom up. I tried to think of what to plant in it, and found this plant. I thought it would be a neat thing to have cheerful orange flowers peeking out of the top. We'll see what it looks like when it fills in. :)