 | 5 May 10 |
I’ve spent the days since I returned from the Romantic Times Conference very jealous. Of what? Not of news of my writer friends signing new contracts, or other writers receiving award nominations, or other writers sales leading to a spot on the NY Times Bestsellers list, or my writer buddies signing with a different publishing house in a new genre, or their kick ass covers or their successful pitches to new editors. I’m excited and thrilled for them. Honestly.
My jealousy stems from…flowers.
See, what little time I spent outside the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Columbus, I couldn’t help but notice that everything is blooming in Columbus. All the trees are completely leafed out. Pots of flowers–pansies and petunias–were scattered about, as they are past the danger of frost in that part of the country.
Not so in western South Dakota. As a matter of fact…we had gigantic snowflakes yesterday. Nothing stuck to the ground, but still…I glared at the scraggly chokecherry bushes in the clearing outside my window, wondering when I’d be treated to the scent of sweet smelling blossoms drifting on the spring breeze.
And don’t get me started on my lilac envy. The scent of lilacs is my very favorite scent in the whole world. In fact, I have a lilac candle going year round. When I saw the lilac bushes all over Columbus bursting with those heavy purple blooms, I actually whined. Whined! I’m an adult woman. I know better than to give in to envy.
The lesson for me, is that everything blooms at it’s own pace–flowers, children, and yes, careers. I know my lilacs will bloom eventually, it’s just hard to be patient.
Don’t get me started on why the peonies around here are still in stalk form.
So share your favorite flower in the comments and I’ll toss your name in the pot for a $10 Borders giftcard and a packet of wildflowers…
Here’s a picture taken last spring in the clearing up the road from my house:
Here are more pictures, sent to me by a fan in Texas, who knows I lived in Texas and still have dreams of the fields of bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes.
© 2010, Lori G. Armstrong. All rights reserved.
Lori G. Armstrong left the firearms industry in 2000. Her first mystery novel, BLOOD TIES, published in 2005, was nominated in 2006 for a Shamus Award for Best First Novel by the Private Eye Writers of America. The second book in the Julie Collins mystery series, HALLOWED GROUND, released Nov. 2006, was nominated for a 2007 Shamus Award for Best Paperback Original, a Daphne du Maurier Award and won the 2007 WILLA Cather Literary Award for Best Original Softcover Fiction. SHALLOW GRAVE, released in Nov. 2007, was nominated for a 2008 High Plains Book Award, a Daphne du Maurier Award and was a finalist for the 2008 WILLA Cather Literary Award. The fourth book, SNOW BLIND, released in Oct. 2008, won the 2009 Shamus Award, from the Private Eye Writers of America, for Best Paperback Original. Lori is a proud fourth generation South Dakotan and lives in Rapid City with her family.
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Lori, I love flowers! I have my first ever peony in a vase on my table. Roses, wisteria, and irises are blooming beautifully in my yard! Still waiting for my career to “bloom” fully!
by Debra Webb May 5th, 2010 at 9:02 amDebra, I have peony envy.
When I had daughter #2 in early June, my mom brought me a huge bouquet of peonies from her garden. The flowers are pretty far behind the curve this year…
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 9:57 amI love this post. It is so . . . uplifting.
I love carnations. They were my grandma’s favorite flower, and I loved my grandma
They don’t really have a scent, but they last a long time and they are soft and beautiful to look at.
For scent, I love honeysuckle vines. I don’t so much love the bees that come with them.
by Allison Brennan May 5th, 2010 at 9:04 amThanks Allison. You know, I don’t believe I’ve ever smelled a honeysuckle vine, as that’s not something that grows around here.
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 9:58 amOh, Lori, you have missed out. Honeysuckle (white flowers) and yellow jasmine (stunning yellow flowers) have a wonderful, rich smell, not entirely unlike the lilac smell.
I’m not sure I have a favorite. I’m a flower slut–anything that’s blooming makes me happy. Which you would not know to look at my yard because there’s nary a blooming thing planted here anymore. I used to garden (out front) and keep the beds full of flowers, but I haven’t done it for the last couple of years, and I miss it. I’d also have tons of pots on the front porch to greet people with flowers, but I need a new watering system to keep up with all of them, or they just wilt and die in this heat. (Watering time was getting to the point of taking two hours a night–which I just didn’t have.)
Now I’m bummed… I’m going to have to see about getting some plants into pots if nothing else, just to enjoy the color.
My fantasy is one day getting our entire back yard landscaped into a sort of secret-garden theme, with winding walkways and hidden fountains and little nooks to sit and view the greenery.
by toni mcgee causey May 5th, 2010 at 11:26 amToni, I know southern native flowers are very different from ours and I would love to experience them in all parts of the country
I didn’t plant flowers last year either, but with daughter #2 graduating, I’ll need to plant something so my pots aren’t barren during her party. My mom has a green thumb so she’s offered to help.
And I fell in love with the book The Secret Garden, for a number of reasons and I’ve always wanted one of my own too
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 1:47 pmWhen we were married, I carried a mixed bouquet of brightly colored flowers–back in the 60′s, it was all about avoiding the ‘establishment’. Hubster rode his bike home from UCLA and would bring me flowers if, as he put it, “If I have a dollar and an empty pack.” They were usually carnations or daisys, which hold a special place in my heart.
In Florida, we couldn’t grow “regular” flowers and I always envied those who lived up north with the daffodils, tulips, and lilacs.
I have no clue about flowers in the Colorado mountains. I know some people have daffodils and the like popping up, but there’s still too much of a freeze possibility — and in our yard, all they’d be would be deer food, I think.
by Terry Odell May 5th, 2010 at 9:16 amThe deer are a problem here too…I don’t know what your elevation is Terry, but we’re at 3500 feet and I know my daughter in Laramie – elevation 7500 feet, is still getting a rain/snow mix.
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 9:59 am9100 feet, give or take. We’re on a hilly acre.
by Terry Odell May 5th, 2010 at 8:06 pmHoly cow, that’s high, Terry. Totally off the subject, but when you bake, do you have to follow the high altitude directions? Have you noticed a difference in your breathing? Whenever we are at sea level, I feel like I can walk/exercise forever because there’s more air
by Lori Armstrong May 6th, 2010 at 7:29 am[...] Bloom Where You’re Planted Blog Post [...]
by Lori Armstrong » Blog Archive » Bloom Where You’re Planted May 5th, 2010 at 9:30 amI’m with Allison. I miss honeysuckles! They used to grow like mad in our backyard at my parents’ house.
I Boulder we have beautiful bright tulips that grow all around the county. They don’t smell, but the colors are fantastic.
And I’ve been trying to get lavender to grow on my porch.
by Becky LeJeune May 5th, 2010 at 10:09 amI love tulips, Becky, unfortunately, so do the deer…
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 11:01 amI love tulips, too!
by Allison Brennan May 5th, 2010 at 12:46 pmI planted vivid red tulips at our old house and I often wonder how they’re doing…and it might sound terrible, but I see tulips and I just want to cut them for my own.
I never do, but I think about it!
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 1:48 pmI love wildflowers! And not to rub it in, but we’ve had an especially beautiful season in the Texas Hill Country this year because of all the rain. Oceans of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, and black-eyed Susans.
The other ones I love around here are the red poppies. Thanks for sharing your pics!
by Laura Griffin May 5th, 2010 at 10:15 amThanks for rubbing it in, Laura
Kidding. I cannot explain to people the beauty of the flowers in Texas unless you’ve seen them firsthand!
I have a pic of a field of poppies in TX too!
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 11:02 amI love orange daisies, they’re simple but colorful!
by Jeanette Juan May 5th, 2010 at 10:31 amWe have wild daisies up in the hills Jeanette, but they are the plain white variety.
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 11:03 amI’m jealous because I couldn’t go to RT this past weekend and I live only an hour and a half away.
I’m not gloating I swear, but my peonies opened today. I’m so happy, their one of my favorite flowers. Too bad my tulips are all done for the year.
by HollyD May 5th, 2010 at 10:55 amHolly,
Okay, I have to live vicariously through you, but what color are your peonies? The dark purple pink? Light pink? White?
Come on, spill!
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 11:04 amThey’re bright pink, my favorite.
by HollyD May 5th, 2010 at 1:01 pmOoh, and I bet they have that soft, soapy smell.
Dammit. Hurry up, peonies
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 1:49 pmMy favorite flowers are roses, irises, & lilies of the valley. I don’t miss the late springs in SD at all, but I do miss the lilac bushes in Michigan.
by Krysten H May 5th, 2010 at 11:06 amI forgot about lillies of the valley, Krysten, I’ll have to go out and check my little patch of them to see if they’re up yet
by Lori G. Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 11:14 amOh Darlin, maybe this will help…when we came to live in California I was thrilled as all get out EXCEPT I soon learned you can’t grow lilacs here. I adore lilacs…biking along a lilac hedge in Evanston Illinois with my husband is one of my most cherished memories. I tried the special variety bred for warm climes but it didn’t work – too little humidity, I suspect.
Which led me to my own philosophical conclusion, maybe a corrollary to your beautiful one, which is that every life has its own particular blooms, none lovelier than any other.
I also tried for years to grow blueberries, another sentimental favorite, and after 5 yrs. I do have a little shrub out back that puts out enough berries each year for a single handful. But I have to say my favorite is my roses. You can turn them into an entire hobby, the way they grow here, and they are in all the mission gardens, ancient knobby things that reach twenty feet tall.
Loved the meadow picture btw…
by sophie littlefield May 5th, 2010 at 11:32 amSophie, I always wanted to get married when the lilacs bloom, but around here, it’s never the same time of year.
It’s cool that one flower brings so many different memories
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 1:51 pmAck, I can so relate. Living in Edmonton, I should be used to May winter storms but was again shocked when we had seven inches of the white stuff dash my gardening hopes yesterday.
Daisies are my thing. My Mom always describes them as “happy flowers” – and she’s right. Whenever I look at them, I smile. (Though, tulips are a close second…)
by Dawn May 5th, 2010 at 11:33 amDawn, love the phrase dashing gardening hopes
— I am so there.
Daisies are a universal fave, aren’t they?
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 2:42 pmMy wisteria bloomed and is gone. I have an antique rose struggling to put out buds and my peony bush has two buds. We shall see if they make it to full blossom. The irises are almost done but the day lilies and giant phlox are working on growth spurts prior to blooming. The Only brought a fistful of Indian Paintbrush home and they’re in a vase on the kitchen table. (I even cleared off the table so they could be seen-LOL!) The blue bells peeked out, got caught in a late cold snap and disappeared.
But my favorite flower? Hydrangeas. I hope the bush will bloom this year. It struggled last year.
by Silver James May 5th, 2010 at 12:33 pmSilver, can’t you change the color of hydreangas by what type of fertilizer you feed them? They always look so surreal to me – like they could’ve come from Avatar
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 2:44 pmYou can, Lori. The pH of the soil determines the color. Acidic soils produce blue flowers, neutral soils create cream-colored, almost white petals, and alkaline soils result in pink or purple. I like the blue or cream, myself.
by Silver James May 5th, 2010 at 3:49 pmI love crocus. Such a simple, elegant, and yet cute flower and such pretty bright colors. Not to mention they’re the first things to bloom around here. Crocus, to me, shout HELLO SPRING!
by Alice May 5th, 2010 at 12:36 pmAlice, I agree, we have pasque flowers here that signal spring, but I haven’t seen any this year because they too, are a favorite of deer
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 1:54 pmMy favorites are the native geraniums we have in our yard. I’m thinking they are called that because they are native to Washington? They just sprouted little flowers this last week. I guess I should enjoy them while I can because shortly, this yard won’t be mine anymore. I wonder if they’ll grow in Colorado. They come back every year without me doing anything, and every so often I dig some up and put them in other parts of the yard. I love them.
BTW, it’s flipping cold here, after a year of essentially no snow, it tried to snow here yesterday!
by Robin Lang May 5th, 2010 at 12:41 pmRobin, I don’t know if geraniums are native to Washington. I love them, but mine never look as good as my mom’s.
I’d take some to CO with you, if you could
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 1:53 pmI love flowers. My irises and roses are blooming now. My favorite flowers are hollyhocks.
by CrystalGB May 5th, 2010 at 12:49 pmCrystal, have you every made hollyhock “dolls” with the live blooms?
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 1:52 pmMy favorite flower is the tulip but I don’t have much luck with them. I think the moles get them or something!
by Quilt Lady May 5th, 2010 at 2:01 pmMoles? Really? I envision Bugs Bunny plucking carrots from underground
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 2:48 pmI like white roses. I just think they look so pretty and classy.
by Chelsea B. May 5th, 2010 at 2:12 pmI love roses too, Chelsea – I had hot pink ones in my wedding bouquet, and whenever I needed cheering up, I used to buy myself sterling silver roses, which are a beautiful lavender color…
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 2:46 pmI absolutely love daffodils! They are bright and sunny. They are so bright and sunny. I also love tulips, irises, roses and wildflowers. Flowers make spring “Spring!”
by Lisa G. May 5th, 2010 at 3:26 pmI’ve never had luck growing daffodils, but we had a whole plot of iris at our first house, and my mom had the most gorgeous bearded iris in her various flower patches
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 5:52 pmMy favorite flowers are carnations because they smell nice and are pretty.
by Terri May 5th, 2010 at 3:32 pmTerri, some carnations do have a nice, spicy scent, don’t they?
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 5:53 pmI love when the hills around here bloom with California poppies and it is just fields and fields of orange from here to the top of the hills. That is about all the spring we get in Northern California before it is 90 +
by Jill James May 5th, 2010 at 3:48 pmJill, I would love to see a picture of the orange poppies – sounds wonderful!
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 5:55 pmWow, those pictures are gorgeous! I just want to run through those flower fields now.
This is a tough question. I really don’t have a favorite flower. I love them all! But if my life depended on answering this question, I’d say…orange miniature roses. And orange lilies. Okay, pretty much any orange flower!!!
by Laura Marcella May 5th, 2010 at 4:05 pmLaura, At one time my husband had two areas filled with different varieties of orange roses and I had a fresh flower on my desk every day in the summer
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 5:54 pmThose are absolutely beautiful flowers and I wish we had that much color here. I especially don’t have a green thumb and can never keep plants alive for very long. Instead, I buy them. I absolutely adore tulips and buy them for myself whenever I need cheering up.
by Joder May 5th, 2010 at 4:09 pmJoder, flowers are great for a self cheer up, aren’t they?
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 5:55 pmI love my red knock-out roses–they’re blooming like crazy this week! And such a cheerful-looking color. My original attempt at a rose garden had an unfortunate ending with not one, but two sinkholes in the yard–not very attractive! So I planted these by my mailbox and front door. Please Mother Nature, send no more monsoons to GA.
by Linda Gilmer May 5th, 2010 at 5:06 pmLinda, I had unfortunate endings with a few things I planted here, too, when I didn’t realize the severity of the deer problem. I miss my hostas…
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 5:57 pmStarburst lilies!!
by Sylvia Day May 5th, 2010 at 5:23 pmI had stargazer lillies in my wedding bouquet too, Syl
Hubby still buys them for me whenever he sees them, even when I’ve never had luck growing them.
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 5:50 pmSylvia, I thought you might say “DAY” lillies — hee hee
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 6:00 pmWhat a wonderful post, Lori. Just this year, I discovered that I have a green thumb. Who knew? Certainly not me, but I decided our patio needed plants on the inside – our world is full of them on the outside, and Mother Nature (and my cute lawn guy) take care of those. But inside the screen, there was no greenery. So I started with a three…they lived, they thrived, in fact. Now I have over twenty plants, each with their own personality. And now I’ve started on the upstairs patio. My husband shudders when I leave for Lowe’s.
Gorgeous pictures, thanks! xo
by Roxanne St. Claire May 5th, 2010 at 5:45 pmRocki, isn’t it cool when you find something you’re good at that you had no idea you could do? Do you have all blooming plants? Or green leafy ones?
by Lori Armstrong May 5th, 2010 at 5:59 pmMy favorite flowers are daffodils when they bloom you know springs here. I also love Honeysuckle they have the best smell and when we were little we would pick them and take of the back and suck them you would get the best sweet taste in your mouth. It’s amazing that when your kids you don’t think anything about doing things like that. These days there’s no way I would do that because now I realize you could get a nice bug too.
by Sherry S. May 5th, 2010 at 7:15 pmSherry, we used to do the same thing with columbines, bite the ends off for the sweet taste
–
by Lori Armstrong May 6th, 2010 at 8:07 amMy favorite flower is the daffodil. I love seeing it bloom at the end of a very long winter. And I love it’s color.
Debra
by Debra S May 5th, 2010 at 7:39 pmDebra, I have daffodils that haven’t ever bloomed in my yard, but I keep hoping!
by Lori Armstrong May 6th, 2010 at 8:08 amOh Lori! I can’t choose just one flower. I’m no longer able to garden like I used to, and how I miss “digging in the dirt!” I understand your flower envy. I still have roses and some potted flowers and herbs. But I miss planting impatiens, petunias, bluebonnets (Go Texas!) pansies, stock, snapdragons, alyssum, marigolds, daisies, salvia, and whatever else might have caught my eye.
by GSM May 5th, 2010 at 8:40 pmI cannot wait to fill my pots with those summer flowers that love heat and sun, since both my decks get full summer sun! I love marigolds, all sizes and colors!
by Lori Armstrong May 6th, 2010 at 8:09 amI love tulips and they come in so many colors like yellow, red and purple.
by Jane May 5th, 2010 at 9:45 pmTulips and daisies seem to be the universal faves
by Lori Armstrong May 6th, 2010 at 7:39 amI love flowers! My backyard is in bloom. Of course I’m sneezing my head off too.
by Karin Tabke May 6th, 2010 at 12:55 amKarin, hope that little sweet granddaughter gives Grammy some flowers for Mother’s Day this weekend
by Lori Armstrong May 6th, 2010 at 7:31 amI’m I too late to leave a comment?
I love all kind of flowers but I don’t know all of their names. Here a few: Sunflower, Magnolia, white Roses.
Wow, I have’t thought that in South Dakota it’s still winter.
by Sabine May 6th, 2010 at 1:13 amOn time everything in my yard is blooming. Hope spring is coming to you soon.
Sabine,
It SNOWED here last night. Not even joking.
Sigh.
by Lori Armstrong May 6th, 2010 at 7:30 amI love lilacs – they’ve already bloomed in Mpls – and I cut them from my neighbor’s bushes. Daffodils and iris are my favorite flowers. Oh, can’t forget morning glories, petunias and so many more!
by Karen B May 6th, 2010 at 8:04 amLilacs have already bloomed in the Twin Cities? Damn. We are SO far behind this year…
by Lori Armstrong May 6th, 2010 at 8:09 amI am not sure what the flower are called but they are kinda papery feeling, when they are dried the petals are very stiff.
by Amanda May 6th, 2010 at 11:25 amI’m not sure either, Amanda…
by Lori Armstrong May 6th, 2010 at 2:55 pmRoses are my favorite flower.
by Maureen May 8th, 2010 at 8:46 am