Things Take Time - and luck

There was a bit of Forsythia behind Bill's house before I knew him. Thirty years of benign neglect allowed it to spread. But it's borderline hardy and although it grows steadily, most years it only blooms at the bottom where it's been protected by snow in the winter. This past winter was extraordinarily mild and last week we were stunned by this display.

About thirty years ago Bill and I planted a two-foot tall Magnolia joking that someday we'd be able to sit under it drinking mint juleps. Looks like this is the year for it.

Every year I swear I won't plant anything more. And every year I do anyway. We're disappointed that some plants don't thrive, the deer eat some and a few just "take themselves off" as a gardening friend used to say. But many do survive and thrive and remind us of good times we've had and gardening friends who've shared things with us.

All this scilla must have started as seeds in the soil of something we transplanted from Bill Hamilton's garden. He died years ago and we miss him. But every spring this scilla, and many other plants around the yard remind us of him.