March 20th, 2002
Gardening Blues

Blue flowers alone make a sad garden.

Two weeks ago, the garden was awash in the yellows of three different kinds of daffodils blooming at once. This week it is a sea of blue: bluebonnets, Spanish bluebells, grape hyacinths, false dayflowers, and Dutch irises. In a couple of weeks there will be even more blues as the bearded irises and the Nigella damascena opens.

I have a weakness for blue flowers. Whenever I see a photo of one in the seed or plant catalogs, I’m immediately attracted to it. However, an all blue garden is somber. Even the boy, S., said, “It needs more colors.”

So I have planted the yellow daffodils, white, pink, and yellow roses, pink evening primrose, species tulips, and pale golden irises. Had it not been for the freeze at the end of February, the roses and the larkspur would be blooming now. But this year, the garden is once again going through a blue period.

I’m on the lookout for more flowers. Frequently azaleas bloom this week, and although I’m attracted to them, I don’t want to fight their environmental requirements for a much more acid soil than I can provide naturally.

If you live in zone 8, especially in central Texas, let me know what non-blue flowers are blooming in your yard this week.

by M Sinclair Stevens

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