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Tuesday 9 April 2013

A-Z Challenge 2013 - 'H' = Honeysuckle



My A-Z posts this year are based on my garden – flowers, animals, the birds and the bees, butterflies - with a bit of poetry thrown in. For some letters I am expecting to cheat somewhat – a sort of wish they were here.

H – Honeysuckle, Horse Chestnut, Hyacinth, Hydrangea, Heron

Good Lord, how sweetly smells the honeysuckle
In the hush’d night, as if the world were one
Of utter peace, and love, and gentleness.

Honeysuckle
  Now it’s time to cheat a bit and leave the village to visit a nearby wood

Horse Chestnuts (early stage of development)
  Under a spreading chestnut tree
The village smithy stands

Our hyacinths began, not in a wood but in a garden centre pot; they always turn out to be a different colour than we thought. Nevertheless -
Hyacinths blooming in the wood
Fragrantly they are bringing
A primal essence of spring

Hyacinths
And when we were given this plant its flowers were blue, they are different now as you can see

Hydrangeas

Several houses in the neighbourhood have ponds in their grounds which are visited by herons for a take-away. We often see them flying overhead – but not these from Portrack Nature Reserve,

Herons
 Mourn, sooty coots, and speckled teals,
Ye fisher herons, watching eels;

Poems:
  • Honeysuckle – From Gareth and Lynette – Alfred Lord Tennyson
  • The Village Blacksmith – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
  • Spring Flowers –Hyacinths – Mary Havran
  • Herons – Elegy on Captain Matthew Henderson – Robert Burns

8 comments:

ScotSue said...

I am enjoying both your beautiful photographs in this series and the link with some equally beautiful lines of poetry.

Unknown said...

Lovely photographs, and some of my favorite flowers.

Unknown said...

Great photos and comments on them, Bob. I have one lonely hyacinth in a lily patch. I planted it out there abut three years ago and always think I've lost it till we clear away the lily detritus from last year and find it standing proud.

aw said...

I can remember my Dad having problems with a hydrangea changing colour. I know there is something about burying nails with the plant to change the colour but can't recall if it is pink to blue or blue to pink!
Another lovely selection of garden images.

Jo said...

Hope you enjoyed your kippers, Grrr.

You can turn the hydrangea blue again by pouring blueblack ink round its base.

Lovely pictures as always. Miss honeysuckle, has such a wonderful scent.

JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE

Wendy said...

My favorite fragrant flowers - Hyacinth and Honeysuckle.

Kristin said...

The smell of honeysuckle is wonderful. Just yesterday I noticed the wisteria is blooming. Not in our yard yet, but across the street it' blooming all the way up the tree and onto the wires above. So many things are blooming and so much pollen in the air.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Bob - honeysuckle has such a wonderful scent doesn't it .. I took sprigs in to my mother -which she loved. Hydrangeas are another plant I associate with Cornwall .. so great seeing them here ... and the hyancinths ... I used to grow bulbs for my mother - the nurses with scent allergies .. used to tease me!

Oh conkers take me back to my youth and trees in our garden ..

Cheers Hilary