"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands........" 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Spring has made her arrival known here on the grounds!

Tiny yellow flowers cover all of the grounds

From a distance, they look like yellow carpet.

This year they have sprouted in every area.......even throughout
the woods.  Their light fragrance fills the air.

They are such a cheery flower! 

My greenhouse is overflowing,  full of different types of cactus,
lemon trees, mums,

and large potted rose bushes.........all healthy
and ready to get out into the spring air.

I collect succulents and cactus that look much like this.
The one in the above photo, I dug  up last year as I was walking
with Sophie here on the grounds.  I also do this to keep them
in large pots, saving them from my husband's mower. 
This one had a crown of red pods last week........

today........it has started blooming.

Such a pretty cactus.

Some cactus I purchase because of their shape, 

and design.

Some are just so pretty, I cannot resist them! 

I have posted about the devil's claw ...or pincushion that
grows here......I collect every one I come upon........some I place in my 
"dry garden "to grow naturally,  some I grow in large containers.
The one on the right in the photo above I have grown for the past 5 years.
It was once as tiny as the one on the left......which I found last year on 
on one of my walks. 

This peanut cactus blooms the most beautiful red blooms.
It is also a favorite of mine.


But out of all of the cactus......I love the devil' s claws the most
Their globe shapes and pretty blooms, captivate me.

I have posted this wonderful fluffy and cheery spring time
cake recipe on my cooking blog.
I make this when I get an abundance of eggs from the hen house.
The recipe is from a 1963 McCall's cookbook and you 
can get the recipe on my blog at this link:


Gentle Spring's around the corner,
      Waiting just to show her face
      And to bring us flowers and sunshine;
      Winter's almost run his race!
Be not, then, my friends, discouraged
      That there's cold and ice and sleet;
      For Springtime soon will be with us,
      And the flowers we will greet:
Daffodils, so bright and yellow,
      Hyacinths of varied hues,
      As they nod their heads, in gladness,
      Telling us they bring good news...
~Gertrude Tooley Buckingham, "Springtime" (1940s)

Wishing you pretty spring weather!

13 comments:

Faith said...

Happy Spring...I just loved looking at the cheerful yellow flower....bright and sunshine filled. I would love to have a green house..look at all the neat stuff you have in there, I wish I was your neighbor. I like Hen n chicks cactus, I bought one recently and it is producing little ones...I ignore it. I'm one of the overwaterers with the cacti I'm afraid. I like String of pearls also, but don't have alot of luck with it...overwater....I have to make a concious effort to not water

Faith said...

I forgot to comment on the Daffodil Cake, I love vintage recipes. Thank you for sharing.

Granny Marigold said...

Those yellow flowers blooming so abundantly make me smile. Isn't it amazing how many early flowers are yellow?
Your huge Cactus ( cacti?) are also amazing. They sure grow fast for you. I have several in a South window and they are old but none taller than maybe 9 inches. Once I had one bloom but only once.

Hill Top Post said...

The little cactus with the crown of red pods is like a little world of its own with so many wonderful things happening all over it. I know you must have so much fun with these strange, but amazing little plants. I hope you had a wonderful first day of spring. We didn't let a little rain spoil ours, for sure!

lil red hen said...

Kathleen, I loved seeing all your cactus plants! They have such interesting shapes and textures. I've only a few hens and chicks. I left them outside this winter up next to the house and I saw yesterday that most are still alive, so I'm hoping they'll perk right up as the temps warm.

Henny Penny said...

This is such a pretty post, and I love all the yellow flowers. I can't imagine living where the cactus grow wild. That is amazing. I love how you collect the baby cactus and keep them. Seeing your greenhouse has made me want to go to work inside mine. It is raining here this morning, but as soon as I have fed the animals, I'm heading up to the greenhouse. :) Thank you!

Debra said...

I always like to see your plants and wildlife-it's so very different from where we live! I love cacti too-I would like to see the giants in a desert some day. Your greenhouse is so very healthy looking!!!

Connie said...

I love the yellow wildflowers that grow there. What a cheery sight! Your cactus are all pretty. They grow in so many different sizes and shapes! Happy spring to you!

happyone said...

Pretty yellow flowers. Still waiting for spring around here!!

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

What a beautiful spring posting. The cake looks so delicious. I love your cactus plants and your greenhouse. The yellow flowers spreading a carpet are so lovely. I also like your spring poem very much. Happy Spring, my friend!

peggy said...

I would so love to visit you! Could stay all day in the greenhouse! And yes, I like the devil's claw the very best. More pictures anytime.

The Wykeham Observer said...

I'm glad those yellow wildflowers have spread throughout your grounds. A beautiful sign of the hope to come. That's a good idea having the roses and cactus in the greenhouse until you are ready to put them outside. I'm having a cup of coffee right now, but alas, I have no cake! Phil/MN

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Hi Kathleen, thanks for bringing a touch of spring to my day! The little yellow flowers reminded me of the blooms on mustard greens that used to cover fields on the VA Eastern Shore. And, I never realized how many different varieties of cacti there were and the ones you posted and named were lovely...my favorite was the peanut butter one and I wondered about a jelly/jam one (smile).