I Love Spring

My garden bursts into a frenzy of blooming in April. The fern-like plant with the pink flowers is our native Pacific bleeding heart. The tall stems of tiny yellow flowers is another native--fringecup. The Skagit Indians pounded fringecup, boiled it and drank the tea for any kind of sickness, especially lack of appetite, not a remedy I’m ever likely to be in need of. The bluebells and not-yet-flowering iris are not Pacific Northwest natives, but isn’t the blue beautiful? I have a sea of blue washing all through the yard and garden. The bluebells are borderline invasive, but I love them anyway.

Plants play an important role in the settings of my novels. Some reviewers have mentioned how they felt they were really a part of the scene when they read my books. You can read excerpts of the novels and the reviews on my Web site: www.linda-wallace.com.

Lilacs are special to me because I associate them with my childhood in Missouri. My grandmother had huge purple and white lilac bushes, big enough to climb inside and hide. My mother has large lilacs now, too. My lavender lilac doesn’t get enough sun, so it’s rather stunted, but it still produces the lovely familiar fragrance that transports me back to my tomboy skinned-knee days.

Azaleas grow on both sides of the front steps. What a glorious color!

I planted the dianthus last summer in an old watering bucket. It came back this spring with a new round of pretty little pink flowers. I bought pots and pots of dianthus last spring to decorate the tables for a garden party in honor of my daughter’s wedding. My daughter and son-in-law will celebrate their first anniversary May 5. I think the return of the dianthus must be a good sign for a successful marriage.