Every spring teta Ruza, Hrvoje and I would go pick crocuses (pl. croci ?) in the nearby Maksimir forest. When we’d get home teta Ruza would put them in a yoghurt cup next to her sink. This was my favourite spring tradition.
I’ve got a single patch of crocuses growing in my garden this year. It was a bit of touch-and-go this morning when a garbage can rolled over them, but they’re still going strong.
One of my favourite experiences last year was visiting the Death Valley desert. There is something so amazing about the desert, a sense of bravado, a touch of daring do. It absolutely astounds me that things can survive, and even thrive, in this environment. I loved the desert because, even though it seems so bare, you can sense the strong presence of life.
Chris took this picture in August ’04:
Evidently, I was right to think this. Due to huge amounts of rain in California this year, the deserts in the area have been flooded with wild flower blooms whose seeds have been accumulating for years.
One of many pretty pictures from www.desertusa.com:
I wish I could go and see it myself, but alas, all I have is the Internet. This site has the nicest pictures I could find. And there is a nice little Quicktime 360 shot here.
* This reference is so obvious all I’ll say is that you’ve probably heard it on CHOM or some other commercial radio station.
This year was a bit trying on the house plants. The dirt I bought was not the optimal kind and I’ve made some bad potting desicions. That’ll teach me. I still got some nice blooms though. Yay!
I was quite disappointed this spring when almost none of my half a dozen or so iris clumps bloomed. It turned out that one of the clumps had worms when I bought it and it infected everyone else. I used biological weapon referred to as nematodes – tiny things that feast on iris borers that attacked my plant. It looked like the thing worked because I have a nice iris blooming in the fall. Yay!
I am not a very good gardener, I just like to play in the dirt and watch plants grow. Regardless, most of my gardening foo comes from reading this site. It is about gardening and it is funny. Even if you’re not into gardening, the ‘Don’t do this’ section is hilarious.