Fleeting Flowers

I had a whole herd of gorgeous tulips this spring. They were late to bloom, but when they did, last fall's frenzied planting made sense. I had about 30 red tulips which looked great against the white house. Then, about a week later, the pink and white swirled blooms I had completely forgotten about appeared one sunny morning. Heck, I had even forgotten about the daffodils!

I kept waiting for the perfect morning to take the perfect spring picture. I wanted the morning light to be just right - which seems to happen about the time I leave for work - and a light breeze to add some loft to the flag. The morning I had an extra minute, my camera's batteries were uncooperative. Manana, manana, I thought.

Then one morning, they were gone. Strong winds and heavy rains ripped most of the petals from their moorings. Over the next couple days, the remaining petals dropped to the ground and started rotting on the lawn.

Oh, well. The petunias are doing pretty well, and the snapdragons are holding on for the moment. Today, I hit Lowe's and got tons of seeds (zinnias, nasturtiums and aubrietas) and a few cheater marigolds. I went ahead and planted all but some of the zinnias. Once the stems and leaves of the tulips die, I'll plant the rest.

But for now, here's a drooping daffodil next to a growing petunia.