Curiosity Afoot

Hi Princess,
There is certainly a curiosity afoot this year in the gardens, something I haven't quite figured out yet. The second blooms are coming to the old growth snapdragons, and they are roaring, too. It wasn't just a one-time curiosity.

 It looks as though they will roar into high summer. But that's not all. You know I never plant white snapdragons. Of all the dragons, they are the most temperamental. Look what popped up today;

Since only an expert fairy vintner can coax a good wine from a white snapdragon, we usually don't plant them.  The fairies only use a White Snapdragon Wine for the most special of occasions. It's too much trouble, even for the High Summer Festivals. Since we want the fairies to get a belly full of wine to slow them down, the easier the wine is to make, the more of it they will make. The more they make, the more they drink. The more they drink, the slower they get. Odd thing, these white ones came up in a patch of purple snapdragons, and the purple ones haven't opened yet. So it seems it was placed there before i put in the purple ones. Curious.
The Lilies came in also, but I'm still worried it could be too late for the First Fairies. Hopefully all the Daffodils and Hyacinths were enough to attract a First Fairy, I was worried about the Lilies being so late. And again, another curiosity;

 Last year, this lily was all pink. This year, you can see the white in the center. And the only Morning Glory and Moon Flowers to bloom have been the white ones. Odd; as in most years, the blues and purples come in first, with the white ones coming in late summer. This year, so far nothing but white. And if that wasn't enough, do you remember the pale yellow Day Lily? Look at this;

As you can see, it's not a pale yellow this year, it's Golden. Something mysterious and magical is afoot indeed, but I haven't figured out what it might be.

More here; The Fairy Garden

A Dragon Roars?

Curious things are all around the gardens this spring, there is a mystery afoot indeed. As you know, the hard winter freeze we had killed all but one of the old-growth Snapdragons. If we are to put out the best fairy bait, then we know old-growth snapdragons are a must. No Proper Fairy would be seen in a garden without snapdragons to make wine with. And we know old-growth snapdragons make the sweetest wines, so I was concerned about the hunt this year. I did put out some first year snapdragons, as they are better than no snapdragons at all. They are doing well; Regal Dragons Indeed;

A proper pink, and stout enough for an acceptable wine. A fairy will pry open the head, scoop out the pollen and boil it into Snapdragon wine. Any Proper Fairy knows a good Snapdragon wine is a key ingredient to a successful soirée during the high summer festivals. Here is the curious thing; something I have never seen in all my years of hunting the fae. The one Old-Growth Snapdragon to survive the winter;

It seems this Dragon is roaring it's exuberance at surviving the winter, a winter that so little survived. Like it's roaring it's greeting to the long awaited spring. No fairy will have to work hard to gather pollen from this Dragon. It came back a much richer pink this year, too, hinting at the sweetest of a Snapdragon Wine.
 All the Proper Fairies will be wanting this vintage at their gatherings this year.  And we know it's easier to catch a Proper Fairy when they have a belly full of wine from an afternoon gathering, for they become slow and sleepy, and more likely to make a mistake. All signs are pointing to a mischief afoot in the gardens, a magic about. I can't wait for High Summer, it could be a very special year indeed.

More Here; The Fairy Garden 

Fairy Bait

Hey Princess,
 The first of the fairy bait has arrived in the gardens. This could be the year we finally catch one. All the signs are pointing to a good year for fairies.

The fox gloves are terrific this year, the garden could become the place for any high fashion fairy to be this summer.

More here; The Fairy Garden
To be continued....as things come up.