Nowadays we can buy fresh flowers imported from all over the world 12 months a year. When I grew up most store flowers were grown in Norwegian greenhouses. January was a rather naked month, the Christmas decorations were boxed away and outdoors snow and naked trees as long as the eye could see.
"Now I go outdoors and fetch the spring indoors," my Mom would say, wading in the snow towards the Forsythia shrubs.
Then, as a yearly, smiling refrain; " the only specie to blossom on a naked twig."
January first is the day I fight the frost to harvest some Forsythia twigs for me and my friends.A week after the first buds and a few blossoms sprung.
I have spring in my kitchen!
Photo and poem © 2012 by Magical Mystical Teacher
15 comments:
Great post for Ruby Tuesday!
Wow! How lovely is that flower! And adore the artistic pattern on the tall vase holding the flowers!
The mere hint of life is what we see in the forsythia leaves. Your mon taught you the moral and upright ways in her life and example. The young mind will take the righteous path if their parents, really their first teacher, show tem the way. Your mom did...and showed you the way, So nice!
I am amazed at how early you have forsythia..ours blooms in early April.
I also like the vase you used.
Happy Ruby Tuesday!
such a beautiful reminder of your mother. my mother took care of the rose bushes, this year they missed her and did not flower so well
Oh I love this! My momma loves Forsythia and would love having some Spring in the house. Is there any special instructions about cutting it to make it bud? How do I do it?
The Forsythias will want to have had a frost night before being picked. I always place them in cold water on a sunny indoor spot.
I've never really tried to "harvest" them in December. Yellow is for spring..
One should see small almost match stick head large brown/black buds before taking them indoors.
After one week the buds will grow till size above match stick heads, and you can spot the coming yellow.
Try to find twigs with many small stalks on them. The Forsythia is such a rewarding shrub. The more twigs you break off, the more buds will come next year.
I have to add, my mother managed to plant twigs out in the garden, get new roots and new shrubs. So far I have not succeeded, but I will keep trying.
Hei Elise, I too love Forsythia, I got to love them when I spent the year in Stavanger 1986/87 I so loved the look of them that I couldn't resist buying some very realistic artificial forsythia branches which are always in a vase in my Dining Room. I still have real ones during the season here which is from Feb/March onwards but I so enjoy the colour ... They are such a beautiful colour that they make me smile. They add such a brightness to the house.
Happy New Year - Kate x.
The forysthia finally have shaken off the shock of getting transferred from outdoors to indoors and starts its first buds. :D Nice.
Hi Felisol.
I will keep a watch on my bushes for the match stick size brown/black heads and try forcing them to bloom.Love these wonderful posts in tribute to your mother, I am learning a lot.Thanks for passing her wisdom along.
Love & Prayers
This is a wonderful post and I do know what you mean about your mother.
The older I get the more I become just like her.
I absolutely love that vase, the flowers and this incredible shot!
Thanks for sharing and I hope you have a marvelous week!
bless your heart for the memories ...
and it is quite bleak here in canada (well manitoba anyway!) at this time of year ... though when the sun shines on the newly fallen snow - you see millions of diamonds shimmering ... a glimpse of heaven ...
(hugs)
I love this post, your moms ideas and my mom also was saying that. We also took the spring in our home...
Here forsythia is called: blooming wood ( bloeiend hout)
Felisol, how I love your heart, and your sensitive spirit. Sending a big warm hug your way right this very minute as I write these words. What a beautiful way to keep the memory of your dear mother alive. I love the title too... Songs My Mother Taught Me. The bright forsythia buds on twigs are so beautiful. I am sure they stir up so many memories in your heart.
Much love
Lidia
My mother also tries to get new shoots off of the cuttings...so far she has not been successful. I bought us a nice big forsythia shrub last season so we have it in the yard. i will check it to see if perhaps we may bring a cutting or two inside for an early spring!
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