The Cranford Rose Garden, today.
After a balmy day the weather turned wintery again. A phone call from Betty Scholtz, who turns 90 this year, turned my thoughts to witch hazels (next post). So off we went to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. We managed to get there, despite the subway's usual weekend eccentricities. Leaving was not as easy. The MTA has not improved in our absence.
There was still a lot of cleanish snow on the ground, in sweet contrast to what is left on sidewalks - a black-dusted sort of Halloween confection.
The rose garden was resting.
The Cranford Rose Garden, 10 June 2010.
To see how the border above developed last summer click here.
Cherry Esplanade, today.
Cherry Esplanade, 15 April 2010.
The wisteria steps, today.
The wisteria steps, 6 May 2009.
The bluebell woods today.
The bluebell woods, 5 May 2010.
I like this part. All about waiting.
The winter honeysuckle was not in bloom yet. So it does not explain the intoxicating scent I smelled last night near Norah Jones' house, in the hood. Was it her perfume, wafting through the windows? Unlikely. There is a walled garden next door, hidden behind old brick.
Something was in bloom there, but what?
Maybe a Daphne odorata - don't know the whole proper name, but used to have one that bloomed pretty early and smelled divine!
ReplyDeletewebb, you are brilliant! That has to be what it is! My friend Dan's daphne is perhaps in bloom in the West Village, now. Let me check an old blog post:
ReplyDeletehttp://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/2010/03/daphne-odora.html
Hm: that is the end of March last year. I did see an Edgeworthia in bud at the BBG yesterday...let me check the edgeworthia post from last year:
http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/2010/03/edgeworthia-papyrifera-and-other.html
Rats. End of March, too.
Now, more than ever, I want to peer over that high brick wall. Maybe I'll push a note under the door.
Maybe it is a Hamamelis? Our neighbor has one and it just went into bloom last week.
ReplyDeleteCould the mystery frgrant plant be Sarcococca hookeriana? It's a little early for it to be in flower, but it's easy to overlook and intensely fragrant. Blooms before Daphne, I think. Maybe last week's temps pushed it ahead of schedule.
ReplyDeleteGlad you made it home safely :)