April is the Cruellest Month

April is the cruellest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain. Winter kept us warm, covering earth in forgetful snow, feeding a little life with dried tubers. (T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land)

It is officially Springtime in Gainesville, and I'm pretty sure I have spring fever. I don't want to get up and go to work, but I do want to buy plants and flowers for the yard. Here are a few of my recent acquisitions.

This is a plant called "Mona Lavender." The blossoms are very delicate, but the leaves are thick and sturdy.

Here's my little Herb Garden. I have cilantro, rosemary, oregano and basil! I plan to use some of these to make Chick Pea Ragout for a dinner with my Italian friends.

And, of course, a tomato plant that is destined to yield dozens of fat juicy red tomatoes. It's planted right outside my bedroom window, so hopefully I will scare all the birds and other critters away.

A co-worker brought in some surplus amaryllis bulbs to share, so I guess I'll try my hand at growing these, too!

One more shot of the lavender plants that I love so much. They are even prettier in real life.