I have many favorite places but will recuse myself on the question of the most beautiful. I am biased by Kentucky’s natural beauty in April and May. It is what I know, though this is pretense. There is so much more waiting to surprise, and inform, me in fields and woods I have walked before. Blame my love of place on scrawny woods, overflowing with wonder at the end of a Louisville suburban street, named pastorally: Country Lane. (Confession: I was hotwired on Country Lane to stand my ground and love nature anywhere.) I was a happy child poking around my small patch of country-like wilderness. I have filled my life with nature and gardens ever since.
Limestone Kentucky
Embrace your place
Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine I would one day see the desert larkspur, Delphinium parishii, growing in the shade of a tumbleweed in Death Valley. (It was 101 F nearby in early April 2014.) Desert blooms, especially on a delphinium, seem like a dream today.
Death Valley, early April 2014.
So does the prairie larkspur, Delphinium carolinianum ssp. virescens, growing in rocky soils in the Kansas Flint Hills in late May 1997. Georg Uebelhart, no wayfaring stranger to nature, or gardens, has been with me on many plant-hunting trips. My friend, and former boss, is the Managing Director of Jelitto Perennial Seeds. Georg was interviewed by a Wichita, Kansas, television station after they heard someone Swiss-born was roaming remnant prairies, miles from the nearest Stuckey’s. Kansans seemed surprised. “You like it out here?”
Georg answered emphatically, “Yes, I do.” This became nightly news across south-central Kansas.
Top of the Kansas news in late May 1997. (L-R) Larry Vickerman and Georg Uebelhart.
Here’s my news
I will reaffirm my love for Kentucky’s vernal vernacular with every dwarf larkspur, Delphinium tricorne, I chance upon these next few weeks.
Dwarf larkspur. Holly Cooper photo.
Thanks for the shout out to the woods on Country Lane. The seed for our love of nature and growing things was planted there. Spring never ceases to be an annual wonder.
Barbara, yes indeed, those woods were an amazing childhood playground.
I have similar feelings Allen about where I grew up. A lovely small town outside of a bustling city. In those days you could roam wherever you wanted as long as we were home for meals. Hence, discovered wild California poppies, abandoned homes with old fruit trees (delicious) and large ponds and ditches where we caught frogs. My most favourite memory is of my father showing us a nest of baby field mice he found growing in our back field. I feel quite privileged to have had such a wonderful childhood that formed my love of nature.
Elaine, what a wonderful picture you painted. Lucky we are.
A few more pics of wonderfulness might have persuaded me!
The very short story was just a teaser. I hoped you’d say you wanted to visit Kentucky and photograph our “wonderfulness.” In the meantime, stay tuned. I hope I can convince my talented sister-in-law, Holly Cooper, to come up with some more photos that I can post in the weeks to come. She photographed the little larkspur.
The last picture you posted of the dwarf larkspur had me ready to head for Kentucky…until I looked out my window and saw my spring garden full of dwarf iris, crocus, snowdrops, squill and just opening daffies…and that’s only the front yard. The woods and river banks will be blowing trout lily, red trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit and bloodroot in a week or two. Thanks, though, for showing that larkspur – it’s inspiring. And the ledge waterfall – so different than ours in Maine, but just as wonderful – good memories!
Thanks, Kris. It sounds like spring is exploding all at once for you. The little larkspur is a biennial woodland sweetie.
When I realized that my mother’s farm in western KY was going to be “timbered”, I rushed to rescue as many natives as possible. There was an abundance of dwarf larkspur which I transplanted in a woody section of our yard in IN. We’ve moved the larkspur to 5 homes and no matter what, it not only comes back each year, but also spreads enthsiastically.
Anne, I have a beautiful image of your little larkspurs. Thank you so much.
I have a white-flowered sport of Virginia Bluebells that showed up in my Illinois garden about 15 years ago. The leaves are a chartreuse green so easy to identify before blooming. I wonder if others have noticed these?
Yes, I occasionally see a white blooming Virigina blue and even pink ones, but neither has showed up in my garden. Lucky you, Martha.
Having grown up in Southern Indiana, and spent many a trip with my Grandfather into Kentucky in the spring seeking cattle, Allen, I will not argue. It is a beautiful state and Daniel Boone knew beauty when he found it.