Pink Steelstem Vinola: the 52nd Flower of Spring! NOT! (And an Update!)

The Steelstem Vinola is native to the surveyer's section in a hardware or home improvement store and has blossoms in many colors, including ours, which are pink, orange, and green! Known by other names such as Landscaping or Stake Flags, these unusual flowers can be planted in dirt anywhere and will remain vibrant and beautiful for many months! They wave gently in any breeze and make a harmonious flapping chorus in large groups on a windy day!

*Janet runs around, trying to avoid the tomatoes being thrown at her from all over the world* I can hear you all yelling right now: "HEY! That's not a REAL FLOWER!! It doesn't count!" :D But it's so pretty! And stop throwing tomatoes! It's not polite! :D Ok, ok, I admit it! This is not a flower! Steve came up with the name and we've been laughing about it ever since! So what's the story? We bought about 200 summer bulbs and decided to plant them around the beautiful oak tree in our big meadow. The flags are there to show us where each bulb was planted. This is important because I will be adding wildflower seeds all around the area in the next week or two and I need to know where the bulbs are so I don't accidentally step on any sprouting plants.

I also wanted to let everyone know that I didn't fall into a black hole! I'm still working on our current project and it keeps me busy until 8pm or later every night. I tried in the past during projects to post pictures and comment, but it's just too hard to keep up with. I could just post pictures, but I wouldn't be able to reply to any comments, and that's not fair. I also really love visiting everyone's photo streams. Because posting pictures also means spending time on comments, I decided that I have to stay off Flickr when there are big work projects. I am working on my pictures in my little bit of free time, but I miss you all very much! It looks like my project should be finished in about 5 days, so I'll be back to posting and commenting then!

Thank you for your messages! I can't wait to get back to my normal schedule!