"Yellow" - Coldplay, 2000

The color that signals the arrival of spring for me is yellow. And the plant that most represents spring? You might think I'm going to blog about daffodils this evening. But I'm not. I want to write about the lovely forsythia.

Ever since I was a little girl, I've always enjoyed the cheery "yellowness" that forsythia bushes provide when we need it the most, just as spring begins. Both of my grandmothers were keen gardeners, and both had forsythia bushes in their yards. But since I've been living in the UK, I appreciate the plant even more. You see, after a long, dark British wintertime, the sight of the yellow flowers of the forsythia make me feel like the world is being bathed in new sunlight.

About a year and a half ago, I bought two forsythia plants for our home. One is in a big pot out front, next to our garage. It has buds on it but isn't yet blooming.

The other forsythia is planted in the ground. During a moment of inspiration, I decided to plant it in our back garden, directly across from the back door. I was hoping that the sight of those yellow blossoms, from the kitchen, would make me smile.

They do and they are. Take a look at the young forsythia, brightening our indoor world...and you can click on each photo for a full-sized view.



You can see the forsythia through the blinds on the back door.




And although it's a young bush, it's still really beautiful.

It's just a pity that the forsythia is boring the rest of the year. Apart from early spring, it's just a uninspiring shrub with green leaves. But for me, that's more than offset by its beauty this time of year.

Janet