sprung.

There’s something about this time of year – the growth and the green, the warmth and the light – that just gets to me. It’s energizing and it’s exciting, and I can never seem to get enough.

This year, though, I’ve been a little more participatory – see my herbs when they were babies here. I started out with two little teensy weensy herbs from Cville’s The Fifth Season, and next thing you know I’m hooked. Since then, I’ve replanted the original two, bought and replanted a third (basil!), and just yesterday I found myself coming home from Whole Foods with an impatiens plant:

The table on my sunny balcony that was once hosted lovely outdoor dinners and some springtime homework/writing space once or twice is how officially an above-ground garden. I went to the farmer’s market this morning and it took everything in my power not to come home with about ten more plants. I had to talk myself out of it, of course, because where would I put them? The table is already full, and they wouldn’t get enough light on the ground, but sheesh. Wouldn’t some nice hot peppers for stir-fry and guacamole really come in handy in a few months? And wouldn’t one of the five varieties of mint I can remember seeing there taste delicious in some mint-water or mint tea around about July? Oh, man. I’m going to turn our new apartment into a greenhouse if I don’t get this under control.

My compromise this morning was to buy flowers at the market. I bought two bunches of daffodils, with all kinds of varieties mixed in! Here’s how they look on my kitchen table – it’s not a great picture, but they’re really pretty!

Once I got those springy little stems arranged in the vase, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the blooming bushes right outside of my apartment building. They were just out there, calling to me. (I’m telling you – I think I have an addiction.) So, I grabbed some scissors and headed outside. I cut some azaleas and then some greenery from a bush I actually just noticed this morning, and here’s the first big bunch I made. Again, not a gorgeous picture, but look how bright these guys are!

After that one was done, I decided to get creative with the leftovers – and the last two arrangements turned out to be my favorites! Look at this tiny one – it’s in a coffee creamer pitcher:

And then the last one I made in a bigger (but still pretty small) pitcher and finally got to use the greenery. In fact, I put the green stuff in first and then used the very last azalea sprigs to spice it up. I really don’t know anything about arranging flowers, but mom is really great at it and I’ve watched her a lot. I mostly just turned the vases/pitchers around a ton and kept sticking stuff in – great technique, right? Look how this last one turned out:

And so my apartment is spruced up and spring-ified after a quick trip to the market and a few minutes in the kitchen. Have I mentioned how much I love this time of year? :)