anemone and pussy willow

This would take forever to explain. Suffice it to say, this one little anemone was leftover from a huge batch of wedding flowers I was working with last weekend. And the pussy willow -- ah, the pussy willow! That came from my garden, because Mary Garner-Mitchell showed me that THIS is the time of year to harvest it. Seems way early, but she's right. If you carefully pinch the buds and pull their bud scales off, what's revealed is a silky, white pussy willow bud. And by picking it this early you avoid what usually happens with more mature buds--they shed pollen all over the place as they continue to mature inside.