To celebrate the official First Day of Spring, here are a few plants from the garden, looking rather lovely. I have always liked Grape Hyacinth (Muscari) with their cheerful blue flowers, but they can get a little out of hand. This rather glamorous version is Muscari Latifolium, which has different shades of blue in the flowers. I have been growing it for a few years and it doesn't seem to try to take over the garden. I would be very happy if it did, because I think it is one of my favourites.
Another Hellebore, this time Harvington Picotee which has been in the garden for two years and which has obligingly flowered despite the cold temperatures.
Here come some of the tulips - I'm think these are the multi-coloured ones, but will have to wait and see if I'm right. These are in a large pot and had no protection over the winter, as I read somewhere that they need a period of cold temperatures in order to flower well.
My other recent purchase was this little flowering cherry (Prunus incisa Kojo-no-mai) which is just starting to tentatively put out a few flowers. I had one of these a few years ago but gave it away as it was a bit big, then decided I that I needed another one last year, but that one didn't like the situation I had put it in and promptly gave up. So, this is my third attempt and I hope it will do well. It is a rather straggly shape, but the little delicate pinky-white flowers at this time of year more than make up for that.
Welcome to Spring!
Welcome indeed! It's been a long and dull winter, I think!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that the hyacinths tend to take over. I thought I had planted a couple of hyacinth bulbs in my garden last year in the autmn but I can't see any signs of them this spring. As for my tulips, I think they got damaged by the frost in the winter - the leaves are there, but no flowers! The rest is doing fine, though: narcisus and crocus.
Your cherry tree is already blooming? Ours is still asleep! :)
Lovely post!
Hi Aledys
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment - it is always good to hear from you.
Was it grape hyacinths you planted, or was it the big hyacinths (Hyacinthus Orientalis) that can be grown inside (or planted outside)? I think lots of the big hyacinths are grown in the Netherlands. I don't think those big ones would take over your garden, it just seems to be some varieties of the muscari that do that.
It seems that our Spring is a bit ahead of yours by the sound of things. In the south of England, things are even more ahead than here.
Enjoy Spring when it arrives!
Best wishes
Ellie
I really have no idea which kind I have. THey are buried somewhere in my garden now...
ReplyDeleteToday I discovered the first leaves of the cherry trees starting to pop out! I can't wait for it to be in bloom, same as the apple trees.