Stirrings

It's spring at long last!

Snowdrops sprang up first, submerged in six inches of snow. I spotted them on a dreary day in early April. What a delight!


These are the snowdrops two weeks later - they last a long time! I did not plant them - they are a gift left by one of the previous owners! Note the yellow winter aconite beside it - this came in a packet of "early bloomers" that I planted in autumn 2017. I had never seen them before and am not sure I love them, but they do give a welcome glimmer of yellow in the early spring.



In the packet of early bloomers there were also some "iris reticulata" - tiny purple irises that grow from a bulb, not a rhizome. I was so pleased with those that I ordered more last year. Now I have many of them! They come in yellow as well, but I have decided to concentrate on this deep purple colour.



There are 23 in the picture, below, sprinkled along the border of the side garden. They are hard to see, though. Next year I think I will plant snowdrops beside them, as the combination of crisp white and deep purple is glorious. Plus, they bloom at the same time!


Also in the side garden, purple crocus. Yes, yes, very lovely, but I was not thrilled to see them, as they are growing precisely where I planted guinea hen / fritillaria bulbs! I am pretty sure that the company I used, Breck's, sent me the wrong bulbs! This is the second time they have done this...grrr. There are two more sprouts, and I am waiting to see what they come up as, then I will contact Breck's for a refund. I don't think I can blame the squirrels for this one, as they are coming up in exactly the zigzag pattern in which I planted the fritillaria.

I have never seen fritillaria in bloom, so I was really looking forward to seeing them! Now, even if I get a refund, I will need to wait another year before seeing a fritillaria! So unimpressed. Next year I am ordering from Vesey's!


More winter aconite - a cheerful little golden cup surrounded by a green ruff.


Many other bulbs are sprouting, but these early bloomers are particularly welcome in the early days of spring!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lily of the Valley

Image
Things started off like this.. And very quickly progressed to this. The aroma was heavenly, and I was so delighted to have a legitimate source of lily of the valley - I used to purloin them from public places (thanks, University of Ottawa! smooch) and now I don't have to! And there was another patch in the backyard, edged with white violets. I picked fragrant bouquets to my heart's content.
Read more

Arrangements

Image
Of course, I love to garden. But I also love to make flower arrangements! I think flower arranging is my first true love. Well, that and flower gathering,  which, as a kid, I sometimes did in places where one isn't supposed to gather flowers. Ahem. Well, that is a story for another day! The first few years we lived in this house I didn't pick too many flowers, as there wasn't much of a surplus. I rationed them out - a stalk of yellow primrose here, a few purple clematis there. But this year, I finally felt I had enough that I could splurge! As well, there were a surprising number of new wildflowers - daisies, monk's hood, flowering oregano, so those went into the mix too. And what a mix it was! Look at this gorgeousness - monk's hood, hydrangea, flowering oregano and phlox from my garden; globe amaranth and some other pink flower that I bought as annuals and in a flower basket. Glorious! And see how artistically I posed them, on a weathered stump? This bo
Read more

Pattern

Image
The garden in winter is about pattern  Gone are the distractions of lush green blade, riotous blossom, or nodding leaf. Instead there is geometry against a  stark white background. But, though the scene is reduced to planes, there is nothing plain about this scene - oh no! There is depth, shape, and drama. There are shadows and light. Most of all, there is sparkle. Behold the patterns in my garden: Bare sticks... Animal tracks... My neighbour's shrub... The pink chrysanthemum that gave me so much joy last autumn.... Hydrangea branches... Cedar hedge... Iron rails of the deck... A lone sunflower stalk, against a deep blue sky. Crusts of snow.
Read more