Category Archives: Bulbs

In a Vase on Monday: Allium Praise

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I am joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her Monday meme while also bathing in the glorious shower of flowery photos being posted on my Week of Flowers. I am a little behind with visits and comments, but as I write it is already getting dark and I will spend another pleasurable evening poring over my iPad, wrapped up in a blanket with a big mug of tea. 😃

My vase today is simple: an Allium seedhead

 

Actually, to be precise, Allium ‘Mount Everest’.

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I found a lovely poem praising the Allium, and here is the opening line and a link to the full poem. It is rather charming, and by a poet I didn’t know of until now, Denise Levertov:

In Praise of Allium
by Denise Levertov
 
No one celebrates the allium.
The way each purposeful stem
ends in a globe, a domed umbel,
makes people think,
‘Drumsticks,’ and that’s that.

https://voetica.com/voetica.php?collection=2&poet=821&poem=7919

And this is what the Allium looked like when it was in flower. Only one remains standing now, but I managed to save a couple for vases. 😃

Have a lovely week everyone!

A Week of Flowers 2021, Day One

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Tulip ‘Whispering Dream’

So, today is the first day of my Week of Flowers 2021, where I invite you to join me in posting a photo of a flower or two a day, for a whole week, to brighten up these winter days. I would love to see your colourful contributions, so if you have a moment, do join in! And leave a link in the comments below so we can all see your post.

Tulips humilis ‘Little Beauty’

Today I am looking back at May – tulip season. No, I am actually looking forward to tulip season! LOL!

Tulip ‘Purple Dream’

Have a great day everyone. 😃

From a Cool Spring to a Hot June

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June has got off to a good start with temperatures in the upper 20s, blue skies and sunshine. And we were so ready for it after such a cool Spring.

Back in March a big freeze took many plants in the garden by surprise and all of my Buddleia froze right back. There are leaves coming at last, but the Butterfly Bed, where there are three central shrubs, still looks a little bereft.

Cool temperatures also extended the bulb season, with tulips up to the last few days, here with Alliums…

….and there are even some Narcissi still in flower… in June!

Narcissus ‘Baby Moon’

The rain we had all through April and May meant some of my perennials grew way beyond expectations. As you can see in one of the photos above, the Geraniums and Alchemilla are enormous compared with previous years! This does, at least, make up for the lack of Buddleia foliage.

This Geranium is currently my favourite (it changes regularly!). G. ibericum ‘Vital’. The colour is very intense and the veins on the petals very pretty. I also like the foliage.

Wind and rain and very cold nights (e.g. 1.6°C overnight on 31st May) have given the vegetable garden a difficult start. I am still waiting for the beans to sprout and the cucumbers died so have been replaced with one spare seedling and one bought plant. I believe it may have gone down to freezing point last week a little way away from the house. The only things doing well are the kohlrabi and the salad leaves… and the weeds of course.

But now the danger of frosts is over for a few months and I have all my summer pots planted up, all my annuals planted out and tomatoes in pots on the patio.

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No time to sit and enjoy it yet though… this afternoon we collected a trailerful of mulch from the biomass yard to spread on the newest beds and around the vegetable bed. So you know how I will be spending my weekend! 😁

How was your Spring?

And are there signs of summer yet?

Have a great weekend and happy gardeneng!

 

In a Vase on Monday: The Old and the New

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It’s Monday, and I am joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her lovely meme.

At this time of year it is not hard to find something pretty for a vase. I wanted to capture the last of the daffodils before they go over (The Old) but also saw the first Camassia was opening (The New). Then, well, you know how it is…. I just got carried away! 😃

The aging Hellebore flowers and their fresh leaves formed a base. Then the Narcissi, some Pulmonaria ‘Opal’, Aquilegia, a Camassia and some Geranium phaeum were added.

The Pulmonaria has a slight pink tinge to it, and really does remind me of the semiprecious stone.

The last three Narcissi hanging on in the Oval Bed are all miniatures. I think they are later to emerge because the wood chipping mulch on that bed keeps it cooler longer in spring. All three are beautifully scented.

This is Hawera, which I have in the Herb Bed too, and it has spread well there within the last couple of years.

The next one is the multiheaded ‘Silver Chimes’. It is so delicate and a lovely pale creamy white… it has become one of my favourites now.

The very last one is Baby Moon. So sweet, and such a delicate yellow.

The pink Aquilegia is a new one planted a few weeks ago, aptly called ‘Rosa Rosa’ and attracting bees even during the frequent showers we have been having. It is one of the few I have seen that tilts its flowers upwards so you can actually see them. 😃

Not only did I get carried away picking flowers, I also took rather a lot of photos! So here are all of them together as a slideshow. Enjoy!

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Wishing you all a flowery week!

😃

 

In a Vase on Monday: Rebel

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‘Amazing Parrot’ is a rather bright and flashy tulip. As you can see here it is not shy!

It looked lovely in pots last spring….

But as I needed the pots in the summer, I dried the bulbs and wrapped them in a brown paper bag to save in my cellar. Only to forget about them! So late November I hurriedly planted them in my Butterfly Bed without much thought involved.

Aagh!

Well, they look awful in the Butterfly Bed, which is mostly pink and blue with some pastelly colours. And what’s more, the stems are very short this year. Off with their heads!

I had no qualms for once about cutting a big handful of tulips and added some bright blue Muscari growing in abundance nearby as a nice companion. So my vase may seem a bit brash today. 😎 But I don’t care because it is good to rebel now and again! 🤪

And I love having a colourful arrangement in the house. 😃

I am joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her lovely Monday meme. Do go and see what she has in her vase today. Or maybe you want to join her and share a vase?

Have a great week, with lots of COLOUR! 🤗