Category Archives: Bulbs

In a Vase on Monday: Hello Iris

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It is so good to finally have some flowers to share for this Monday. I must say I admire those in the northern hemisphere who have managed to keep up posting vases through the winter, with our host Cathy (at Rambling in the Garden) being an inspirational example to us all!

Thanks Cathy!

Winter has been long, but we have had some fabulous weather lately and suddenly my Iris, some Crocuses and a few Primulas opened.

And hiding in there somewhere is one of my snowdrops. (A grand total of six have flowered now!)

As you can see in the photo above our grass is still brown from being covered in snow for so long, but there is new life and the buzzing of bees out there now. 😃

I do hope you will take a look at Cathy’s post and find the links to all the other contributors too. Spring is springing all over the place, and although we will no doubt get another cold spell here in Bavaria before it really takes off I am enjoying it while I can, and enjoying seeing everyone else’s spring gardens too.

Hope March will be a good month for everyone!

🌷🐝🌷

In a Vase on Monday: Sweet April

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April is the month for tulips, but since I had a whole vase full of them last week I thought I would choose just one in its prime for today. Once again I am happy to join Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her Monday meme. 😃

This is Tulip Menton. I loved it so much last year that I planted some more along with some Tulip Menton Exotic, which were a little disappointing as they are almost the same colour as Menton but more fussy and without that striking shape. Let‘s see how they develop as they both only opened a few days ago.

My star Hellebore is still going strong, and doesn‘t seem to be bothered by the wind or the dry ground. So it made it into this vase too, along with some Bellis, Buddleia foliage, the first Geranium phaeum to open (brought with me from the old garden), and a Camassia (I am afraid I failed to photograph it close up). The Camassia are small, and I seem to remember rather expensive, so if they don‘t come up reliably next year I think they will not be replaced. They really need to be planted alone, perhaps in a big pot as I did one year, or en masse, which I believe I saw first in a TV report about the nursery (https://www.harespringcottageplants.co.uk) that provided Camassias for Chris Beardshaw‘s garden at the Chelsea  flower show a few years ago.

On the left of the above photo is a peachy pink broom – Cytisus praecox ‘Hollandia’ –  that opened a few days ago too. It looks gorgeous in the Butterfly Bed, and smells nice too.

Below you can see the pretty little flowers of G. phaeum. They are a deep maroon that always reminds me of my school uniform! (Maroon blazers and ties!)

I have been weeding all day, but the usual therapeutic effect of spending time in the garden seemed elusive today. I am sure that looking at all the other vases linking up to Cathy‘s blog will help restore my equilibrium over the next day or so. And I have tomato seedlings to plant up too!

Hope you are all finding something in your gardens to soothe the mind and keep you busy. 💕