A little late in comparison to recent years, the garden is at last erupting with spring delights.
Watching the soil in the pots by the kitchen door, as the shoots push themselves through, it struck me it is like watching a cake rise.
Although I’ve tried to be careful and label all my pots, over time some labels have disappeared and it’s a lottery as to whether I am going to see tulips, daffodils or iris.
These pretty multicoloured tulip leaves are ‘Tulip Botanical Mixed’ and their color is unknown. I bought a pack of 25 bulbs from my local garden centre, and label just says ‘mixed colours’ so I am in for a pleasant surprise. I didn’t plant all 25 in the pot, most are in the flower beds.
The above pot has a vivid yellow tulip called ‘Tulip Candela’, a large creamy ‘Tulip Purissima’ and ‘Orange Breeze‘ which as it says on the label is orange. Fingers crossed this will be as fabulous a display as envisaged when I planted them.
A few months ago I came across a large bag of mixed daffodil bulbs, which I didn’t remember buying. At the time the ground was so hard I couldn’t plant them in the flower beds so searched out a number of odd containers languishing by the shed. This particular trough was a draw to an animal, or two, having great fun digging up the bulbs as fast as I kept putting them back, hence the sticks which acted as a good deterrent. It’s heartwarming to see so many shoots – this is going to look good!
Away from the pots, everything is also coming to life in the flower beds. Hoe in hand, I stood looking at the garden this morning in the welcomed warm sunshine and didn’t know where to start. It is all too easy to go at the soil in a gung-hoe fashion with a hoe (excuse the pun) and slice off the tops of emerging shoots. I decided, as we have been promised some good weather over the next few days, I will work on my knees, with a hand trowel, and tidy one section at a time.
Above, is the Agapanthus – it is a deciduous variety with a very pretty blue delicate flower.
The Peony is well behind this year. On checking previous blog posts for mid-February, there are photos of the red shoots being at least 8 inches tall. I wonder if this year I will have more flowers, it’s been a disappointing provider of blooms despite being at least 6 years old. Taking another look of the photo as I type this post, I suspect there is too much soil over the root ball, I seem to recall it needs to bake in the sun, a bit like iris. Time will tell.
All the daffodils are coming through in the bottom flowerbed, despite being nibbled. Last year something ate all the flowers which really did spoil the display.
Wandering around to the front garden, the ‘tete-a-tete Narcissus are developing into a wonderful, welcoming display. This is just one clump of three underneath my lounge window.
Finally, the snowdrops around the lilac in the front are now in their prime. The grass is courtesy of the bird seed from the feeders hanging in the tree, an issue I’ve not had trouble with before. I have no idea of the variety, and assume they are just the common-or-garden type. Nevertheless they are a wonderful bringer of spring delights.