As the warm sunshine streams into the lounge this morning, it feels like spring. After a winter of searching for contributions to Six on Saturday, this morning I’m spoilt for choice.
To start with, a silly rhyme about spring that my father loved to repeat in a Brooklyn accent:
Spring has sprung, the grass is riz,
I wonder where the boidies is.
They say the boid is on the wing,
but that’s absoid, the wing is on the boid.
1. Colourful container
This is one of many containers outside my south-facing patio door. When I open the curtains I am met with this cheerful hello to spring. Cream Beauty crocus and Clairette iris reticulata. The blue of the iris is beginning to fade now so the contrast of colours isn’t as breathtaking, but it’s still a joyful sight.
2. Crocus, Firefly
Another patio pot with the prettiest crocus. There are tulips underneath, just poking through. I could fill my Six with various crocus but there is so much more to show off, so I’ll move on.
3. Snowdrop Nivalis
Late last year, I bought snowdrop bulbs which I planted into a little pot. As snowdrops are best planted in the green, once they’ve finished flowering I’ll move them into the flower bed next to the hedge so I have something to enjoy when looking out of the window next spring.
4. Tree peony
I think we may all have a plant we value above all and mine is my tree peony. It’s still not very big, about 5 years old. In past years it has only had one flower, two if I’m lucky, but they are the most beautiful bright pink. I cover it with a fleece bag when the temperature is threatening to drop below zero. On a close look there seem to be two very precious buds. When I moved here, in April, 3 years ago, the removal men broke one of the two flower stems which was sad, to say the least. It always flowers a lot earlier than most tree peonies which I have never understood.
5. Sweetpeas
I started these off mid-January and as they began to get very leggy on my windowsill I moved them outside into a clear storage box which makes a fabulous greenhouse when you don’t have a proper one. Shortly they will have 3 sets of leaves so I can start to nip out the tops. They need to be nurtured until mid-May when I can plant them out. By that time they will have become bushy plants.
6. Eager to get going
I know! All the advice is: ‘its only February’, ‘it’s too early’, ‘be patient’, ‘don’t sow seeds yet’ etc etc. However, I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been tempted to start sowing seeds already.
I have started chitting my potatoes and that’s ok – these are Charlotte. Only 4 due to lack of space. I have Sharpes Express chitting on another windowsill. In the foreground are tomatoes Alicante. The gray pots are Cleome and Ammi Visnaga, a little too early but hey ho, there’s no harm in trying!
As always a big thank you to The Propagator for hosting this weekly meme. Please peek over his garden fence to see what he has in his garden and while you are there check out the other contributors.
