Wednesday with words – Flowers in the snow

Today more of the snow has disappeared but remains is hard crusty ice!  The peas and broad beans remain completely buried under their blanket of snow; the Pak Choi under its cover of fleece looks fine.  More snow is forecast during the night followed by rain and a rise in temperature so hopefully these will be the last of the images of my snowy garden ( I do hope I’m not talking too soon).  All the images were taken yesterday 27th February.

Tuesday View – 27th February 2018

Well, I’m posting on Tuesday but the photographs were all taken yesterday morning.

In a vase on Monday – preemptive action

The flowers in my vase today were picked on Saturday as like most of northern Europe we are forecast snow and temperatures in the range of minus 5 to minus 11°C.  I don’t know if the temperatures will dip so low but the 50 km per hour winds from the north are very likely indeed; my garden is windy at the best of times and when the wind is from the north or northeast it is not unknown for my heavy caste iron chairs to be flung from the terrace onto the gravel.  

Greenhouse news – February 2018

It is probably almost a year since I last wrote about the greenhouse; as I have mentioned before it is too hot inside to use the greenhouse in summer even with shade netting fixed outside.  I have left the shade netting on even in winter as on a sunny day, even in winter, temperatures can rise too high for good growth.

In a vase on Monday – Blossom

Last week I mentioned that I expected the Mimosa to be opening its flowers for this week’s vase.  They are nearly there but the continuing cold weather means that I will have to wait for a few more days at least.  Until yesterday I was unsure of what I would find for my vase to join with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden‘s Monday challenge to find flowers from our own gardens to cut and enjoy in our homes

Little February treasures

On the 26th January I wrote about my busy gardening week; but since then the weather has been anything but good so most of the work done has been in the greenhouse (report coming soon) rather than the garden.

Today, at last, there has been soon sunshine that had a little warm in it so I was able to prune most of the  mutabilis roses.  They had been pruned badly (by me) as a hedge between the drive and the vegetable garden.  To be brutally honest they are too large a rose for where I have planted them; add to this that they have been cut so as not to scratch the cars and to keep them back from the pathway in the vegetable garden – the result was crossed stems and new strong shoots beginning high up old stems.  I pruned all but three of the roses; I’ll show you what they look like when I’ve completed them all.  But suffice to say that the view of the onion bed is now very open!

I have another tulip that is not as described on the pack; one has reached flowering stage well before the others but instead of Daytona (White frilled) I have this…..

Tulip NOT Daytona

It is fringed as Daytona should be and is not unattractive but it is always disappointing when things aren’t what they should be.

Crocus, the first of the deep purple

Crocus. this image was last week, the yellow crocus are all finished now.

Tommi Crocus

Or as it should be Crocus Tommasinianus Lilac Beauty (seems a very long name for something so delicate)

Anemone coronaria ‘The Bride’

Volunteer Anemone

Grape hyacinth

There are thousands of Grape hyacinths in the garden but this is the only one flowering.

Iris reticulata

Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’

Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’

Hyacinth Miss Saigon, the first to flower in the garden

Anemone coronaria ‘Sylphide’

You can see last year’s Sedum stems need cutting back – I have done some of the many around the garden; those remaining are growing quickly which makes cutting the stems off low more difficult.

Sorry the name escapes me, something rosemariafolia

Native Freesia buds – they won’t be long now

Snowdrop

almost ripe seedpod from another snowdrop

Iris unguicularis

Viburnum tinus

When Chloris at The Blooming Garden writes her post for February flowers I’ll link to it.

I hope you are finding at least a few garden when you can get on with some work in the garden.

In a vase on Monday – Thin pickings

I was very much hoping that my Mimosa tree would be in flower to include in today’s vase for Cathy at Rambling in the Garden‘s meme where she asks us to find something in our own gardens or surrounding area to pick and bring into our homes to enjoy.

In a Vase on Mon… Tuesday

I’m a day late joining Cathy at Rambling in the garden for her weekly meme where she challenges us to find material in our own gardens to bring into our homes to enjoy.  I was away from home yesterday; we had been to Viareggio in Tuscany to see the Carnival parade.  It was bitterly cold on Sunday and is not much warmer today.