This.Is.NOT.FAIR!
Here we're into about day four of some really nice weather, and I've been inside for the past two days, working like a mad maniac on assorted assignments. Plus with LSS working every day too, he's not here to pick up the housework chores as much so I'm juggling those AND work AND the garden is sort of...well, GROWING without me. Including, naturally, the weeds, but that's to be expected. I won't panic. Not yet. One bed at a time, remember.
I did have time for a quick walk-around and photo shoot this morning when I went out to get the mail, and here's a few of the stars of the morning. The bright fuchsia tulip above is a delicate little species that pops up and opens with little warning--I must try to A. Find the label and B. buy more of them next year. I think they'll colonize but am not sure.
This tiny beauty is a mystery to me, though perhaps when it and its siblings open up a bit more, I'll recognize it. Right now, their charmingly coy, needing a bit more sun and warmth to tease their petals open.
I wish these bicolour muscari would naturalize as fast as do the regular ones--I love the contrasting blue shades. It's planted with some yellow and white daffs and blue-striped puschkinia, both of which are doing better than the muscari, so there may need to be some moving of bulbs after they've finished.
Although they were a bit slow to get going, the hepatica or liverwort have started to bloom at last. If they were in a slightly sunnier spot, they'd probably bloom sooner, but that bed is shaded and often snowcovered for a long time. These delicate little plants make me instantly happy, although also wistful. They were native in Nova Scotia, but have been all but extirpated from our woodlands.
Ahah...I'm not going to sing that earworm about the royal suitor, but patience and advice from Frances has paid off....I give you Ivory Prince,opening up glorious flowers for me to go all googly over. It was definitely worth the wait...and I'm definitely going to get another plant or two to add to the family.
And speaking of music...part of the reason I'm inside today is so I can take time off tonight (well, other than honing my presentation for tomorrow evening) to watch AI Top 4. It's Rocker Night (and I don't mean my rocking chair) but also the race is still not over, so to all you WordNerds out there...don't forget to VOTE for DCook!
The title of this post is one of my mom's favorite sayings. Which Hepatica is that? The color is such a rich blue it puts my pale blue to shame.
ReplyDeleteGood for you to have gotten outside for a bit, anyway. It's fun to see how fresh your early bloomers look when they're mostly on their way out here.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots Jodi! It's been a bit warm here for tulips and they're looking kind of sorry now. It's nice to see yours looking so fresh.
ReplyDeleteI like looking inside tulips like this. There is almost always a kalidescope of color that you miss unless you look down into them.
ReplyDeleteAll of your little packages are pretty...Rock on...
I've got some tiny tulips, too, and I have to say I love them the best. Okay, so maybe not THE best, now that I think of my Pink fringed tulips (must get more!), but I do love my Lady Janes (or are they Ice Stick?).
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous of your hepatica! I really need to find a place to get some of these.
Love the bicolour muscari; I've never seen this variety before. I have been so impressed by all the hellebores shown this spring, I have added it to my want list for next year. Can they be planted in the fall?
ReplyDeleteDavid Cook's line is still busy, but I'll keep trying!
I forgot to comment about AI! David Cook was awesome! But so was the other David. And Syesha. Now Jason......I thought he should have been gone weeks ago. I think he will be after tomorrow night.
ReplyDeleteI can identify Jodi, I have more irons in the fire right now than I'm used to. Between projects for the HOA that are so time consuming, a new job and various other things, I haven't been out as much as I'd like either. Then we have rain for the next two days. Bummer.
ReplyDeleteYour flowers are so pretty, I'm glad you had time to enjoy them a bit this morning. Thanks for sharing.
Hi all: I've learned (from becoming a hopeless DCook fan and reading blogs, boards, forums...) that I can vote via Gizmo for the WordNerd. So while my computer phones in, I can answer email and comments, rewatch the performances via YouTube and read blogs...just not garden. It be dark anyway.
ReplyDeleteMMD: I'm not sure which Hepatica it is, other than just H. nobilis (which I think has been changed to a different genus now, if memory serves). Some years I find the colour is richer than others, maybe to do with sunlight.
Nan, isn't it funny how far apart our seasons are? I'm about two weeks behind most of the Annapolis Valley, with the Bay wind on me, and they're at least 2 weeks behind you.
Garden Girl, these are my little species tulips; the big showy ones have yet to come, but will be starting in a couple more weeks if this weather continues.
Lisa, exactly what I love about tulips!
Kylee, I love my dainty species tulips too, but I also go slobbering foolish over the parrots and fringed and lily forms...
Rose, I'm not sure about hellebore planting in the fall--I'll defer to someone like Frances at Faire Garden or Yolanda at Bliss--this is my first success with these, after a number of fails.
Kylee, I think Jason had better get his bags packed...David Cook WAS awesome but he looked very sad too. Syesha was fine, but the Archie guy isn't my cup of tea. I'm too old to go for teenie boppers, I guess, but then my music runs the gamut from Aaron Copeland to Finnish and Dutch goth metal to Alison Krauss...so I ain't dead yet!
Robin, I hope things level out for you soon. I'm actually about to get involved in a potential project that I'm not sure I want to do, so I may exercise my own advice and just say no! to paying work. One door closes another opens. And the garden will wait til the weekend for me to play in it, whatever the weather.
I posted about a week or so ago some photos of a similar (or the same) species tulip as the fuschia one above. Mine have colonized quite nicely, but I really do wish I'd been more careful about saving the identifying info. I'll be keeping an eye here to see if you find out what it's called.
ReplyDeleteHi Jodi,
ReplyDeleteBack to say that I've tagged you for a meme -- instructions over on my latest post. Hope you don't mind -- I thought it was fun and quite quick to do.
I do like Ivory Prince. On my want list, as are the bicolored muscari!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your lovely spring flowers.
Ahhhhh, that gorgeous hepatica!!!! I keep trying to grow them in my shaded wildflower garden, and they keep declining the honor. Since they're also native here, I don't get it. Thank you for posting the fabulous photo; at least I can enjoy them vicariously!
ReplyDeleteThe plants in your garden now, of course, have come and gone in mine. Now I'm cutting back leggy petunias and enjoying the textured and lovely sedums. The annual vines are twining quickly upward. And tulips are but a memory. But it's nice to get a look-see at yours, and remember what was...
ReplyDeleteBrenda
That first tulip is such a beauty! I wish tulips would grow around here. I tried them this year but they didn't grow more than 2 inches (with no flowers).
ReplyDeleteLooks good, and glad you are having nice weather. I got to work in the garden several hours yesterday but today, I am inside writing.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to thank you for identifying the unknown species on my blog.
It's a bit dangerous right now for my garden to grow without me! LOL!
Hi Jodi, so glad to see you have some gorgeous flowers from you garden to post pictures of, including the prince. I just saw some of those here and noticed the unusual foliage. Might have to get one, even though we have so many, but none with those leaves. To the commentor who wanted to plant in the fall, unless they are up where you are it be okay, they seem very cold tolerant. Goth Metal? My silly brokenbeat loves death metal, what a horrible name, but some if it isn't too bad, but that name is so offputting. Goth sounds so much better. ;->
ReplyDeleteI know so little about flowers, except what I know I think is pretty, and that Ivory Prince is GORGEOUS! I have got to get me one, wow. Those colors are amazing!
ReplyDeleteHow nice to see such a lot of blooms in your garden. It seems that your garden has woken up over night after a looooooooooooong sleep. Very pretty little grape hyacinth and the hepatica looks lovely too. Must buy some too.
ReplyDeleteAnd lookee here: a hellebore in flower TADAAAAAA!!!!! See, miracles still happen. ;-)
BTW what a pity that you do not have all that much time to enjoy your garden at the mo.
Have a great weekend!
Are these all this spring's blossoms? Just beautiful.
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