Category: gardening
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Planted more of Painted Daisies (Chrysanthemum carinatum) this year. Tried them last year and liked the blooms. You never know what colors you are going to get until the blooms open. I guess this will become a regular annual for my garden.
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The Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii) started blooming a bit later this year because of the cold spring. Bees and butterflies love the flowers and during a sunny day there is a constant buzzing going on. One of the most reliable annuals I grow and starts blooming early, usually around the midsummer up here in…
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My mouth is watering. The first chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius) are emerging. These are my favorite fungi and so delicious with butter, cream and onions. Managed to find enough for one meal when picking the blueberries.
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It is a good year for European blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus). Everywhere you go you see Bilberries or as we call them here, blueberries. I have already picked up enough for six blueberry pies and have not been further from the cottage than 20 meters. The harvest always varies from year to year but this year…
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Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) is blooming. The spring was cool and the flowers opened a bit later this year. Each autumn I faithfully collect the seeds for the next year. Not quite sure about the variety. It has been grown by us for more than 20 years. Anyway its suitable for our climate. Grows quickly during…
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It has been a good summer for the Danish Flags (Papaver somniferum ‘Danish Flag’). Have plenty of them blooming in the summer cottage. I have always loved the colors. They are so bright and pure. The blooms only last a day or so but the seedcases are beautiful as well. With this amount of blooms…
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I have not grown Paper Daisies (Rhodanthe manglesii) for a while but now I wonder why. They are beautiful and I always end up drying some for a vase. The texture of the flowers is funny and quite unique and the only thing they require is sunshine.
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Common Garden Verbenaa (Verbena hortensis) are gaining in popularity. I guess the reason is that they come in many colors and are extremely easy to grow. Bought mine simply because of the stunning red color it has.
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I usually grow my aquilegias from seed even though it takes two to three years from them to start blooming up here in the north. With William Guiness (Aquilegia vulgaris ‘William Guiness’) I made an exception and bought a root ball. The color of this aquilegia is very dark purple and it sort of needs…
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For the first time the Chandelier (Lupin ‘Chandelier’) is blooming. Lupin is now classified as an invasive alien species here in Finland. Not going to destroy the ones I have just will look after them and make sure that they will not spread to other locations.
Gardening in the North 