The first aquilegia just started to bloom. A bit earlier than normally.
I just love this variety. It is early and low with large blooms.
Unfortunately I have no idea what is the variety and from where did I got it. It might be from the seeds I got from the Northern Finland but not quite sure.
Anyway it sure is a beautiful one and seems to like it up here in the north.
The tulips only lasted one week this year. Much too warm and dry for them. It has been so hot and nice up here in the north. Very unusual start for a summer.
Winter was quite hard for the flag tulips. Only few of them survived. Must order more in the autumn and renew the whole flower bed. Darwins on the other hand had a very good spring. Short but beautiful period of blooming.
Now back to the lake and for a swim. Just love days like this.
Warm days continue and all the spring flowers are starting to bloom. The down side of this heat is that the blooms will fade away quickly.
At least few more days of warm weather left until it cools down again.
Managed to do most of the planting during the long weekend. Now just waiting to see the results and hoping for the best.
It has been a beautiful day up here in the north. I am in the summer cottage and have been planting all day long.
Tete a Tetes have started to bloom and if it continues to be this warm other daffodils will follow soon.
Tete a Tetes are a bit too sensitive to cold and do not always make it up here. Luckily we had plenty of snow during the winter and it made all the difference.
Summer has arrived. Suddenly temperatures have risen and all the snow is gone. All that happened quickly this year.
I am starting to fill my balcony with flowers and aiming to spend a long weekend at the summer cottage.
Found this adorable dianthus when biking last weekend and simply needed to buy it to be able to enjoy it all summer long.
The first pansies found their way to my balcony. Once I saw them could not wait any longer.
It is still too cold for them during the nights. I guess that I will be taking them inside each evening.
The challenge is starting to be that I already have too many pots inside waiting for the days to get warmer.
Spring has finally arrived! We have had many sunny days and snow is starting to melt away. Nothing is growing outside yet but not that long wait anymore.
Managed to spent a long weekend in the Netherlands and visit Keukenhof. Spent few hours in the garden and returned back home my bags full of bulbs.
Bought yet another daffodil, Accent, to brighten my day.
Enjoying the long Easter weekend and the beautiful weather we have. Days are now bright and full of light because of the snow cover and increasing day light time.
Have had time to take long walks and see friends. To cook good food and enjoy peaceful dinners.
Inside the Easter flowers are blooming. Daffodils are my favorites during this time of the year. Still more than a month before we can see any of them outside.
No signs of spring yet up here in the north. Days are getting longer and I am getting more and more impatient. Still two more months to go before you can plant something outside.
That does not seem to stop me from planting everything possible inside. Chilies have germinated and so have the coleus seeds. Yesterday found some herb seedlings and failed to resist the temptation. Hope that did not buy them too early. There is simply not enough daylight available yet.
A pot of crocuses found its way to my flat today. Usually do not buy them because the central heating makes them bloom in seconds. Now I am storing them between the window glasses where it is cooler. Hopefully not too cold, already managed to freeze to death a pot of daffodils.
Slowly running out off space inside. Planted some ornamental brassicas to day and now trying to figure out a where to put them and hoping for an early spring this year.
October is here but I am harvesting strawberries. This is the first time I am able to taste the Alpine Strawberry Alexandria and are they sweet and tasty! The size of a berry is larger than the wild strawberries have but much smaller than in the cultivated varieties.
I have newer tried to grow strawberries from seed. Two years ago decided to give it a try expecting to fail miserably. To my big surprise the seeds germinated and grew well. I was sure that this variety would not make it through the winter up here in the north but it did it with flying colors.
The only thing it seems to be confused about is timing. Alexandria tried to bloom early in the spring but failed. Not sure if it was the cold weather we have had. Everything is about a month late this summer and farmers are going to loose most of the grain they have grown. Definitely not an ideal summer for gardening.
But when I think about this I would not mind having a late harvest. All the other strawberries are long gone and it is nice to have a taste of summer in your mouth when the days are getting darker and darker. Let’s see if Alexandria continues to be confused and lost or align with the others in the years to come.
Gardening in the North 