I gapped an amaryllis to go with me while shopping for groceries. When I arrived at home I started to wonder what was the variety of my purchase.
The label just said Merry Christmas. It took me a while and some googling to understand that Merry Christmas was the name of the variety for this one.
Beautiful large and red blooms. A good bargain for the price.
It is cold and dark outside. A perfect time to grow Christmas flowers inside while waiting for the spring.
Popov started to bloom and brightens my day. Like the colors it has.
Do not know why but I am becoming fonder of amaryllis each passing year. I guess it simply is that they are big and bold flowers blooming when it is dark and hard to grow anything else.
Must go and buy some more. Cannot have enough amaryllises in the flat.
My Verdi Glory finally started to bloom in the balcony. It took from the dahlia three months to start the show but it has finally started.
This summer has not been a good one for dahlias. Just the opposite of the last summer that made all the dahlias thrive. At least all mine seem to suffer from various matters like heavy rain fall, mold and pests.
Well maybe next year will be better. Must have few dahlias growing.
This is the first summer that I have planted irises. I do not know why I have not tried them before. To my surprise I managed to keep them alive.
Well not exactly all of them made it. I planted some in the autumn and some in the spring. Unfortunately none of the ones I planted in the autumn made it through the winter. It seems that the varieties I used were not hardy enough.
Luckily the spring planting proved out to be successful. The blooms are beautiful.
I guess I just need to find varieties that tolerate cold winters.
Spring came early this year. Normally we can enjoy tulips early June. Purple Prince started to bloom few days ago and it is just mid May!
It is a new variety I bought last year and one of the few survivors!
I can now see that I have lost most of my tulips. The winter was hard on tulips and only a handful of them could take minus 33 degree Celsius we had in January. The thin layer of snow could not give them the protection desperately needed.
Well a good reason to me to shop more in the autumn.
This spring seems to be all about the daffodils. Each time I go to a store or shop I manage to buy one pot more.
I have been trying to collect different varieties and there are so many available this year.
My plan is to take them all to the summer cottage after the snow is gone. This way I can enjoy them during the forth coming years as well.
Still two more months to go before the spring flowers start to bloom outside. Cannot wait that long! I am getting impatient!
Indoors the firs daffodils are starting to bloom. They brighten my mood and bring me joy.
The weather up here in the north has been grey with plenty of rain. Not something we are used to at this time of the year. Usually we have snow and sunshine but no such luck this time.
Well hope this means that spring will come early! Or am I just wishing this to be true?
PS. Daffodils last over a month if you have the possibility to keep them outside in the cool temperature.
This is now becoming a habit – a spring hyacinth in a pot.
I used to have hyacinths only during the Christmas time. Here in the north it has always been considered a flower for the holiday season.
Now that they have become available also during the spring I always end up buying one.
I know that the strong scent of the flower is too much for most of the people but for some reason I enjoy it. It really fills the apartment with sweet smell of a spring.
Still nearly three more months to go before the first flowers outside start to bloom. I even planted few hyacinths to the summer cottage. Not quite sure if they are going to make it through the winter. Lower than minus 30 Celsius temperatures we had during January might have been too much for them.
PS. Keep hyacinth outside if it is not too cold. It lasts much longer if you do this.
When it comes to irises there are incredible amount of different colors available and most of them are simply stunning.
Alida caught my eye in a local store and it ended up to my home. I simply could not resist those light blue flowers.
Now I am hunting for more. Trying to find different colors from the local shops. Currently have managed to find two.
PS. If you did not plant bulbs in the autumn now is a perfect time to buy them ready planted.
Dreaming of an early spring. While dreaming I have managed to fill the apartment with different kinds of pots. To me it is starting to seem that each time I go to a store I come home with a new pot.
Pixie iris was one of the flowers that managed to sneak in to the flat. Almost unnoticed it settled in.
Never had one and If I succeed growing it I will take it to the summer cottage when the snow is gone.
PS. Most of the spring flowers can take our winter and planting them to a garden guarantees that you can enjoy them year after year.
Gardening in the North 