Tag Archives: bulbs

flower, gardening

White Hyacinth

Hyacinth1

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.

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flower, gardening

Alida

Alida1

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.

Alida2

 

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flower, gardening

Pixie

Pixie1

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.

Pixie

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flower, gardening

Tulip

Tulip2

It is always nice to try something new. Just to see if you succeed or not.

In the autumn I bought few tulip bulbs and planted them to a pot. I left the pot to my balcony and took it in after Christmas. Just before it came too cold outside.

Tulip bulbs do not care if the weather goes below the freezing point. But when in a pot minus 25 Celsius is too much for them. Luckily managed to take them in just before the cold hit the north with its full fury.

After a month I am now able to enjoy the results of my experiment. First blooms have opened. Four months before the ones planted outside are starting their show.

PS. It is simply too warm for the tulips inside. I would take them out but unfortunately it is too cold. Having them outside would make them bloom longer.

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flower, gardening

Amaryllis

AmaryllisCan it be too early to have Christmas flowers? Is it nearly the time? Or am I a bit ahead of the season this year?

Once again I was weak and could not resist the temptation. This seems to happen to me too often.

Saw the bulbs in a shop and ended up having winter’s first two amaryllises at home.

I am fond of large and spectacular flowers. Something that cannot go unnoticed. This makes amaryllis a perfect choice for me. Large, luscious blooms that are full of color.

Now I am just trying to resist the urge to buy some more.

PS. Do not water amaryllis too often. It just ends up growing a long stem.

Amaryllis

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flower, gardening

Casa Blanca

Casa BlancaI do not know what it is with the lilies. It seems that I managed to buy many new varieties in the spring without even realizing what I was doing.

I guess it is that they last several years and are easy to maintain. They come in so many different forms and colors. You simply never going to have enough of them.

Casa Blanca was the one who made the largest blooms this summer. It sure is a successful cross between speciosum lily of China and auratum lily of Japan.

Now have them in my balcony but going to take them to the summer cottage before the first frost.

PS. Bought the bulbs from Amsterdam Tulip Museum and regret that I only bought two. Should have taken a larger amount.

Casa Blanca

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Red Flavour

Red Flavour

As long as I can remember my grandmother has always had tiger lilies. Orange ones under the window. Those lilies must have been there more than 60 years. In the same spot and blooming each year.

She is now long gone but still some of the lilies grow each year reminding me of her and all the summers I spent in the farm as a child.

So many good memories. So many happy summers.

When I saw a red variant of the lily, Red Flavour, I simply had to have it. Just to continue the tradition but also to add a flavour of my own to it.

Now the red ones are blooming for the first time. Hope that they bring joy to someone when I am long gone.

PS. Bought the Red Flavours from http://www.viherpeukalot.fi.

Red Flavour

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flower, gardening

Pieton

Pieton

It seems that I got a bit too exited in the spring. When I look into my balcony I just wonder how have I managed to squeeze all these plants in it. Now that everything has grown to full size it is a lot.

Well it was a long winter, and a long wait. So I may forgive myself over doing all the planting.

Anyway I am now on a two week vacation and my sister has promised to water the flowers. From the experience I can say that I will have less plants when I return. Not that she does not do her job but some of the pots I have are simply too small to have a long dry period.

It is autumn already up here in the north and less than a month to go for the first frost. It is inevitable that I must let my flowers go, eventually. Just want to prolong the goodbyes.

While I say the farewells to them I enjoy the bright colors of the Pietons. A lily which I planted way too late in June to the last empty pot I still happened to have, which I simply could not leave empty and unused.

PS. This lily seems to enjoy the direct sunlight and does not bloom well in a shade.

Pieton

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Sweet Rosy

Sweet RosySweet Rosy is my first double lily. Never tried to grow them before.

I planted two bulbs to a pot in my balcony early April and finally they are starting to bloom. Just love the structure and complexity of the bloom itself.

My plan is to move the bulbs to the summer cottage in the autumn and see if they are able to make it through the winter. I bought the bulbs from Amsterdam so do not know if they survive the cold season up here in the north.

PS. I bought my bulbs from the Amsterdam Tulip Museum http://www.amsterdamtulipmuseum.com. They mentioned that these bulbs are also available in http://www.fluwel.eu in Europe and in http://www.colorblends.com in the US.

Sweet Rosy

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flower, gardening

Lollypop

Lollypop

This year the Lollypop lilies were the first ones to bloom. I planted them in the spring and they seem to enjoy the cool summer weather.

Lilies are easy and do not need much attention. Perfect flowers for summer cottage where you cannot be all the time. They tolerate the cold winters and are reliable bloomers.

This year I planted many new varieties and all of them seem to do well.

Now I am just waiting the others to start their show. Unfortunately it will be another three weeks before I can visit the cottage again.

PS. Bought the Lollypops from http://www.viherpeukalot.fi.

Lollypop

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