flower, gardening

Casa Blanca

I 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.

flower, gardening

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.

flower, gardening

Ruby F1

Now that I have found the sunflowers again I wanted to try a new color. The ones I have cultivate earlier have always been yellow.

I ended up choosing a red variant called Ruby. The summer was cool so I did not expect much from my experiment but in the end it turned out that the Rubies did not mind. Enjoying the constant rains we had.

They grew to be strong and tall and even started to bloom late July which is early here in the north. My reliable Teddy Bears have not even started yet and it will be September before they start their show.

I think I will see red sunflowers next year as well! I was so happy with the results.

When the bud opens the color is red but it slowly fades to orange. They are beautiful to watch in the evening light which really highlights their colors.

PS. Bought my seeds from Stockmann and each seed germinated.

flower, gardening

Sonata Pink Blush

I have always admired my mom’s cosmos flowers. She plants the seeds in the spring and collects them in the autumn. The seeds are originally from her dear old friend.

Her cosmos grows quickly and blooms heavily with many different colors. The variety is quick to grow and is used to the short summers we have.

This year I wanted to try a different and a bit shorter variety of cosmos. So I picked a dwarf variety of cosmos called Sonata Pink Blush.

I have to admit that it is no match to my mom’s. For Sonata series our summer is a bit too short. The blooming starts mid-August which too late for my taste. Compared to my mom’s cosmos which starts to bloom already in July.

Though Pink Blush is beautiful. Green with glorious pink flowers. I guess it would just need a warmer summer.

PS. Bough the seeds from http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com and was happy with the quality and the delivery.

flower, gardening

Sweet Rosy

Sweet 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.

flower, gardening

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.

flower, gardening

Baby Blue Eyes

Each year it is fun try something new. You never know how the new comers will do and how they will turn out to be.

This year I sowed some Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila Menziesii) seeds. I just saw them on a web site and decided to give them a try. Originally my idea was to grow them in a terrarium but ended up planting them outside.

I got lucky. My babies started to bloom in the beginning of July. The summer has been cool but they did not seem to mind.

The flowers themselves are small but the color is so beautiful and blooms many.

I guess I need to buy these seeds for the next summer as well.

PS. Bought the seeds from http://www.seedaholic.com. Just love the name of the site.

flower, gardening

McKana

My wait was rewarded this July. Last year I planted aquilegia McKana seeds and now they have started to bloom.

I was not sure if they make through the winter but everything went well and nearly all plants started to grow in the spring.

The flowers are a bit bigger than in any of the other columbines I have. The package I bought was a mix of different colors but this far only one of the colors has bloomed.
In other words I still am waiting for the others to start their show and reveal their true colors.

PS. Bought the seeds from a local store. McKana variety is usually widely available.

gardening

Rosemary

Usually I have few herbs growing among the flowers. Just to have something that can be used in the kitchen during the summer.

This year I only ended up having a rosemary growing in my balcony. Usually I have more but the spring and start of the summer have been quite cold.

I live too far up in the north to have it surviving the winter. In other words I end up buying a new plant each year. One option would be storing it inside during the coldest months but unfortunately my flat is simply too warm for it because of the central heating.

But at least for few months I can enjoy the wonderful aromatic smell and taste of the rosemary.

PS. This year I got my rosemary from a friend as a gift. A perfect choice for a present.

gardening

Spruce

It was a fine spruce when my great grandparents lived here. I never met them but they were the ones who build the small house and made this place their modest home.

It was not much but it was a home. Like the spruce the house is still there. Existing even they are long gone.

It would have been nice to know them. I have only heard some stories of them. Mainly stories about what happened during the civil war which was the great tragedy of their time and changed their world permanently.

My grandmother and her husband continued to live in the same house. The spruce continued its growth and became larger and larger.

The World Wars went by but the place stayed about the same. Originally the spruce was on governments land but after the war was lost there were many people that needed to be relocated. We got our new neighbors and the spruce got new owners. Nice people who build their own house and made it their new home. They all are now long gone.

My parents worked in the city but when it came the time to retire they build a new house next to the old and moved back to the farm. The spruce was still there and it had grown to be the biggest one I have seen.

Now my parents enjoy their life in a peaceful country side. Growing their own vegetables and potatoes. The spruce continues to grow and has now gotten a new owner once again. The tree has been there before us and probably will be there long after we are gone.

The spruce has inspired me to plant trees. Something that with some luck will be there several generations.

Gardening in the North

This blog is about gardening in the north.

Tag Archives: north

Casa Blanca

Red Flavour

Ruby F1

Sonata Pink Blush

Sweet Rosy

Lollypop

Baby Blue Eyes

McKana

Rosemary

Spruce