There are so many different color options for Violets (Viola) but I think that I now have the ones selected for this summer.
I have been going to different shops and finding out the options for this season.
Will have most of them in pots in the summer cottage, now that the isolation of the capital area is over and it seems that we are able to travel again.
Still more than a week to go before I will have a long weekend to spend over there. Simply cannot wait time to pass.
Happy Easter to you all!
I know that we have seen better times but we cannot always choose what life throws at us.
At last up here in the north we are able to take long walks and enjoy the spring.
During the walk I was able to find Pennyworts (Anemone hepatica) which were blooming beautifully. About 15 years ago it was protected by the law but since then it has been spreading and is nowadays quite common.
Spring is finally here and spring flowers have started to arrive to the shops.
Bought my first violet (viola) today. It was a bit difficult to choose the color and ended up buying a classic white one. The scent it has is simply staggering.
It sure has been a strange start for the new decade. For the first time we did not have a winter. It was like having an autumn that lasted for five months. Up here in the north it really gets dark and miserable without the snow. I have no idea what a winter like this will do for the garden and the plants.
Luckily the days are now getting longer and we can finally start to enjoy life again.
We have had few sunny days up here in the north. It is a bit early but could not resist buying few violas to the balcony even though we still have some snow on the ground.
This year winter came with plenty of snow and it has taken a while to melt. Good thing is that thick blanket of snow also acts as a cover and low temperatures do not harm the plants.
Less than month to go and the gardening season is here. Six long months we have waited but the reward is now nearly here.
First cosmos flowers are starting to bloom. The ones I have gotten from my mom always go first. The others follow a month later in August.
I have been trying to find an early blooming variety with no luck. Simply because the summers are so short up here in the north.
This far I have not had any luck. My luck might change this year. A new variety is already making buds. We will see.
If I have no success then I just give up and continue with the one from mom. One variety is enough if it is a good one like I now have.
Violet
Violet
Finally it begins to be warm enough in the north so you can run to a florist an buy the first violets. Something colorful to your balcony which can manage the cold nights and unpredictable weather. The days are now longer and active part of the year has started.
And I sure have waited for this!
Violets come in various colors and usually arrive to the shops early in the spring shortly followed by pansies. Usually have both in my balcony to have something blooming in the beginning of the season.
Sadly violets only last until the end of July even if I cut them short. The balcony simply becomes too hot for them to make it longer. Luckily by that time the other flowers have begun their show.
Now I just need to wait and see which of the plants have made it through the winter. It sure has been a mild and warm one here in the northern Europe. A second one in the row. Bet that the forthcoming will be a cold and cruel.
PS. Bought the violets from a florist nearby simply because of the quality.
Gardening in the North 