Winter into Spring

Published on by Catherine

Six on Saturday

The transition of winter to spring is beginning and at last, bulbs in my garden are starting to bloom, adding little pops of colour to borders and containers. They’re a welcome sight.

Crocus. These fragile-looking little crocuses were quivering in the wind, but I have to tell you they were hardier than me, and it took a big bowl of hot soup to warm me up when I made it back indoors! Look how well these freshly emerged crocuses have held up against heavy rain and strong winds. Nature is amazing!

Tiny crocuses

I believe these are the same variety of crocus as those above but they’re in a different planter. They look so delicate.

Rain-soaked Crocuses

Iris reticulata ‘J.S.’ Dijt’. The camera here is very low and the green haze was produced by shooting through Campanula portenschlagiana in the foreground.

Iris reticulata ‘J.S.’ Dijt’
Iris reticulata ‘J.S. Dijt’

Narcissus. Their claim to fame this year is that they are the very first to bloom in the garden or, more precisely, in a container.

Little Narcissus.

Rhubarb ‘Fulton’s Strawberry Surprise’. This future treat arrived at the beginning of the week. Just to make sure there’s no misunderstanding, the stalk behind the plant is part of the label! I was too cold to go back out and retake the photo!

Rhubarb ‘Fulton’s Strawberry Surprise’

Snowdrops? A few weeks back I bought some small pots of snowdrops while we were in our local DIY store. We had Littlest Grandson with us and he was happy to pull around a wheeled basket. The snowdrops all looked much the same, so when L.G. asked if he could choose the plants, he was told yes. We went to checkout, paid and went home. I noticed later that one pot was definitely not a pot of snowdrops, but I was rushed and didn’t pay much attention to it. It was left it at the back of the garden…until yesterday.

Any guesses? (without peeking at the second photo!). Yes, you can see on the label what it is, but you know, that’s ok because I like those too. Though perhaps next time I let our L.G. choose the plants, I’ll check what I’m buying. 😁

Hellebore. Last week I showed the buds of what I thought was Hellebore ‘Double Ellen Red’. The first bud has now opened and it most definitely isn’t the plant I thought it was!

Hellebore. Yet another un-named resident in the border.

No problem, I feel it’s pretty enough to be allowed to stay, but I still might have to go Hellebore shopping – and make sure all my labels stay with the plants from now on!

The no-name Hellebore, rain-soaked.

That’s my Six for this week. We’ve had a mainly miserable week of weather; some days have been mild, but VERY wet, while others have been dryer with a strong, icy cold wind. This weekend the forecast promises us, here in this little corner of the world, a mix of sunshine, lighter winds, and low temperatures. My warm winter layers are ready to be donned and I’m heading out to (hopefully) do some real gardening!

To meet many others who also enjoy gardening, pop over to our host’s blog where Jim of Gardening Ruminations will show you around.

Have a happy gardening weekend!

Catherine 😊

35 thoughts on “Winter into Spring”

    1. LG was quite thoughtful about his choices, Rosie, and to be honest – the snowflakes must have been in the wrong place as he chose from a large selection of potted snowdrops. The labels were very similar (he’s not reached reading age yet!) and as for me – I need to be more observant! 😁

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    1. Thank you, Fred, you’re really kind to say so. A couple of people have asked if I could share some thoughts on how I take the photos, so thought I’d do a little series on that topic – possibly starting next week if it’s of any interest to you.

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        1. Oh, they won’t be master classes, Noelle. All I can do is share with you the way I photograph, but I hope you’ll find something useful in the posts. 😊

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  3. What a good excuse to go and look for more hellebores (as if one were needed!)

    The labels on many of my plants were either half eaten or shifted around recently by a relative’s puppy so the next few months will be interesting as I try to work out what’s what;-)

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    1. I was at a garden centre yesterday with my sisters, Helen, and looked at quite a few hellebores – but none were different from those I already have. It was a bit disappointing because they were all well-established plants. Sorry you’ve had your labels eaten and moved – but at least the puppy hasn’t eaten your plants! It’s sometimes too difficult to identify one variety from another as many of them look so similar.

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    1. Thank you, Julie. Crocus are gorgeous in the winter garden, especially is they’re able to withstand the rain. I’ll pop over to your blog this evening I’m heading outdoors to make the most of the sunshine.

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    1. Thank you Graeme, I was just looking at the crocus this morning and it’s surprising the difference a couple of days make – they’re about to open and they’re colour is more intense now. Haha, I glad you managed to figure out the photo slider thingy! It’s relatively simple to do as it’s already built into WordPress.
      Hope you’re having a sunny weekend – I’m looking at sunshine & blue skies; lunch is over and I’m just about to head back outside. 🌤️

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    1. Thank you, Dock, I’m pleased that you like the photos. I was sitting for most of the shots – I used a garden stool to lower the camera and the camera’s flip-up back to take the shot lower.

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  9. Lovely photos of your crocus and iris, my crocus got flattened by the wind and rain unfortunately! Your hellebore is beautiful, such a lovely colour and your leucojum will grow into a beautiful plant.

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    1. Thank you, Pauline. I was working in the garden this afternoon and some of my crocuses are flat on the ground too. It’s such a pity they bloom when the weather can be at its worst. You have a lot of lovely plants in your garden though, and I hope most of them are more resilient to UK weather than the little crocus.

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  10. You know that I always love your photos Catherine. The crocuses with the droplets are divine. My poor crocuses ended up on the floor, only a brief respite from the rain and none of the white ones appeared at all! I might buy some new ones in the autumn, but if we are going to continue to have such dreary wet winters it might not be worth it. I think the snowflakes will be a great addition to the garden. And LG will be chuffed to see it flower.

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    1. Thank you so much, Jude. A few of my crocuses are in the same state. I’m almost tempted to order some bell cloches to cover them when miserable weather is forecast – and take them off again when it brightens up! I think we might be stuck with awful wet winters from now on – I hope that spring makes up for all that our gardens have had to go through. Littlest Grandson will be here after school next week, and he’ll get to plant the snowflakes in a border. 😊

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  11. Beautiful irises and crocuses Catherine. My irises are standing to attention but the crocuses have taken a real battering with all the rain. A most pleasing hellebore even though it wasn’t quite what you were hoping for. Still you have an excuse to indulge in some more retail therapy if not this year next year 😂

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    1. The weather has been harsh on the more delicate plants and we’ve had so much rain – I hope the reservoirs are full enough to get through the summer without shortages anywhere! I think the Hellebore retail therapy might have to wait until much later in the year, Anna – my thoughts are already turning to late spring and early summer planting! 😁

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  14. Your lovely photos of spring flowers make me smile Catherine! I think the snowflake will be a nice addition to a spring garden, and you have to give him credit – it does look like a snowdrop, only bigger! LOL! Many of my hellebore labels seem to be missing as well, or mixed up, but I know I have bought some in the past that were not what the label says, so perhaps I should just give up. 😜Wishing you lots of spring sunshine and delicious rhubarb crumbles this year!

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    1. Oh thank you, Cathy – I hope they’ve brightened your day a little. It isn’t very nice when you get a plant that turns out to be different from the label. But I have now bought some larger labels to discretely place behind each new plant – to hopefully help with future ID. It would also help if I was more diligent in adding everything to my garden spreadsheet. 😄

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    1. Thank you, Sarah. It’s always a joy to see winter & spring bulbs push up through the soil and open out. The crocuses have been holding up to the rain slightly better than I expected.
      The soup was lovely – and warming! 😄

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