Tag: Narcissus

Spring Gems and Woes

Published on by Catherine36 Comments

This year hasn’t been as successful for my spring bulbs as I had hoped.

Several small pots were knocked over, and the contents spilled out. A couple of others had the gravel topping and compost scooped out. I don’t think that’s the type of damage I can accuse the slugs and snails of carrying out.

The main suspect is the same grey squirrel that has eaten my rhododendron buds for the second year. This garden is possibly the best restaurant for local wildlife in our neighbourhood. But if I see that grey squirrel, I won’t be responsible for what I might be tempted to do.

But there’s another problem – not all bulbs planted in pots have appeared. In some cases, 50% are missing. The tops of the pots are undisturbed, and I’m left wondering if something else has been at work that has entered from beneath the pot. Perhaps covering the pots’ drainage holes with mesh might help? However, let’s get on with this week’s Six on Saturday.

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Welcome, Spring of 2025

Published on by Catherine29 Comments

Six on Saturday

Today, it’s all about the little giant of color – the crocus. I was starting to wonder when the flowers would make their grand entrance, and now, amidst this week of unpredictable weather with rain, sleet, wind, frost, and sunshine, the crocuses have bravely pushed through, their rain-soaked petals shining in the otherwise barren garden borders.

The tiny crocuses below are in a container of mixed-planting and have returned each February over the past few years. The three shots below were taken over four days. To my huge surprise our temperatures reached 12C on Wednesday and coaxed the flowers to unfurl. In the last shot, I caught them just before they closed the following day.

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Weird and Wonderful

Published on by Catherine28 Comments

This week marked the end of most of the narcissi. Tête à Tête performed as reliably as it always does, but overall the narcissi have been a disappointment as flowering has been sporadic. Tête ‘Bouclé’ (that was so successful last year) offered flowers every so often but never enough to appreciate them as a whole. Tete ‘De Luxe’ behaved in the same way. Thalia produced very few stems (more below) and other unknown varieties were a bit sparse. I’m looking for reasons.

Our weather continues to be dismal with no end in sight, although I’m happy to report that Easter Monday was a great gardening day – I made the most of the sunshine and I had a ball! Thursday was dry, and bitterly cold in the morning but warm jackets and cosy accessories kept that east wind at bay. A little bit of gardening was tackled, a few photographs were taken and below you can see some of the plants that caught my eye this week.

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Did Someone say it was Spring?

Published on by Catherine29 Comments

March came in like a lion and it’s going out the same way. This week has been tough on the garden – no jobs have been tackled and they’re mounting up.

However, it’s not been all gloom, yesterday morning was bright and sunny, the cold wind had dropped and I should have been busy in the garden. But it was the first day of the school spring holidays and we had our two nearby grandchildren with us as mum & dad didn’t have time off work. It was nice enough to go to the nature reserve where Littlest Grandson, while trying to race his big sister to the one-person bench that overlooks the pond, (who thought a one-person bench was a good idea?) slipped on the muddiest part of the entire area. He had to suffer the indignity of travelling home in the car without his shoes, socks and jeans. Will he learn to stay on the path? Of course not, where’s the fun in that. 😁

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A Week of Firsts

Published on by Catherine35 Comments

It’s been a week of firsts. The first full pot of Narcissus ‘Tete a Tete’ has bloomed and I’ve spotted the first spring blues in the borders. I’ve been waiting for my tiny Violas to bloom and this week they obliged. My first order from a newly-found herb nursery arrived, followed by a delivery of new pelargoniums. Here is my selection for this week’s Six on Saturday.

Six on Saturday

Narcissus ‘Tete a Tete’. New bulbs, planted last autumn have flowered and they’re a joyful sight. Our house has a deep canopy that spans the front and is sheltered. I’ve recently realised that it’s the perfect spot to place pots of spring bulbs, particularly during a very wet winter. I just wish I’d moved the tulip pots there too. I didn’t foresee quite as much rain as we’ve had these past months.

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