A punishing week at work, now followed by a debilitating bout of tonsillitis, has left me feeling less than enthused about the arrival of February and yet more chilly weather.
Having decided to be officially grumpy today, I had to quickly change my mind after spotting a pot of cheerful Iris reticulata “Gordon” (above) when I stepped out of the front door this morning. Enough to make anyone stop feeling sorry for themselves, and a reminder that spring is now only just around the corner.
The small bulbs were planted in a small cylindrical terracotta pot back in October and they have narrowly beaten the snowdrops in the race to first flower of 2013. I planted them quite closely and at twice their own depth in well-drained compost. The pot was then left in a shady corner until last weekend when the buds and narrow leaves started to emerge. They now need full sunlight, not least to show the flowers to their best advantage. I always top-dress bulb pots with grit so that the flowers are not splashed by compost when it rains. Following many attempts to get the same bulbs to bloom for a second year, I have learnt that it’s better to start with new ones each autumn. If you have a sunny space in the garden to plants them in the ground, they should come back year after year. Just make sure the drainage is excellent as these diminutive perennials hail from the Middle East and don’t appreciate being wet and soggy.
Following just behind ‘Gordon’ in all his violet blue glory will be the demure North Sea-blue flowers of ‘Katharine Hodgkin’, which has an RHS Award of Garden Merit. The buds are just now emerging from the grey shingle on the top of the pots. As mine are not in bloom yet, I have appropriated this beautiful photograph from a blog called Ellis Hollow. The aconites in the background really bring out the yellow highlights on the falls. An uplifting sight at any time of the year.
More on irises in my next post, which I hope will be ready tomorrow. Until then, I am wrapping up warm and popping a few more painkillers to keep those nasty tonsils under control.
Categories: Bulbs, Container gardening, Flowers, Plants, Small Gardens
We are still buried under snow with temps in the low teens. Your beautiful photos are a welcome sight and a nice way to start the weekend. Thanks.
You are welcome. We are expecting a couple of snow flurries today, but at the moment the sky is clear and blue. Our ring-necked doves are looking very cosy so I think they definitely believe spring is around the corner!
I’m so glad you included my image of ‘Katy’ and the aconites. That’s my favorite time of the year, when the two bloom together. That’s still weeks off, as we have much colder winters here than you do. (It’s Zone 5. We the temperature here isn’t supposed to get above 0 C for the next week.) Have to admit to being a little jealous of your balmy weather this time of the year. But we can’t complain much. We’ve been experiencing relatively mild winters in recent years, which means that the Katy’s come back early.
Thanks Craig, it’s such a lovely photograph. I particularly like the way you’ve captured the drops of water on the petals. The irises do seem very early this year, even for the UK. We’ve had a pretty cold January, but I think the seaside microclimate does bring things on that little bit sooner. I also got on and planted them slightly earlier than in previous years. That might have made a difference.
I love these little beauties! I am glad (and I am sure you will understand) that you also have problems keeping them going from year to year, Still waiting on ours to flower but they are on the way!