Friday 10 January 2014

Finding the Colour

After my last post, bemoaning the garden in winter I thought that I would try and, well if not celebrate it, then at least look for the good stuff. Okay, so as I stood there wondering what to photograph there wasn't very much to show, but there was a bit of 'promise' here and there.


When the two small conifers I had in the front door pots finally succumbed and died I decided to do some winter pots. The holly in the left pot is female and the one in the right is male, so at least the female will always have red berries. If they ever get too big (or me too bored) I will replant them in the garden itself in the future. Lower down in the pot are a selection of pink tulips for Spring and something else (and although I wrack my brains, I can't for the life of me remember the other bulbs I put in, but I know it was something.)


On the left here is a camellia that my father gave me for Christmas, it is called a Preston Rose which seemed quite apt (as Preston is near here). A gorgeous deep pinky purple flower and there are loads of buds on it. On the right is my rhododendron - very small still, but gave me quite a good pink display last year. Rhododendrons aren't everyones favourite, but since I was a small boy and happened on an enormous bank of them in bloom I have never forgotten how captivated I was, so I had to have one, even if it is a small dwarf one.



These snowdrops don't look much right now, but they will do soon, always a pleasure to see them arrive.


Now these really don't look like anything much, but they will, oh yes, they will. The pots on the left all are packed full of cream tulips and are going to look wonderful en masse like that. The strange looking thing on the right is my tin bath, also packed full of tulips (pink? red? no idea, can't remember. It is like I forget immediately once I put them in, but will be a lovely lovely surprise when the time comes). I added some mulch and wrapped fleece around it because the tulips were already poking their heads through and we are still likely to get some bad frost/snow/end of the World weather yet so I was a bit concerned by their exuberance.

So nice things do exist out there, we just have to find it and celebrate it.

11 comments:

  1. Eee bet you can't wait for them to arrive..i can imagine they will look lovely :) AFM x

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  2. I spotted the tips of crocus in the back garden. Really, we need a bit of cold weather to slow things down a little otherwise they'll be too weak for it.

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  3. In the north east of Scotland we have roses still blooming. As regards the bulbs also shooting I just leave them to Mother Nature, no mollycoddling here!

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  4. We did lots of tidying in the back garden last Saturday. I found lots of bulbs emerging, most of which I don't remember planting, and we have a pink rose that hasn't stopped blooming yet.

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  5. You should have a wonderful show this year. I am looking forward to seeing the snowdrops.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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  6. Snowdrops popping up here as well :)

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  7. Oh I love Rhododendrons (Yes I know they have become a bit of a nuisance in some parts) but they remind me of the two years in my childhood that we spent living in Kielder Forest - they were an idyllic two years. When we're out and about now we always affectionately refer to them as "Rodneys."

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  8. Your spring will be very colourful. I look forward to see the pirctures.

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  9. Awesome, I have some bulbs in but need to get some more in soon (they are in the fridge so they 'think' it's winter, ha). Can't wait to see your beautiful spring!

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  10. We still have about 4 feet of snow covering the flower beds and there will be more to come this month and next month for sure. Our house faces north so the snow on the front will still be there until June. Needless to say, we have a very short growing season!

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  11. Good to be looking forward to the rewards these will bring, I kinda like the idea of what bulbs have been planted being forgotten, makes spring somehow more special.

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