February Garden Colour

Here's three from me - but hope others can add more.



Snowdrops (galanthus) One of my favourites for late winter. Best planted in the green i.e. still in leaf, but can be planted in the autumn. Plant in groups 2-3 inches deep, pointy bit upwards. Those first spears of leaf appear in January - the variety range is extensive,but the diffences subtle. Need splitting after a while when they become crowded.



Iris reticulata - another bulb, but tis a lovely flower. Comes in mauve and blue - but the markings on the leaves are magic. Again plant in groups in the autumn. Be sure to label bulbs - otherwise you'll find youself always digging them up.



The common withchhazel - but a fairy tree on a grey february day. Autumn leaf colour is lovely. Its quite small for a tree - mines only about 15 foot after a lorra years planted as part of a hawthorn and dogrose hedge, but if you've got the space well worth it. Can be planted in late autumn, giving it the winter to get its roots in.

[ 08. September 2005, 10:10 PM: Message edited by: Fran ]

 

You take such gorgeous pics, Fran!

 

Thank you - I hope others will share their colour too in words and or pictures. Shame to only have a pleasurable garden in spring and summer

 

Loving your work Fran!

I was planning to get some snowdrops sometime, I had no idea there were that many different ones.

 

can I add a word of caution about bulbs

PLEASE make sure you don't buy bulbs that aren't native to the UK, (I think its BlueBells where the natural variety are losing out to spanish imports cos they're cheaper)

I'll get more info cos the person I need to speak to isn't online yet

 

Hello

Another little tip with snowdrops. They will grow if you buy a bag of bulbs but they take a while to get established enough to give a good show. A quicker (and cheaper) way is to ask a friend if you can dig up a few of theirs in spring after the leaves have started to die back, complete with the surrounding turf. This is called 'in the green' and for some reason snowdrops seem to prefer being moved this way.

 

Sorry Fran
You already said all that and i didnt read it untill after id posted. Too dazzled by the pictures

 

Magic Marley and thank you - and they can be planted up after flowering to give you year on year flowers.

 

Thanks too Mrs Cloudy - I didn't know til late they are best planted "in the green" - but they do manage to produce some flowers if planted in the autumn as bulbs. My elderly mother wanted some in a container, so I mass planted - and hoped for the best. She got her snowdrops in flower, but they do much better planted soon after flowering. Worth cultivating your friends with snowdrops :D

 

February allready!

Always a reminder that the year is under way and spring is round the corner when there are bright splashes of gold from the hazel (Corylus avellana) catkins in the garden or woodlands.

Take a closer look with a magnifying glass though and look for the tiny red female 'flowers'.

Watch that pollen though. Aaahh...aaahtishoo! :D

 

Snowdrops en masse!

Plus some other February colours.


[ 06. February 2006, 05:56 PM: Message edited by: Palustris ]

 

That's a lovely montage Palustris

 

Wow Frogescue and Palustris, what wonderful pictures. That Hazel magnified was amazing, and that montage wow. How did you manage to create that?

 

Well, the sun finally came out today and it was warm enough to work outside without my wooley hat. The crocus decided to come out too