More wildlflowers from the Lot

Lots of violets out at present, though nearly over now - the normally-coloured ones in the top fields, and the much paler V. canina or lactea (not sure which yet) in the lower fields.





Pulmonaria grows in the hedge bottoms, where it's a bit shadier:





Many UK gardeners have grape hyacinths - here they grow wild. A friend's lawn is full of them!



We have an unusual myosotis in the farmyard, too - I think it's M. ramosissima, but I don't think I can face ploughing through Clapham, Tutin and Warburg at the moment!!! It's incredibly small - the oak leaves are the normal size...



One more set of pix to go - including a real puzzle!

 

Lovely again ... I just love the violets. I've not seen them here or Muscari, but then maybe I'm not in the right place at the right time and wildflower spotting is new to me anyway.

 

We don't really have to look for these! The muscari's just outside the bedroom window, for example!!

 

Our violets (darker colour) are blooming, I just love them. Our muscarii are just starting to bloom, they have multiplied over the years so we get a wonderful show now. The pulmonaria grows like weeds here and blooms up a storm every year, likewise our birdseye. Isn't it nice to have all these beautiful things that need no caring for and still come back every year to please us?

 

Send me more violet seeds, K-G, and I'll try again ... maybe third time lucky?

Hyla, you are so fortunate with all your wildflowers sprouting up around you. I gather though that you have quite a bit of land? I have a small patch ... can't even plant any cabbages in it. No, tell a lie, I could do "cabbages on sticks"! :D

 

Yes - about four acres by the house, half of which is awaiting development into a garden (hard landscaping to be done) and half of which grows sunflowers, wheat or maize. Then we have eight acres in the bottom of the valley - mainly growing the same crops, but with an acre of hay meadow and a small area of marshy ground. It just sort of came with the farm buildings!

The house is stone-built and dates from just before 1800, with a large barn of about 600 sq.m. and a small bakery building - a typical Quercy farm.

I've found a couple more flower photos, in fact, so I'll post them in the right place (!) with a couple of piccies of the farm so you can see where we are!

 

It sounds lovely. We're in an old (undated) stone and clay house. I didn't want all the land. T'other half now fancies 10 hectares up in the Alentejo region growing grapes ... not that he's into gardening!

His idea is to have the locals tend to it, do what they want to with it and he just gets some wine at the end of the day. We're keeping our eyes open. I like the Alentejo but not sure I'd want to leave the Algarve. Alentejo is the hottest and coldest region in Portugal.

Look forward to seeing the photos.

 

Do you intend to use all of this land yourselves H-a or rent it out for others to use? It would be a full-time job leaving no time to sit back and enjoy the scenery and your hobbies.

I hadn't forgotten about the violet seeds LofL, but it will take a while yet.

 

Some of the land's sort of "lent out" to a friend for the moment, until we decide what to do. I have possible plans for growing plants, but we'll see how time and energy go! I'm already under the cosh with the projects we have at the moment, so we're taking it very steadily.... (T'other 'arf doesn't garden 'cos of back problems, so I'm on my own!)

Be nice to have time for all those hobbies!