What's looking good in March 2009 .....

Happy St David's Day from a Valley Girl ...


Another month is upon us and as we were going out today and I was opening the gates I saw the first Freesias starting to bloom ... it's the combination of torrential rain interspersed with warm sunshine ...



The dying off strappy leaves just behind them are the Acidenthera as they bloom in the Autumn/Winter here.

The strange thing is they seemed to have developed a white streak on them this year ....



And my beautiful but straggly (because I didn't cut it back) Grevillia 'Canberra Gem' is just covered in buds ... and blooms ....



This is a lovely little sprawling shrub and should go in the rockery .... but sadly there is no space so in a pot it has to stay.

 

Looking good Vicky, we get torrential rain and warm sunshine occasionally in August!:D
As usual you're a bit ahead of us.:thumb:

 

Just a wee bit, strongy ... :hehe:

I don't know where my head is but I forgot to put up the most important pic for today ... my one and only stem of mini daffs, now about 15cm tall with the blooms 2cm across (this is a much clearer pic than the one I put up last week so guess I'm improving with the Fuji) ....

 

Carnations


Snowdrops


Violas and Ivy


Basket Violas

 

Winter Pansie's, They have Flowered all winter :thumb: only seen them wilt twice when we had snow...






And my Greenhouse, Looks like Everything has survived, Wayhay...

 

Cycamen in March

 

I think I know why there are so many pieris` in gardens-such good value plants that delight in spring with the flowers and again when their leaves turn scarlet later in the year.


This is one of mine-the rest I have to fight my way through to get a good picture and it`s just too wet and muddy here today to do that, and turning a touch nippy.






And this one-I always forget it`s name ( can anyone help) was a rather destitute looking cutting I nearly gave up on and until the last few days had forgotten why I had persevered. It still has along way to go before it`s as grand as I`d like but such a lovely pretty colour in a dull northern garden.

 

beautiful.
the bulbs are coming up in my garden but I have a lot of cleaning up to do. Have not touched the garden since early December so you can guess waht state it might be in.

 

Claire, I think it is a Corylopsis spicata (spike winter hazel). Must say it is really lovely, have only seen one in a catalogue recently - that's how I guessed yours!


Crocus in our garden today -








- also snowdrops








- and Leucojum -

 

Superb photos Kedi-Gato:thumb:

What camera - lens combination do you use to get t hose lovely shots?

 

Thanks TopCat.

I have a Ricoh Caplio R6 camera. I just had it set on Macro and then cropped the pics in Picasa.


Catkins swaying in the breeze yesterday -

 

Either you are a pixie KediGato or you have magnificent flexibility, superb pictures of those snowdrops and crocuses-you should enter one of those in the competition, I think they're amazing.

Thanks for letting me know what it is-I am truly shocking at remembering what I have and can't id things for toffee ( although I do seem to persevere with humourous consequences lol). I does look better in the flesh than on the picture and the colour stands out much more-not much good at taking good pics( but that's another thing I will persevere with ).

 

Lovely Pieris, Claire. I had one in Bucks that was a show year round.

Well, Sis, stunning ... what else can I say? xx

I wasn't sure where to post this so I thought here would be a good spot ... my first bouquet of Freesias which I have on the peninsula in the kitchen so I get to see and smell them from where I sit in the dining area when I'm on the computer and I just wanted to share them ...



My favourites are actually the bronzy/gold ones which are the last to bloom and have the headiest scent.

By the way, these are English bulbs planted years ago which just spread and spread and bloom here this time of year.

 

They give a lovely colour splash against the white marble, Sis.

I wish I was lucky with them as I love the scent of the yellow ones - heavenly!

More of our snowdrops, taken a few days ago actually -