It seems rather incongruous that violets would bloom in my garden. After all, they are woodland flowers, usually found in damp conditions and my garden is decidedly non woodland. But today I saw my first flower on this violet I bought a couple of years ago, when the garden bloggers visited Madrone Nursery. I know it has flowered before because there are little seedlings growing around it but I always managed to miss the flowers in the past.
Among the sweetly scented stocks, the first swallowtail butterfly of the year. He didn't seem to mind at all that I was hovering over him to catch his photo. He'll be paying a visit to my parsley before long.
The first of the summer snowflakes,
Leucojum aestivum are blooming in the English garden
.
In the same bed, a new addition last winter, a small flowered narcissus. Surely now that I have bought some metal markers, I won't lose the names of the varieties I plant. It doesn't really seem important until you come to write about the plant and have no idea what the cultivar is.
It seems rather incongruous that violets would bloom in my garden. After all, they are woodland flowers, usually found in damp conditions and my garden is decidedly non woodland. But today I saw my first flower on this violet I bought a couple of years ago, when the garden bloggers visited Madrone Nursery. I know it has flowered before because there are little seedlings growing around it but I always managed to miss the flowers in the past.
Among the sweetly scented stocks, the first swallowtail butterfly of the year. He didn't seem to mind at all that I was hovering over him to catch his photo. He'll be paying a visit to my parsley before long.
The first of the summer snowflakes, Leucojum aestivum are blooming in the English garden. 
In the same bed, a new addition last winter, a small flowered narcissus. Surely now that I have bought some metal markers, I won't lose the names of the varieties I plant. It doesn't really seem important until you come to write about the plant and have no idea what the cultivar is.
Such pretty images, especially the Swallowtail.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely little firsts in your garden. Isn't it exciting to anticipate all the things to come? Glad you're marking more. I don't like markers, but being left to my own devices -- to write it in my notebook & post it on my blog & tag it -- just isn't working for me!
ReplyDeleteIt's been such a pleasant week with the butterflies flitting about! Your markers will be appreciated...I'm constantly trying to remember what I've planted where! Amy used old spoons last fall to mark her bulbs - I thought that was a clever idea for markers.
ReplyDeleteLove the Summer Snowflake and Narcissus!
ReplyDeleteHow delightful. I love the snowflake. I tried using cut mini-blinds for markers last year. They work great except that all my writing faded out of sight.
ReplyDeleteLovely snowflake, Jenny - makes me want to try again! Did you buy the stock or is that one you do from seed?
ReplyDeleteLike you, I couldn't resist picking up a violet plant last year & found out that violets are sneaky.
Even when there is no visible flower, they can make seeds from a closed, non-showy flower at the bottom of the plant... think it's called "cleistogamous". Cedar sage/Salvia roemeriana does this, too.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Annie- The stocks came from seed. They wintered over in a few sheltered spots in the garden. I also saved the seeds from last year and every one seemed to germinate. Interesting about the violet- I have a feeling that happened because I was keeping a close watch on one plant and yet missed the bloom.
ReplyDelete