Friday, March 16, 2012

Flower-y Friday

A Friendly Friday post.  ;-)

Spring has sprung,
the grass has riz,
and I'm aware
of How Early it is!

Iris 'Sheila Ann Germany' is a desirable hybrid between Iris histrioides and Iris winogradowii.  While I don't really understand the botanical names, this iris is an early bloomer and grows from a bulb.


I purchased the iris below as "dwarf iris" several years ago.  They are both in the iris reticulata family.  They increase return every year and increase in number.  At least, these two varieties do.  The yellows gave up after a couple of years. 

Information taken from BBC Plant Finder:  "Iris reticulata is an early flowering iris, usually appearing from late winter to early spring. The blooms vary from pale blue to deep violet with central yellow splashes down the middle of each petal. In recognition of its outstanding excellence, the Royal Horticultural Society have given it their prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM). Plant the bulbs 5-10cm (2-4in) apart at twice their own depth in well-drained, moderately fertile soil in sun or partial shade. To propagate, divide bulbs from mid-summer to early autumn to increase stocks."
These also grow from bulbs.


These are Bitty little crocus that are increasing in number.
I'm thinking I need to dig them up after a bit and spread them around.
Somehow there are even a couple in the backyard!

 Dutch Crocus - larger flowers.


I purchased the hardy Cyclamen below as 'Cyclamen neapolitanum.'  Wikipedia's description:  "The species name hederifolium comes from hedera "ivy" and folium "leaf", because of the shape and patterning of the leaves. The older species name, neapolitanum, refers to Naples, where the species grows."

There are several leaf shapes.  The flowers are as sweet as can be.  :-)

Ode to Spring
“Spring has sprung,
The Grass has riz,
I wonder where the birdies is?
The little bird is on the wing,
But that’s absurd! 
Because the wing is on the bird!”

 'Tete-a-tete' daffodils are as "cute" as can be!  They increase in number - a welcome addition to the early garden.

Another cute little crocus.

Just a little sample of the fun!

(The real fun comes with the raking of the leaves... once all danger of frost has passed!)  :-)

Come on over!  I've extra rakes!  lol.
SG

5 comments:

Sam Hunting said...

I can't believe how far ahead Iowa is from Maine, even though things are ridiculously early up here. Nice work on the leaf mulch.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Hi Shady,
I enjoyed seeing your blooms and reading how some can be divided. I didn't know that. I went ahead and raked out our leaves. The plants have decided it is spring and are growing. Some were already large enough that it was a little hard getting the leaves off of them. I hope I'm not sorry later. A local nursery owner said something on the radio that the established plants should be OK if the weather turns cold. It's the newly planted ones that will need protection.

Happy spring!

troutbirder said...

I'd be happy to help but have tons of my own. Hoping this early budding et. cll doesn't lead to a hard frost and disaster. My spouse often leads with that same rhyme when I appear. Only concludes with "oh there you are you blooming idiot...... seriously.

GRACE PETERSON said...

There's no denying spring at your place. I'll be right over with my garden gloves. :) Your dwarf irises are so precious coming right up out of the ground like they are. Your crokies are so pretty too and I love that Cyclamen foliage. I have them too and when they flower, in late summer, they smell delicious.

Shady Gardener said...

Hi Sam, It's ridiculously early here, too. But it's hard not to enjoy it!! ;-)

Sue, We'll probably be okay, should it still snow (not an unexpected occurrence!), because it won't last long and it shouldn't be a hard freeze. I think you're doing just fine... I'm raking, too!

Hi troutbirder! :-) I know you have the leaves, too. I really can't complain about them because they're such a good asset for mulch!

Oh, Grace! Wouldn't it be FUN if you could head right over?? I've been having so much fun exclaiming over the developments each day... We truly have a lot in common!