In a vase on Monday: dainty

30 Monday Mar 2020

Posted by digwithdorris in in a vase on Monday, Uncategorized

Tags

amelanchier, daffodils, in a vase on Monday, Narcissus 'Tete a Tete', Spring, Spring flowers, yellow

Good morning. Spring is absolutely happening. Whilst we have to lockdown, stay indoors and isolate it is all happening outside. Hedges are beginning to open to reveal a type of fresh green that is almost impossible to visualise in the depths of a dark grey, wet winter.

The snowdrops have been and gone but if you are quick there is time to divide clumps. Hellebores are pushing out their new foliage as their flowers have peaked. Crocus in my lawn are still flowering but are beginning to get leggy so are past their best already.

This is time for the daffodils to shine. Along roadsides and verges, in window boxes and containers, vast swathes of all shades of yellow and gold are brightening the scene. I love to see daffodils en-masse, they really do herald spring like no other. The ones I love most are the more delicate ones. Give me Tête-à-tête that pack a punchy yellow but do not blow over. Show me clumps of Thalia, not yellow at all but white, small flowers, long slim stems and leaves. Later in the daffodil season is the oldest known variety, Pheasants eye, Narcissus poeticus which has a refined scent and small polite look. No brash trumpets here.

Anyway they are still to come through. Right now in my garden the tête-à-tête are beginning to go over, slightly browning at the petal edge. Could be down to the change in temperature. Instead the highly scented multi flowered stems of narcissus from the Isles of Scilly are shining.

Just two stems provides me with a vase full to share with you and our host, Cathy. Each flower is only 2cm across but together each stem provides multiple flowers (5 and 11 to be precise).

Tiny fruit beetles are emerging, I think that is what they are?

Those of you who are kind enough to follow this blog may have seen this next vase.

A tiny Japanese pot, a piece of Amelanchier and a single bloom.

Daffodil season is officially here. I hope that you are able to enjoy them from wherever you may be holed up. Challenging times.

Have a good day wherever you are. Thanks for reading. D.

Wordless Wednesday: carpet

06 Wednesday Feb 2019

Posted by digwithdorris in Wordless Wednesday

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

aconites, carpet, Eranthis hyemalis, February, winter aconite, wordless wednesday, yellow

In a Vase on Monday: for an open garden

13 Monday Aug 2018

Posted by digwithdorris in in a vase on Monday

≈ 30 Comments

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August, garden visit, in a vase on Monday, NGS, sunflowers, sweet peas, yellow

Yesterday I opened my garden for the first time for NGS. This was an ambitious plan on my part as the garden was a paddock when we arrived in 2014. There was nothing here thanks to the former residents, a herd of goats.

In 2018 I have battled with a wet, cold winter which left standing water on my low-lying, clay soil as recently as April, followed by the driest Summer for 57 years.

Then, on the week of opening my garden, Thames Water decided to shut the lane to my house and put diversions in place. The final insult however was that the forecast was for rain!

The (NGS yellow) sunflowers were a market purchase to greet visitors on arrival and decorate the tea room aka the garage.

Sweet peas and dahlias in various shades of pink which I grow at work for Ali. I brought some of these home to decorate the tea tables.

I am pleased to report the afternoon was a great success: the rain held off, lots of people visited and perhaps most fun of all was that our very own Cathy joined by the Golfer came along. Cathy as we know is very knowledgeable about plants and floated around the garden chatting to visitors, answering questions. Meanwhile the Golfer did a sterling job, stood at the top of the lane waving traffic down towards the parking.

It was a really good day and I thought my garden did alright by the visitors. We raised just under £1400. Thank you to everyone who came.

Thank you to all my lovely helpers

The charities supported by NGS provide crucial care.

In memory of friends lost:

Paul

Heather

Jez

Joel

Domonic

Danny

And for those currently undergoing care

Lucy and little Daisy, Get well soon!

In a Vase on Monday. Thanks for reading. D.

Saturday smile: 19/5/18

19 Saturday May 2018

Posted by digwithdorris in Saturday smile

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

golden rain tree, here comes the summer, Japanese maples, laburnum, May, pot grown Acers, Saturday smile, small trees, yellow

There may be a wedding going on, there may be a special footy match on but my smile is from pictures I took yesterday.

Pot grown Acers.

Golden rain tree, Laburnum

I hope your day is full of smiles. D.

In a Vase on Monday: all buds, no duds

12 Monday Mar 2018

Posted by digwithdorris in in a vase on Monday

≈ 36 Comments

Tags

all buds no duds, camellia, daffodils, grown by me, in a vase on Monday, March, Narcissus 'Tete a Tete', Surbiton, yellow

Many more years than I care to calculate, I lived in Surbiton. There was a chap outside the station with a flower stall catching those commuters who needed to buy a bunch of flowers on their way home. There are many reasons why people buy flowers, good and bad, and with my companion we used to like to speculate who was buying and why. My abiding memory of the stall was less about the flowers, more about the banter. His catch phrase was bellowed in unsuspecting commuters ears “all buds, no duds.” This amused me but then perhaps I am easily amused.

So sharing my vase with you today as part of Cathy and her meme, the Surbiton florist came to mind.

Lots of buds yet to open on this Tête-à-tête arrangement of bulbs. I love the simplicity of the container, these tiny little flowers need no adornment. Thanks daughter Dorris. 💛

On my desk, another bud, this time a fattening camellia bud, cut from the garden.

This was tightly shut last week when I cut it. Slowly the warmth of the house has encouraged the bud to swell. I hope that it will eventually open to reveal its surprise: this pink bud will be a predominately white double flower.

Hopefully this won’t be a dud rather a fully functioning bud.

Have a good week. Thank you for reading. D.

Saturday smile: yellow

10 Saturday Mar 2018

Posted by digwithdorris in Saturday smile

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

daffodils, March, Narcissus 'Tete a Tete', Saturday smile, Spring flowers, yellow

Spring flowers are some of the most delightful, don’t you think? Perhaps it is because they signal better weather, and longer daylight hours. They show us that Winter is finally weakening its grip.

It is so much warmer here than of late, there are lambs appearing in the fields, lambs and daffodils. Bright and brassy yellow daffodils. These are Tête-à-tête the little short ones which, in some ways, I prefer as they tend not to get broken by the vagaries of the weather.