Some Crocuses and an Iris

We've had a sunny day today - I think Spring has arrived at least a month early this year. The lovely Crocus tommasinianus roseus is in bloom. I like the narrow petals and its colour a lot. The petals are almost white at the outside, which enhances the beauty of the flower.














The flowers of the blue, botanical crocuses have also appeared. Very pretty, I think. In fact, this time of year is almost the best. When the light returns and Spring arrives, you feel your spirits rise and you get your energy back. And so do the plants! Day by day you can see more and more buds appear.


















Iris retuculata is an absolute favourite of mine. I simply adore the exquisite shape of the flower! And the deep, blue colour, enhanced by its yellow, white and black marks, is fantastic!




















Cheers! /Katarina

Wordless Wednesday

...the leafless birch tree against the sky....Spring is on its way...

Some Pink Favourites

Many of my roses are pink. I don't really know why - I just seem to fall for that colour. And many of them have a bushy growth with plenty of thorns - and yet the most romantic flowers. That's kind of strange, don't you think? The combination of beautiful roses and plenty of thorns...

Today I'm going to show you four different rugosa-hybrids that I like very much.

The first one comes from Canada and grows into a tall bush, filled with roses from early summer until autumn. It's called 'Martin Frobisher'.

The second rose has Martin Frobisher as a parent. It's an English rose; the hybridizer is the famous David Austin. This one grows into a low and wide bush. It's called 'Mrs Doreen Pike' (named for one of mr Austin's emplyees). It blooms the whole season.
































The third rose is a rugosa-hybrid from Germany. The hybridizer is called Sievers and this rose is quite new to the market. It grows into a medium sized rose bush and it's quite lovely. It's called Sachalin. It starts blooming early and continues until frost.







































The last one for today, is absolutely adorable. It's a sibling to Sachalin and the flowers are almost white, flushed with pink - they get paler as they age and if the weather is very hot. This bush blooms all summer. It's called 'Kamtschatka' and is one of my favourites.






























Today I noticed that both Kamtschatka and Sachalin have green sprouts - Spring is in the air!
/Katarina

Thanks for encouraging comments

This post is merely meant as a 'Thank you' to all of you who have given me encouraging comments on my blog. The world of blogging is quite new to me - and I'm thrilled and overjoyed by discovering and reading so many interesting blogs from all over the world. And - on top of that - receiving nice and warming comments from you all. A big bunch of tulips to you all:




A special THANKS to Threadspider at Spinningyarns who sent me an award a couple of days ago.


I would like to pass this award on to some blogs which are very interesting and joyable to read. (They are listed in a random order.)

The Village Voice is a blog which combines lovely pictures of flowers with delicious recipes. It's from the US.

Everything in the garden's rosy is a great gardening blog from England.

A Caribbean garden is an exotic gardening blog from the Carribean islands.

Windywillow is an inspiring blog from Ireland.

Trädgårdsdrömmar is a delightful blog from Sweden.

Digital Flower Pictures is an amazing blog with the most exquisite pictures of flowers.

Once again - thanks to you all! /Katarina

Wordless Wednesday

...reaching for the light...

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, February 15

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day originates from Carol at May Dreams Gardens. The idea is to post a report of blooms in your garden by the 15th of each month. This is my first contribution.

February is supposed to be a winter month here in western Sweden. This year has been unusually mild, more like autumn. But during the last few days we've experienced a cool spell.

There aren't many flowering plants yet, but a couple of hellebores are in bloom. The double, white Helleborus niger:



and the spotted Helleborus orientale:



Some Pansies are in bloom, and, of course, the Snowdrops:



But most important of all, is my Camellia. I bought this plant in England in March 2006, when I visited Bristol on a teachers training course. Along with 3 other plants, I carried it through the customs in my hand luggage. And yesterday I discovered the first flower! - How I've waited for this occasion! This camellia is called Silver Anniversary - and it's beautiful!

First came a bud:



then the semi double, white flower emerged:



Some of you might think that a camellia is nothing much to get excitied about - but to us, here in Sweden, camellias are quite exotic and hard to handle. They simply don't like our climate. So, I keep it on my verandah - otherwise it wouldn't survive.

So, right now I sit in my verandah, enjoying my Camellia, while I wait for other plants to flourish.

Happy growing! /Katarina