‘Snowbunting’ and ‘Blue Pearl’
mini daffs
‘JS Dijit’
‘Alida’
Some of these flowers appeared in my early spring bulb post a couple of weeks ago, but they have increased and new bulbs have come to join in the party. So a quick look around the garden and the pots this week to see what is happening.
- Spring flowering dwarf irises. Last spring I had dwarf Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’ growing in a round pot together with early flowering C. tommasinianus – I liked them so much that in the autumn I bought and planted several more varieties.
- Iris reticulata ‘JS Dijit’ a gorgeous red-purple flower marked with a bright gold central band on the falls.
- Iris reticulata ‘Alida’ an attractive soft sky-blue with a yellow throat
- Iris histrioides ‘George’ with plum-purple flowers and dark veins. The purple falls have a yellow blotch on a white background with purple stripes.
Iris JS Dijit, Anemones, Iris ‘Alida’ 
‘George’ ‘Alida’ ‘JS Dijit’
- Crocuses. I love to see these colourful beauties appear in late January, they are such a welcoming sight after the short dull days of winter. A little sunshine soon sees them opening their faces. I have unknown purple and yellow ones under the Kilmarnock Willow and have added to them by planting C. Jeanne d’Arc though they have yet to make their presence known.
‘Snowbunting’ and ‘Blue Pearl’
In a bowl C. ‘Cream Beauty’, ‘Blue Pearl’ and ‘Snow Bunting’ are just beginning to open. There are so many other pretty ones that I am sure I shall be adding to the collection in the autumn!
- Daffodils. I planted several bowls of dwarf and taller daffodils in the courtyard for this spring to add some cheer early in the year. They have just begun to flower and look lovely, a bright splash of colour against the granite stone. The ones along the woodland border are also back.
mini daffs
woodland border
courtyard planting - For something a little different, a little shrub, which keeps its colour all year long – Elaeagnus fortunei
- A similar shrub is Euonymus fortunei ‘Silver Queen’ which is very slow growing. Both these shrubs are quite small and grow alongside the wall on the south-facing side, though in the shade of the pretty willow tree. I am not convinced they add much to the garden, but in winter they do at least provide greenery.
- And finally, one of my little garden birds who pop in every day for their breakfast, lunch and supper. The colourful Great Tit.
That’s it for this week! Please pop over to our host, the lovely Jon, AKA ‘The Propagator’ for more gardening tales of the unexpected and where I am sure there will be many more spring bulbs to be seen.
See here for the participant’s guide.
Cornwall in Colours 
I love the jewel colours of these early bulbs. And what a wonderful shot of the Great tit.
Thanks Chloris, sometimes I manage to get a clear shot of the birds, mostly they are awfully blurred or even MIA 😀
Stunning . . . . . .this is why I could not live here full time, I miss our English springs too much
One thing I missed whilst living in SA, and I wasn’t even much of a gardener then.
ooh can’t imagine you not being green fingered!
4 small children took up most of my time! I did have a collection of African Violets for some reason and other house plants. We mostly rented too and moved a lot!
Ah there you go African Violets and children, knew there must have been some amazing nurturing going on 😊
Those irises reticulata are gorgeous too… not easy to make a choice compared to mine… About your other flowers featured this week, I’m sure they’re blooming at home now, but I can‘t you to say because I’m so far away, on an island so devoid of beauty … my camera is taking pictures alone now..
I love the irises, but especially the Alida! What a beautiful color! I think next year I am going to add bulbs to pots and scatter them around! Yours are quite beautiful!
Thank you 🙂 Alida is such a pretty blue.
Oh my Jude, you are amazing. I couldn’t begin to remember what I planted where, what the names were and how to treat each with their different needs!! Such beauty!!
You play golf. I garden. 😀
That Euonymus is that I call a great value plant, it sits there demanding little and minding it’s own business, not exciting but better for being there.
Nice to know someone appreciates it 🙂
Absolutely beautiful!
Stunning pictures Jude. The colours are so uplifting. All so beautifully topped off with the delightful shot of the Greater Tit.
The anticipation of the spring bulbs has been fulfilled 🙂 So far they have all come through.
No fails? Wow! I miss my bulbs of a cool temperate climate.
No snowdrops yet – leaves, but no flowers, but I only planted them last March so maybe they take a while to settle.
The anticipation kills me! It happens with buds and fruit. Sadly not bulbs as I mentioned. Although apparently if you put them in the fridge crisper for a while before planting they may bloom. I just love snow drops.
Wow those iris! Particularly the blue one.
Agreed. The blue is stunning.
Your garden is looking as lovely as ever Jude and from what I gather the weather has been unseasonably warm in the Uk recently. The spring colours must look so pretty basking in the sun! 🙂
Everything always looks nicer in the sun. Back to normal today – sunshine and showers and wind!!