The month of March is marching on with only a couple of days until we reach the vernal equinox when daylight hours equal the hours of darkness. This is when spring truly starts for me.
I was going to do a post purely about the yellow flowers appearing in my garden this week, but could only find four unless I repeated some of the narcissi.
First up is this lovely container full of dainty ‘Tête-à-tête‘ narcissi. The metal container is one of three from Sarah Raven and was intended for indoor use (it has no drainage holes), but the seams are not watertight so I shall use them outdoors with bulbs in spring and some type of patio annual for the summer. These bulbs will be transferred to the rockery wall once they finish flowering.
Moving to the gravel garden I was pleased to see the return of my Snake’s head fritillary / Fritillaria meleagris with its nodding, bell-shaped purple flowers. I’m still debating whether to remove the pebbles from this area and mulch it with bark, if I am then I need to do it soon before the rest of the plants start to grow.
More yellow in the shape of more Narcissi – this time a new variety for me is N. Jetfire. Seen on many of the SOS gardeners posts I decided it was time to give this one a go. A dainty hybrid with pointed, gracefully reflexed golden yellow petals and orange trumpet it is slightly taller than the Tête-à-tête‘ narcissi. I have noticed that the trumpets don’t look very orange when they first open, but change to orange as they mature. Again after flowering these will be transplanted into the rockery wall as it supposedly performs remarkably well in the garden year after year.
Somewhat surprisingly is discovering spring bulbs that I don’t remember planting. I think a lot pop up from where I have disposed of old compost out of the spring bulb containers and not properly emptied them. This beautiful blue Anemone coronaria is one of those.
More yellow, this time a shrub, Coronilla valentina subsp. glauca ‘Citrina’ which I purchased last summer. Two small plants both in containers for now until I decide on where to plant them. A sunny spot is required in order to enjoy the pale-yellow, lemon-scented pea-like blooms from December to mid-spring. I might try to grow them as climbers up my fence between the clematis next to my patio. That way I won’t have far to go in the winter months to smell them.
The final yellow at the moment is a species tulip. Grown for the first time last year I am happy to see the return of T. Sylvestris, the wild tulip or woodland tulip with lots of flower buds.
As you can see from these photos it has been a wet week (with the exception of Tuesday) and likely to continue into next week. I am more than ready for some sunshine!
Jim of Garden Ruminations is now our host and as a former nurseryman has a lot more than the SOS happening over on his blog so well worth following. As always, if you want a peek over other people’s garden walls then please pop over to his site where you find links to many more wonderful garden enthusiasts from all over the world. See here for the participant’s guide.
Cornwall in Colours 
Lovely colourful post. A George Eliot fan?
Not really, but it did occur to me when thinking of a title!
Lovely spring bulbs, Jude, as I wait for the sun to show its face. We have a Middlemarch in the Sth Is 😁
Lots of lovely yellows. Funnily enough I noticed some flower buds on my T. Sylvestris this afternoon – they seemed to appear from nowhere. I must try some of those Anemones next year.
The anemones are a delight. Such a splash of colour.
What a happy find is the Anemone coronaria, and a lovely photo too. I planted N. Jet fire last year for the first time and agree about the trumpet, which was nowhere near as colourful in my garden as the picture on the packet. Only one of my species tulips emerged last spring and I’m hoping it was just a temporary thing and not, as I fear, a case of rotting in too much wet clay. Delightful, as ever, to see your spring blooms, Jude.
The trumpets are getting darker each day and they have a delightful scent too. Tulips can be very temperamental. I’m pleased to see these return after a very wet winter.
I planted Tulipa sylvestris in 2021, was so pleased with them I planted lots more in 2022, now I don’t know if the first lot have come back or whether what I have now are all the second lot.
As long as they have appeared. I always wonder how the bulbs don’t rot with all the rain we have.
Beautiful, love ‘Tête-à-tête‘
I do seem to have a lot of them!
Stunning photo of the tete a tete. I love the way you’ve cropped it. I’ve not tried T. Sylvestris but it looks lovely.
Yes, the T. Sylvestris is a beauty. I am very happy to see them return.
I certainly got the impression it had been wet down in your part of the country, Jude – wet here too, but not as much, and some warmth and sunshine too. Interesting to read about your spring blooms – and you have nearly tempted me with the coronilla, something I have thought about before but am still slightly wary of because it’s yellow!
I’m not hugely fond of yellow except in spring, but this flowers during winter so adds some cheer to those drab months. And citrina is pale lemon not shouty yellow.
Same here Jude, and I would only welcome the teenier narcissi here, but of course am more than happy with my yellow witch hazels and hellebores 😉 Yes, I think I could manage the paler yellow (and have a Mothers Day gift voucher)…
Always so pretty!