WELCOME TO BLOG NUMBER 3 ALTHOUGH THE SUN IS ALREADY QUITE WARM WHEN YOU GET IN THE WIND IT IS VERY CHILLY. FLOWERS HOWEVER ARE IGNORING THE COLD NORTHERLY WIND AND ARE LOOKING BEAUTIFUL. WE ARE PROMISED WARMER WEATHER NEXT WEEK, LET’S HOPE

ONE OF THE JOYS OF GARDENING IS TO RECEIVE AND GIVE OR SEEDS TO FRIENDS. WHEN THEY FLOWER, ONE IS ALWAYS REMINDED OF THE FRIEND WHO MAY BE LONG GONE. IN OUR PREVI- OUS GARDEN, WE HAD A LOVELY WHITE CLIMBING ROSE WHICH TO US WAS ALWAYS CHARLIE’S ROSE AND BROUGHT BACK HAPPY MEMORIES. MANY OF THE PLANTS IN THIS BLOG WERE GIVEN TO US BY FRIENDS JEREMY ONE OF MY FAVOURITE FAMILIES IS THE IRIS , AND OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, I WILL BE BORING YOU WITH PICTURES OF SOME OF MY FAVOURITES

WIDOW IRIS HERMODACTYLUS TUBEROSA

IRIS UNGUICULARIS THIS NEEDS A SUNNY SOUTH FAC- ING SPOT AT THE FOOT OF A WALL, AND OFTEN FLOW- ERS FROM DECEMBER THROUGH TO MARCH WHY DO SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLANTS HAVE SUCH LONG NAMES, THIS ONE IS TECOPHILLEA CYANOCROCUS, IT IS IN MY ALPINE HOUSE, COMES FROM SOUTH AMERICA BUT IS SADLY EXTINCT IN THE WILD, AND DESPITE ITS NAME NOTHING TO DO WITH A CROCUS

ANOTHER RARITY NEEDING LOTS OF TLC, FRITILLARIA AMANA‘GOKSUN GOLD’ PICTURES FROM PAM MEICHAN’S GARDEN

TWO LOVELY IMPERIAL FRITILLARIAS

BRUNNERA MACROPHYLLA , AND VERY CHEERFUL POTS OF DAFFODILS A FRIEND GAVE ME SOME SEEDS OF THIS CYCLAMEN PERSICUM .SHE HAD COLLECTED A CORM WHILST LIVING IN MANY YEARS AGO AND KEPT IT GOING FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS HER ORIGINAL PLANT IS NOW MORIBUND BUT I’LL GIVE HER BACK ONE OF ITS GRANDDAUGHTERS NEXT YEAR. PLANTS GIVEN BY FRIENDS ARE ALWAYS A BIT SPE- CIAL AREN’T THEY. ANOTHER PLANT WITH A PRETENTIOUS NAME, THIS IS STACHYURUS PRAECOX, LOOKING FAB- ULOUS AGAINST THE WONDERFUL BLUE SKIES WE HAVE BEEN HAVING

THIS IS ONE OF ANGELA’S FAVOURITES , IT FLOW- ERS ALL SUMMER LONG FROM EARLY MARCH TO JULY IT IS LEUCANTHE- MUM HOSMARIENSIS ANOTHER MOUTHFUL OF A NAME

ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO THE GARDEN CLUB DISTRIBUTED THESE LOVELY BI-COLOURED DAFFODILS, THEY HAVE MULTIPLIED NICELY ALONG- SIDE OUR DRIVE THIS LITTLE CHARMER IS HEPATICA NOBILIS, GROWING AMONGST THE ROCKS IN OUR CREVICE GARDEN

HOOP PETTICOAT DAFODILS NARCISSUS BULBOCODIUM THE SNAILS LOVE THEM!

TULIPS ARE JUST NOW MAKING A REAL SHOW, THIS ONE IS TULIPA AGENENSIS IT COMES FROM UP NEAR THE SYRIAN BORDER, WE SAW IT GROWING IN THE WILD THERE WHILST BORDER GUARDS HAD RIFLES TRAINED ON US! PATTI PECK GAVE ME SOME SEEDS OF THIS DELIGHTFUL TULIP AFTER ONE OF HER FLOWER HUNTING TRIPS TO ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO. IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE TULIPA MONTANA, BUT AFTER LOOKING IT UP I’M NOT TOO SURE, PERHAPS PATTI CAN CORRECT ME. IT IS TINY, EACH FLOWER IS NO BIGGER THAN THE BALL OF MY THUMB AND IT HAS THIS BEAUTIFUL CONTRAST OF OUTER PETALS IN GOLD, AND INNER ONES A GORGEOUS REDDISH ORANGE

IF YOU EVER NEED TO RESEARCH WHAT A BULB MIGHT BE HAVE A LOOK AT THE WEBSITE OF THE “PACIFIC BULB SOCIETY” THEY HAVE AN EXCELLENT PHOTOGRAPHIC LIST OF ALL SORTS OF BULBS

ANOTHER BULB FROM SEED, THIS ONE IS A FRI- TILLARIA, AND VERY SMELLY!, BUT DOESN’T SMELL OF FOXES LIKE THE NATIVE ONE, THIS ONE SMELLS STRONGLY OF VERY STALE DISH- CLOTHS.

IN THE BACKGROUND ARE MY ONION SEED- LINGS, WILL WE BE RELEASED IN TIME TO PLANT THEM OUT IN MY ALLOTMENT I WONDER?

THESE ARE TWO MORE IRIS KNOWN AS JUNO IRISES ON THE RIGHT IS IRIS BUCHARI- CA, I GROW IT IN A BULB FRAME, BUT THEY SAY IT CAN BE GROWN OUTSIDE.

I’VE LOST THE LABEL OF THE OTHER ONE