The Rush to Flower: September 14, 2019

After a week of cold winds and low temperature (a return to Winter really), Spring is back with us today, and the warm weather is hastening plants into bud, leaf and flower. Without further ado, here are this week’s six.

One: Iris hollandia (above) is relishing the warm days and its cerulean petals echo the colour of the sky: a colour that has been with us for weeks as we rarely have any clouds that look like they might furnish us with a few drops of rain.

Two: Tulipa clusiana ‘Lady Jane’ didn’t multiply as much as I hoped she would this year, but these pure white flowers with their black eyelashes give a great deal of pleasure.

They lie down at night, but in the early morning sunlight they do their stretches like ballerinas at the barre, and then….

….open their arms to the sun: bras en couronne.

Three: Tulipa kaufmanniana ‘Heart’s Delight’ is just coming into her stride, most likely at the plié stage. Another charming species Tulip, I wrote about her in more detail here.

Four: The Rosemary hedge, besieged by bees, is well in flower.

Five: Narcissus ‘Butterfly Pickup’ is a winsome addition to the border.

Six: I can’t resist this Bellis perennis flower with its anemone-like petals. What sweet plants they are . I’ll be happy if they multiply in the garden.

As ever, I’m joining in with the Six on Saturday meme hosted by Jon the Propagator. To see other gardens, follow this link.

We have some rain forecast in the next week. I don’t think it will be much, but even a small amount is gratefully accepted.

Weather today: Brilliantly sunny, 2.5 – 25 degrees C

An addendum: Why do some Narcissi have very short stems? Some of mine are only a couple of centimetres above ground level. Is this because of lack of water? Perhaps one of the other Sixers has the answer.

31 Comments Add yours

  1. Ahhh . . . such pretty springness. So nice to see as we’re heading into fall here. Although it feels more like summer still, hot, humid, and no rain. I wish we were on the spring end instead of fall. Enjoy every moment. After winter, you deserve it.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you, Cindy. We have to have winter though, don’t we, in order to enjoy spring!

  2. Lis says:

    Oh, gorgeous spring things! I love your ballerina tulips, Jane, and the photo of those sunlit blue iris is exquisite – it made my day. Enjoy that lovely weather, it looks like we have pretty much the same at the moment! 🙂

    1. Jane says:

      I’m out in the garden every day, early, to see what changes are afoot, and there’s always something new to see! We have rain forecast for tomorrow (Tuesday) and a top temp of 13 degrees!

  3. I hope you get some rain soon. I love those irises and ‘Lady Jane’.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you. There is rain forecast tomorrow, so I’ve my fingers crossed that the Bureau of Meteorology is right this time.

  4. Tracy says:

    I am amazed how perky your garden looks, Jane, given the lack of water.

    1. Jane says:

      We are allowed to water at certain times, and I have been doing so, Tracy, and also bucketing water from the shower and the washing up. Keeping things going for the time being.

  5. June Girvin says:

    Oh I love those little tulips – in come ways more than the bigger, blousy ones. Somehow they remind us of where those big blousy things came from.

    1. Jane says:

      Yes, I much prefer the species tulips to the big ones, June, especially as they are happy to do their own thing without being lifted each year.

  6. Fred says:

    I ‘m surprised by such a difference in temperature int the morning (2.5°) and afternoon (25 °): not easy to manage for you and also for plants.
    Beautiful iris hollandia : I tell myself that if I had them in my garden right now, I would be closer to summer than winter …

    1. Jane says:

      It isn’t usually this warm in September; so far the temps are quite a bit above average, and we’re still having light frosts. I think it’s lack of rain and cloud cover that’s causing this. The irises are certainly lovely and such undemanding plants.

  7. Barbara says:

    Gorgeous tulips!

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you, Barbara.

  8. Lovely mix. Like the Lady Jane. I’ve started my bulb buying. Lots of irises and muscari to go in the hosta pots. Hopefully come up before the hostas then time right for hostas coming through behind.

    1. Jane says:

      It’s fun ordering new bulbs, and even more delightful to see them appear in the spring. As I often forget what I ordered (and sometimes where I planted them) it’s a pleasant surprise.

  9. Jude says:

    Love those Tulipa clusiana ‘Lady Jane’ – I have just received my second delivery of spring bulbs and will begin planting shortly. I love spring, my favourite season of all time. You have some lovely bulbs there. Most of the species tulips are short stemmed.

    1. Jane says:

      I should have been more specific as it was the Narcissi that I was wondering about. I’ve changed my question to reflect that, but no one seems to have an answer!
      Spring, to me, is what makes gardening such a pleasure, especially seeing forgotten bulbs reappearing. The species tulips are a delight to me and I prefer them to others.

  10. Very pretty! I hope you do get some rain. None is forecast for here any time soon and our tank is empty.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you! We have rain forecast for tomorrow (Tuesday) , a decent amount. Just hoping the BoM is right.

  11. Kris P says:

    Okay Jane, you’ve convinced me! After years of debate, I’m going to order some species tulips to see if I can make a go of growing them. We’ve slipped back into summer mode here but fall will reach us at some point. Best wishes for rain.

    1. Jane says:

      I’m sure they’ll do well for you Kris. By the time our really hot weather arrives, the tulips have gone into dormancy and don’t seem to be affected. They’re such a delight. Good luck with them. I look forward to seeing them in your garden. Thank you for the rain wishes.

  12. I love your “lady Jane” tulips and must try some in our garden next year. We do have the same blue Irises, but we have been away for a few weeks, and have had no rain in September so I dread to think what our garden will look like on our return. Your garden is flourishing despite the harsh winter and lack of rain in spring.

    1. Jane says:

      This is the perennial problem with holidays and when is the best time to leave a garden to its own devices. I hope yours is still ok when you get home.

  13. John Corden says:

    They are all magnificent. I have one blood lily in a pot that I am looking forward to seeing.

    1. Jane says:

      I would love to se that, John. I hope you post a photo.

  14. Eliza Waters says:

    Always a thrill to see spring bulbs. I’m enjoying yours as we head into autumn and months of winter (always too long).
    I grow T. clusiana and love how it multiples and doesn’t dwindle like the hybrids do.
    Re: short narcissi, my thoughts are: either planted too deep or lack of water, and possibly P & K nutrients.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you Eliza. And thanks for your thoughts on short Narcissi. I wondered about lack of water, because we had such a dry winter, but some of mine are normal height, so perhaps it’s the minerals. I’ll give them a feed and see what happens.

  15. So beautiful! We’re just heading into autumn here in Wales.

    1. Jane says:

      Thank you, Nikki. Spring is such an exciting time, isn’t it.

  16. Susurrus says:

    I had been wondering if the narcissus are the rock garden type. I saw several kinds of those with very short stems at Brent and Becky’s Bulbs. Reading Eliza’s comment, it could just be that they are planted deeply – you’ll soon find out if you dig them up. My sweetheart stunts paper whites by mixing a little vodka into their water, but I think we can rule that out of our enquiries!

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