Blooms of Glasgow

Okay, so I'm a week late and I can't even let myself call this a "Belated" Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. I don't care though- there are too many pretty flowers not to share them even if it's not the 15th!



The gardens are really taking off here in Glasgow. After a very cold week last week, it looks like summer has finally arrived! The lilacs started blooming earlier this month and the air around them smells heavenly. Some rhododendrons are still going strong and the azaleas have erupted into a rainbow of color. I spied my first peony this week and lots of other strange plants are blooming, too. All in all, it's a great time to be enjoying the lovely blooms of Glasgow.

 

 

 

HAPPY SUMMER!

GBBD March 2012

Daffodils

Welcome to March in Glasgow! As expected, the bulbs are continuing their show.  It is a veritable feast of daffodils right now and they are just gorgeous.  In fact, I intend to write an entire post dedicated to them soon as they have completely taken over the Botanic Gardens. 

In addition, I spied the first tulips of the season a few days ago!  I absolutely adore tulips (just like crocuses and snowdrops and daffodils... apparently I adore bulbs) and these delicate tulips, coral-red and tinged with yellow, are quite lovely.


Tulips!


Also, in our lane (lane=alley) there is a lovely group of Euphorbia! I didn't realize that Euphorbia had such a wide climatic range; I think of them as being Mediterranean.  I am quite pleased to see that they thrive here.  Maybe I can convince the downstairs neighbor to let me put a wee Euphorbia in the "front yard." I've always been partial to Euphorbia characias wolfenii.

Euphorbia


I also spied some hyacinths in the wild! I've grown so accustomed to seeing them in little planters that I was surprised when I saw this little wee blue one along the side of the lane.  It is very cute and a nice dash of blue to replace the crocuses that have mostly faded now.

Hyacinths

In addition to the daffodils, the Botanic Garden is also home to some spectacular rhododendrons. They are just starting to bloom and should be even more impressive in a few weeks.  Meanwhile, this pink one below is doing an excellent job of broadening the floral color palette of March.

Rhododendron

Last but not least, there is this shrub covered in bright yellow pom-poms! I have no idea what it is but the flowers are really spectacular.  They look like tiny dahlias on a chartreuse green stem. In a couple days, the one pictured below should be completely covered in flowers and I will be sure to snap a picture of it!

Yellow pom-poms of some sort

Another belated GBBD - February 2012



Daffodils!!!!

The flourishing of Glasgow continues!  February must be the month of purple, blue and gold.

The plants are not entirely convinced that spring is here yet, but you can feel it getting closer by the day.  Every morning the sun rises a little earlier and every night it sets a little later.  The crocuses have been continuing their display, as have the snowdrops.  Joining their ranks are the first daffodils and irises!  More bulbs are blooming by the day.  As I walk around I can see wee crocuses popping up in almost every patch of soil around.  I think next month the flowers will really be spectacular.



Teeny little irises



Yellow crocuses



Myrtle



A field of wild crocuses



Belated Glaswegian Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Um, so it's not the 15th anymore, traditional Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, but I am doing a lot of adjusting in this new land of Scotland so I'm cutting myself some slack.  You know why?  Because there are flowers blooming in Glasgow in January!

I grew up in New England and for some reason, I expected that dried berries or old seed pods would be the only botanical interests around here this time of year.  I was wrong.  There are still errant roses blooming here and there, heathers, and other plants I don't know yet.  But what is really exciting, are the bulbs! 

I recall welcoming spring in Connecticut with the snowdrops growing in the woods behind our decaying wood pile; I think it was roundabout March.  The snowdrops would then be followed by crocuses of yellow and purple down by the mailbox.  The final nail in the coffin of winter was the eventual explosion of a veritable bonanza of daffodils.  The emergence of the bulbs from their winter slumber was the cue and chorus of winter's end.

Walking the Snoutface through the lovely Botanic Gardens last week, I started to notice all the shoots the bulbs were sending out.  I was excited, but not expecting to see anything other than green for several more weeks or even months.  But I didn't have to wait more than a few days!  There are snowdrops along the banks of the River Kelvin and crocuses at the feet of the trees throughout the Botanic Garden.  If this is what the flowers are like in January, I can't wait for April!

Snowdrops along the banks of the River Kelvin

Purple crocus, paw for scale



Doorstep heather

GBBD September 2011

The sedum "Autumn Joy" have finally joined the rest of the flowers blooming in the garden! They are just as lovely as I'd hoped and they are an absolute bee magnet! They are always covered in a half dozen bees at least. The California fuchsia refuse to falter (happy hummingbirds) while the buckwheat is starting to fade. The blooms have been pretty stagnant around here- I'm happy to add the sedum to the group.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day August 2011

I have a new favorite plant: California fuchsia.  This lovely low-lying shrub started blooming last month and it is still going gangbusters.  It looks like the flowers just appeared; they really have incredible longevity.  But beyond the fact that they are gorgeous and long-lasting is the fact that three different times last week I glanced out the kitchen window and saw a hummingbird flitting around and partaking of the fuchsia nectar.  Now tell me that's not a great way to start the day: "Oh, good morning, again, little hummingbird!"  Awesome.

In the veggie garden we have the usual suspects lined up: squash, cucumbers, beans, eggplants, peppers, strawberries, tomatoes and artichokes! It's really looking good out there.

Artichoke

Sugar Baby watermelon
Guarded by semi-feral-jungle-housecat

Roc d'Or yellow wax beans

A fabulous cluster of future Sungolds



More roses



Peace rose







Fuchsia, buckwheat, flax and green heads of Sedum Autumn Joy fixin' to bloom



California fuchsia- the botanical hummingbird feeder

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day July 2011

Wow!  July is quite the season for blooms in the garden right now.  In addition to all the yummy veggies flowering away, there are lots of lovely blooms out in the front yard- home of drought tolerant and/or California native plants.  Enjoy!

California fuschia

California fuschia

Pink buckwheat

White sage

Chitalpa

Desert willow

Sierran Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Today is the 15th so I should be showing you what is blooming in my garden.  The problem is, I'm not in my garden today.  I am in the eastern Sierra geologizing (you might not think that's a word but Darwin did).  Therefore I decided to take some pictures of the wildflowers and flowering shrubs here in the lovely Owens Valley.

Indian paintbrush



Bitterbrush

Lupin

Sulphur buckwheat

Monkeyflower

Rayless daisy

Many thanks to Deborah, a local biologist for the plant identifications!  The monkeyflowers are hard to photograph; they form some beautiful carpets across the scrub.  And the Rayless daisy is just too cute!  It's an adorable little yellow puffball that looks like something out of Seuss.  I encourage you to stop and look for blooms - even in an unexpected area they often appear if you're looking for them.

I hope this little dose of mountain flowers improves your Wednesday!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day April 2011

Flowers don't have to pay taxes.  Lucky.  Here is what's blooming in the MKG on this Tax Day.

Heuchera

Quince, quince, and blueberries

Ceanothus (California lilac), Easterm Lilac, Wisteria



Orange blossoms



Even though I record blooms once a month, I've already managed to miss some.  Between the March GBBD and this one, the apples blossomed as did one of the blackberries.  The wisteria was also looking more robust a few weeks back.  Right now, though, is when the garden is at its most fragrant.  The scent of the orange blossoms wafts around the garden and it is just heavenly.  Perhaps this weekend I should make time to take a nap beneath the orange tree.