Garden miscellaneous (1)

I’ve decided to stop pretending there is a theme to what I post about my garden, when all I want to do is to share pictures and let the joy spread. Hence the title.

Today is, according to the weather forecast, the last day of sunshine. The mini-summer comes to an end, but, boy was it good while it lasted !

Yesterday, while inspecting my garden, I suddenly noticed that the bearded irises were going to flower.

Even though I look at my plants very carefully almost everyday, I never manage to catch the precise moment when the flower bud swells inside the leaf-looking thing and silently detaches itself, flame or teardrop-shaped. That elusive birth remains an enduring mystery. To me, they evoke the moon appearing as a cloud drifts away. Something about them is reminiscent of old Japanese or Chinese paintings (other than the fact that irises were often depicted in them).

On the other hand, I have a strong suspicion this messy entanglement of dutch iris leaves will produce nothing worthy at all.

I’ll give them until mid-May to prove me wrong, if they don’t want to end up in the green bin. They were one of the first plants I had. I had no idea what I was doing. They did give a few good flowers in the past, of the ordinary purple-blue kind, but I could really use the space for something more interesting.

The hostas are opening up. Prayers to the God of gardens to preserve them from the hated molluscs.

(Hosta June and Hosta Canadian Blue)

I am mightily pleased with Narcissus tazetta Martinette.

They were worth the wait, for their heavenly scent. With time, I am more and more drawn towards smaller varieties of daffodils. I shall try to plant more of these beautiful flowers. Surely, one can always find space for a few more daffs, no ?

Sadly, in one of my two pots of ranunculus, all the flower buds have been destroyed. More precisely, they seem to have been excavated from inside. If you know what can cause that, I’d be grateful to learn.

On the Alexanders, I found those two little guys. Again, if you know what they are called, please let me know.

Oh, and a patch of weeds, for good measure.

Are these willow herbs ? If so, they are allowed to stay. I have also allowed Herb Roberts to grow a bit everywhere. It is gorgeous and so easy to pull up if you grow tired of it.

I hope you are enjoying Spring too !