Magical Days in the Garden

Deconstructed my pretty spring planter today - out with the daffs (the three remaining stems are keeping me company in a vase near my chair); into the garden with the gorgeous pink primulas and tiny little blue and white pansies that I'll plant tomorrow - weather permitting. In its stead have put in an orangey, greeny, yellowy planting of Rieger Begonia 'Amstel Dark Britt' (more baby Aspirin colour), Begonia Nonstop Fire - lots of good yellow, orange and bits of red/pink - very pretty. Using two types of grasses: Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' to cascade over the side of the container and Imperata cylindrica 'Red Baron' to be the brave centre soldier. Off to the back in the corner, I tucked in a colocasia - because I've thought some big beefy leaves to the back and side might look elegant. Ideally the Imperata should have more light to bring out its dark red - but will just have to see. All but the colocasia are trial plants from Loblaws.

It is blossom season up and down the Niagara fruit belt - and right on schedule all the trees will be in bloom for Mother's Day. So far the growers have said that the flowers are plentiful - very little dead wood over the winter - the bee population is in good shape and there's been the right amount of good weather so they're able to do their busy best with the blossoms. Better start looking for jam recipes.

On my walk yesterday, captured these pretty blossoms after the overnight rain.

In my cleanup later in the day found this tiny little specimen in my largest island bed. It is Hosta yingeri - I started it from seed in 2004 from Gardens North - I'm a sucker for anything that is marked 'rare'. Well, I got 24 of them to grow. Rare-schmare I thought. Later that evening a squirrel came and destroyed 22 of them. OK, I get the rare part now. But look at how tiny it is - have you ever seen anything sillier? And it seems as if it is the only hosta being eaten at the moment. At least it doesn't take up much room - so I'm inclined to put in a new tag and see what happens over the next five years.

Enough about sad horticultural efforts - am having so much fun looking at my tulips at different times of the day - 1st photo early in the day and cool....second, warmer and sunny:

Doesn't light just make all the difference?

Back to my green tulip. Like the little tiny points on the petals.

Yes, bed by the house is definitely scruffy, but so absolutely alive and springy-sparkly.

Second year for this white tulip - of the 100 I planted, only about 20 made a new bulb and blossomed. I treat my bulbs as annuals - the exception being the species which gladly multiply year to year.

Was reading a post - can't remember where - about the yellow combined with red tulip offense.

I was shocked to realize that I'd managed to cross that line with only one type of bulb....which of course I still haven't been able to identify.

You'd never know about tulips until you really look at them....look at them all red and white - little would you know that deep inside they were yellow to the core!

And to finish off for the day - here is one of the places I walk to when I want to remind myself that my garden could be a little tidier - a little doll's house and neat as a pin! Just to show you I really do know what a tidy garden looks like....I'm just always days away from achieving it.