More spring bulbs

Narcissi under the remains of the apple tree

The narcissi that were starting to bud 2 weeks ago are now coming out. It is interesting to record the timescale of these things. A year ago they were roughly at the same stage.


 I particularly like the short varieties of narcissi as they do not get blown down in the wind and seem to last well. The tete a tete variety always keep coming up year after year.

Narcissi tete a tete

The ones above are planted next to polyanthus and a black and a variegated grass.
Another dwarf narcissi is Narcissi Topolino. They have paler petals than the tete a tete and have been around since the 1920s. They seem to survive our dry garden and reappear each year.

Narcissi Topolino

In the front garden there is a clump of ipheion. I believe it to be Ipheion Alberto Castillo. I really ought to have more clumps of it as it grows well each year and receives no attention whatsoever. I bought it from Avon bulbs several years ago. They like well drained soil and this variety likes full sun. It started flowering in late February and will continue for some time to come.

Ipheion Alberto Castillo

Some dwarf tulips are also putting in an appearance and if the weather stays mild, which it is forecast to do should be out fully next week. They are like little torches popping up out of the ground. My record keeping is rather disorganised so I am not sure of the variety.

Dwarf early tulips