Six on Saturday: April 23

Chionodoxa

After a roller coaster week of weird weather that included a blanket of snow, thankfully currently the only (1) “Glory in the Snow” is the lovely little blue flower of that name. They also come in pink (yuk!) and white (which doesn’t show up very well in snow!) but the blue is that perfect sky blue color that goes so well with the yellow daffodils and darker blue muscari of the spring season at this time.

Bright blue muscari and friends

Here’s some of that (2) bright blue muscari, also know as Grape Hyacinth growing in front of a patch of (3) “Rip Van Winkle” daffodils. I’m not convinced “Rip Van Winkle” is a good name for this shaggy headed, starburst type of daffodil because isn’t RVW known for being a long sleeping, slow to wake up fellow? Well, Rip is one of the earliest daffodils to appear in my gardens and stays awake for a very long time! Just right of the muscari is the baby (4) “Clove Currant” that I planted late last summer. Its yellow tubular blooms are appearing, and I can’t wait for them to open and fill the air with the luscious clove scent that I remember from childhood wafting from the bush that grew in our back yard. And behind is a clump of split-cup (5) “Mary Gay Lirette,” which doesn’t look its best in this photo but is one of my very favorite daffodils because it lasts and lasts and lasts, doesn’t bend its stems in strong winds or even with the weight of snow. And it’s a good multiplier and drop-dead gorgeous! Both of these daffys came from Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, a lovely family-owned business.

And my new favorite tulip!

Speaking of favorites, here’s (6) “Purshiana Blonde,” my new favorite tulip for it’s gorgeous green and gold foliage that brightens the Front Island, trying to impersonate an early-emerging hosta, even before it’s luscious creamy white flowers open. I may have a new favorite next week, but right now I’m love, love, loving this tulip!

Stock bloom

The center two rows of this bed in the “flower farm” half of the potager was supposed to be tall “Anytime” stock for bouquets. Obviously, most of the plants are actually (7) “Vintage” stock, a much shorter variety that blooms earlier and was intended to be planted in containers for the deck. That’s what happens when a flat loses its label! Oh well, I’ll enjoy the flowers and their lovely scent anyway, although it’s unlikely that they will grow tall enough to be added to a “Growing Kindness” bouquet. Maybe I’ll pick some anyway and put them in a small jar on my desk just to experience the sweet aroma as I work.

Yes, that’s 7, so you get a bonus plant in this “Six on Saturday” edition. This time of year, it’s nearly impossible to limit to six because everything is bursting into bloom at once! There are over 30 of the 60 varieties of daffodils in the gardens blooming right now, lots of tulips and swathes of scilla. So hard to choose just 6! But if you’d like to see how other gardeners manage to do it, visit The Propagator, who hosts this meme.

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