The Garden

PHOBoS · Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2026 8:24 am Post subject:

I hadn't noticed the catkins yet, but did spot them today. Smile

I've also seen some flowering snowdrops and crocuses and 1 very eager daffodil that already has a flowerbud.

Witch Hazels are very nice but my favourite one is probably the Corkscrew Hazel (Corylus avellana 'Contorta').

blue hell · Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2026 2:34 pm Post subject:

ah, kronkel hazelaar - yes, lovely Smile

PHOBoS · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2026 8:07 am Post subject:

update on this post.
The largest one now has 2 flowers (might produce some more) and there is some green growth in one of the other pots.
edit: Spotted some buds in the other pots as well. They still have a very dark color so aren't very noticeable against the dark soil.

Also just spotted some flowers on the Rosemary, I wasn't aware they flowered in winter.

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blue hell · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2026 8:42 am Post subject:

PHOBoS · Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2026 10:32 am Post subject:

It has indeed been quite mellow on this side of the country. Did have some frosty days but today I saw the thermometer on my balcony go up to 15°C.
I made use of it to check on my plants and water a bit where needed.

Getting plants through the winter can be rough. They usually do ok if they are planted directly in the soil or in a fairly large container and exposed to the elements
but even then there is no guarantee they'll survive. Main problem is usually not so much the cold directly but in combination with moisture and humidity.
In pots the soil can easily get too saturated or in my case dry out because they are sheltered. Though they are much more likely to survive dry conditions than wet ones.
In a greenhouse you have to be careful that the humidity doesn't get too high so it's always good to have some ventilation. Inside the house it's the opposite
as the air can get very dry during the winter. Also higher temperatures (heating) and low light levels aren't a great combo and on top of that the plants are
more susceptible to pests.

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I wasn't the only one that noticed the nice weather today.

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20260207 - Violas - 01.jpg

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Pansies are still doing great.

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20260207 - Aconitum vulparia - 01.jpg

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While I removed the dead leaves from the Aconitum I spotted some new growth under the mulch layer.
Covered it back up after taking the photos.

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PHOBoS · Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2026 11:33 am Post subject:

spring is getting closer,.. or are we getting closer to spring ?

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At least one of the snowdrops from last year has survived, there might be more but I think most of the green growth in the pot is from bird seed.

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20260221 - Narcissus 'Arctic Bells' - 01.jpg

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It might not be easy to see but there are some flower buds on these small white daffodils.

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20260221 - Crocus mix - 01.jpg

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Some crocuses are appearing. They do seem to have a bit of difficulty poking through the moss and instead lift it up. I'll keep an eye on it and help out where needed.

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20260221 - Iris reticulata 'Alida' - 02.jpg

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This one might open up completely tomorrow.
I've only spotted 1 so far but I didn't recognize it as an iris until a few days ago and there is a lot of other green growth showing up.

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PHOBoS · Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2026 4:37 am Post subject:

PHOBoS · Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2026 5:57 am Post subject:

this is how things currently look, which I do believe is greener than usual around this time of the year.

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PHOBoS · Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2026 3:53 pm Post subject:

I don't remember where I originally got these flower pots from, I think someone might have put them by the side of the road.
I've had them for quite a while but always found them a bit bland so I decided to add a bit of paint. It's just acrylic paint
without any extra protection so I don't know if that will hold up well if I were to use them outside.

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original on the left, painted on the right

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and that's all 4 of them done.

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PHOBoS · Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2026 8:14 am Post subject:

between all the rain there was a little bit of sun for a spring preview. sunny

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they're opening up even faster than I was expecting and probably all of the Irises will be in bloom by tomorrow.

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PHOBoS · Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2026 1:03 pm Post subject:

All Irises are in bloom today flower

I don't know what most of the other leaves belong too, I suspect Narcissus 'jetfire' but could be something else.
The weather is supposed to be sunny and fairly warm for the rest of the week so it wouldn't surprise me if some more green appears,
maybe the tulips will poke through as well. Also the Narcissus 'Arctic Bells' might flower by the end of the week.

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blue hell · Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2026 1:22 pm Post subject:

PHOBoS · Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2026 3:32 am Post subject:

The Irises are already starting to fade, sadly they don't last very long and the warm weather probably didn't help with that,
but now the small daffodils are starting to open up. They do look more yellow than white at the moment (in the photos they appear less yellow)
but that might change to white over time. I also spotted a bit of red from one of the tulips in the planter hanging on the outside of the railing
that has bulbs from last year in it.

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