IAVOM ~ A Spring Posy

Although spring has really and truly been officially declared it feels more like winter today with a frost to greet my accidentally door left open overnight greenhouse, stubborn grey cloud cover and a definite nip in the air. I was relieved that I had bought my really tender seedlings into the house overnight and that I had fleeced up a few cuttings before darkness set in. I was also pleased to have snipped my flowers for a vase and taken photos on a Sunday sunny afternoon. In my vase this week are a mixture of late winter/ spring flowers and one that has surprised me by coming into flower so early. They are :

• A flower of iris 'Purple Hill'. I have not grown these bulbs before now and initially thought it was too dark a flower but it's growing on me.
• A dusky pink primula - unknown variety.
• A flower of anemone coronaria 'Mr Fokker' - I planted the tubers sometime in November. They overwintered in single pots overwinter but have taken up residence in the outer world for a while now.
• A couple of flowers, one now fading, of a  white picotee helleborus hybrid I bought from Ashwood Nurseries.

A sprig from a pulmonaria self seedling Finally keeping the pulmonaria company a sprig from geum 'Totally Tangerine'. The pulmonaria and the geum are companions in 'The Lockdown Border', aka 'The Border Of Doom' ,because of the persistent nightmare of marestail.  I planted three of the geums at intervals in the same border and one plant is flourishing, one is not quite as robust whilst the third is sadly puny. I was surprised to see it showing colour so early. The pulmonaria seedling appeared behind the flourishing geum and so far I've not had the heart to remove it. I was pleasantly surprised to see the geum showing colour so early in the year.

 Thanks as always to the lovely Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for her steadfast hosting. The forecast for the rest of the week is looking most pleasant indeed so I'm looking forward to much time spent in the garden this week.