hyacinths Archives | Diana's Designs Austin

Daffodils and spring bulbs in bloom…

Almost all of my daffodils are up and putting on a spring show of blooms. Only one late-blooming variety is waiting to open. This one is a Double Campernelle, or Narcissus odorus plenus.
These are the ‘Yellow Fortune’ daffodils – I’ve lost quite a few of them in recent years – I suspect the drought has been hard on them.

I cannot locate the label for these pretties right now – they are packed away in a massive garage clean-out before installation of cabinets next week (cabinets to hide away all my garden *stuff* that seemed to have taken over the garage). These are my first pale yellow daffodils and I must say I like them. They seem almost illuminated on a pretty day.

I think this is Jonquilla ‘Simplex’.

These are the lovely and always prolific “Tete a tete” — a shorter variety — about 8 inches tall and very dense.

My new Muscari ‘Dark Eyes’ are all coming up and filling in nicely, making a pretty, purple textured carpet against the grey of the winter mulch.
Pretty in purple are the hyacinths of unknown variety, courtesy of HEB’s indoor planter two years ago.
This Hellebore is Helleborus x hybridus `Gold Finch’ with beautiful contrast. I just had to have this one since we have so many goldfinches in the wooded garden bed where this is planted.
Another unlabeled Hellebore (also known as a Lenten Rose) — I just love those wispy markings in the center. They are hard to see and photograph, though, because of their growth habit and how they demurely keep their blooms bowed down. It also means I have to lie on the ground and hold up the foliage to try to get a photo.
This is muscari golden fragrance. They are a delicate yellow and have a wonderful scent.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:40:02-05:00February 24th, 2012|Blog, bulbs, daffodils, double campernelle, Hellebore, hyacinth bulbs, hyacinths, Jonquilla Simplex, Muscari, muscari dark eyes, narcissus, narcissus odorus plenus, Sharing Nature's Garden, tete-a-tete|0 Comments

Spring bulbs are starting to bloom…

Ah…the promise of spring.

When renewal is in the air and the garden begins to awaken from a long winter’s nap. Well, not really this year. It was more like a quick cat nap.

I love it when the early spring bulbs start coming up and making buds. The daffodils, the muscari, the irises … they are are all putting on their finery.

These are the true harbingers of spring.

And they are some of my favorite favorites in the garden. (I really have too many favorites to count.)

I’m especially fond of the daffodils – there are up to 200 different species of them. I just have a handful of the different varieties, but it’s so much fun to see how unique they can be.

Japanese quince is another reliable plant that signals the arrival of spring. I think of it as an nice old historic plant – you often find very large ones in the gardens of older homes in central Austin. I imagine them being lovingly planted decades ago and being cared for by successive families over the years.

Mine is still small, but those delicate salmony-rose blooms are sure to bring a smile to my face every time I pass by.
These sweet little peeks are traditional muscari (grape hyacinths) that came home from the grocery store with me in a mixed bulb pot and then found their way into the garden to bloom another day. And bloom they do. This will be their third year to perk up the mulch on a drab day.
These are very special little specimens — muscari golden fragrance. Unlike most muscari, these are not the tell-tale purple, but rather a soft yellow and they have a wonderful scent. They are very low to the ground – about 5 inches high – so I literally have to get down on the ground to get a whiff of them. But it’s worth it!
Are you enjoying any early season bloomers in your garden yet?

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:40:02-05:00January 27th, 2012|Blog, bulbs, daffodils, hyacinth bulbs, hyacinths, japanese quince, Muscari, quince, scented blooms, Sharing Nature's Garden, spring|0 Comments

A few little garden early birds…

Most of my garden is awash in a sea of browns, grays and deads. Everywhere you look, there are dried limbs, waiting, desperately waiting to be pruned.
But thank goodness for my passion for early spring bloomers. They never fail me. There are daffodils scattered all about … Yellow Fortune, Tete a tete, Dutch Master, Double Campernelle, Jonquil Simplex. These are Dutch Masters above, also known as King Alfred.
And here we have one of the newer Hellebores. I believe that this one is Phoenix, but I’m not sure because the two about to bloom are not tagged, I didn’t keep the receipt, and I didn’t blog their names or record their names in my master notebook.

I hate it when I do that! I do have two that have tags, but they are sad and pathetic and not blog-worthy! That’s how it goes, isn’t it?!
This is the Double Campernelle Daffodil. See how fluffy and full it is?
And right behind it I have this lovely Japanese Quince that blooms and heralds the spring every year.
Not sure which one this is. I keep meaning to take photos of them all and try to pin point which is which, but that’s low on the list of garden-to-dos!
This one I can ID – it’s the Tete-a-tete. They are tiny little Daffs with a nice upright shape and lovely, neat little blooms.
Unknown variety hyacinths from a grocery store bulb planter I was showing off inside the house two years ago — see it here.

So, while I’m waiting to prune, purge and plant in the garden, I can always count on these pretty early birds to perk me up.

Who’s perking you up in your garden? Any signs of spring yet?

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:24-06:00February 28th, 2011|Blog, daffodils, double campernelle, dutch master, Hellebore, hyacinth bulbs, hyacinths, Jonquilla Simplex, Sharing Nature's Garden, tete-a-tete|0 Comments

A few early bloomers showing their colors…

This Garden Bloggers Bloom Day finds my garden rather sad, covered with the dreary blanket of winter that’s covered us for quite some time this year. In spite of that, Carol, of May Dreams Gardens, invites us to brave the cold and see who’s popping up in our gardens for a little bloom.

This Autumn Joy Sedum really should be named, Winter Joy, because she seems to love this winter weather. In spite of a freeze last night, today she’s still bright and perky and posing for me.
My grape hyacinths from last year’s indoor arrangement are still blooming strong, with lots of other bulbs yet to come from the original 3.
Ms. Phoebe Hellebore is still a sleepy little bud, but she’s so close, I decided to stretch it a little and let her join in our bloom day fun.
Several more Daffodils have opened up, but the best is yet to come.
The Japanese Quince is in full bloom and beautiful.
The Leather Leaf Mahonia still has the most interesting blooms on it — even more unusual with a reddish spent bloom on the stalk when the yellow bells are done blooming.

That’s all that’s blooming outdoors in my garden.

But I haven’t shown you the greenhouse this winter, so I thought today would be a good day for a little tour of what’s blooming there.
This Rose Kalanchoe has sent up a giant stalk and is blooming like crazy! And I have thousands of babies — that fall off the ruffle-edged leaves into every pot I own. (Austin gardeners, if you want one I’ll be bringing a bag ‘o them to our design event.)
This is the annual impatiens plant that my Mom and Dad gave me 2 years ago in March when our beloved Sierra dog died. I’ve managed to keep it alive this long and it is amazing to see it in bloom like this.
This is the Bougainvillea given to me by Robin, of Getting Grounded, so it would have a sunny home in which to bloom. It misses you Robin, but its happy!
This is a Cowslip that I bought a few weeks ago at the Natural Gardener. I have no idea if it will survive the heat or the deer in my garden, but I had to have it.
Here’s another close up of the Rose Kalanchoe – look at all those blooms!
And now we’re indoors. This is the bouquet that my son (26) brought me for Valentine’s Day. He came over yesterday and took his little sister (7) out to dinner for Valentine’s Day — just the two of them — as a special treat, and they brought me back flowers. So sweet, those two.
And this is a rose from the stunning bouquet I got from my husband for Valentine’s Day, along with chocolates and a singing card. I’m eating my chocolate right now as I post! I am so blessed.

Our temperatures have been about 10 degrees below normal on average here this winter, which put us down to freezing for several nights this week. Spring may be a little slower arriving here this year, but we have so much to look forward to.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:42:35-05:00February 15th, 2010|Blog, bougainvillea, cowslip, daffodils, echevarria, GBBD, Hellebore, hyacinths, impatiens, japanese quince, leatherleaf mahonia, sedum, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

My little pretties are popping up…

Oh, the pretty ladies of Spring are putting on their finery to come to the party.

I’ve been all excited about the little green stalks of Narcissus peeking up out of the mulch in various garden beds.

So you can imagine how worked up I got when I realized today, that I actually have things in bloom!

Several Grape Hyacinths are blooming and have clearly naturalized with lots of little friends popping up right behind them.

I forgot I’d planted them, but when I searched previous posts, I found them here: http://bit.ly/8aqGGs

I realized that they came in an indoor pot with daffodils that I put in the ground when they were done blooming indoors!

How fun.

Love those little surprises.

Strolling through the mostly brown and dormant garden, seeing the little splashes of color just cheers me up.

One clump of Daffodils — the “Yellow Fortune” that I planted last year (yes, in January!), is already about to bloom.

Should be another day or two. And in 2008 it was February before the first Daffodil bloomed. Go figure.
And while crouched down looking at the Daffodils in amazement, I saw — beautiful buds all over my Japanese Quince, just waiting to pop open and show off their luscious salmon colored petals.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:42:36-05:00January 25th, 2010|Blog, daffodils, hyacinths, quince, Sharing Nature's Garden, spring|0 Comments

Revitalizing Rain

After our recent slow, soaking rain, I heard my plants in the garden give a collective sigh of relief.

Then the sun came out and several sad little specimens started lifting their frazzled foliage upward – reaching for the warmth radiating once again onto their little world.

Many things are very dormant. Some: dead-dormant. And most of the plants, while salvageable, are still sad. But the Aralia, above, once bowed over and brown, perked up again and was very pleased to be sporting some ravishing raindrops.
The teensy Bluebonnet plants are all still alive and beginning to grow again.
Many daffodil bulbs are popping up around various beds.
My Hellebores are a little worse for the wear, but they do have some fresh, new leaves. I can’t wait for the first blooms. Three of my 4 plants are new from last year and have never bloomed for me so I’m eager to see what they look like.
These darling little Hyacinths were a totally surprise when I happened upon them today. Forgot I’d planted them!
Who knows who this guy is! But he’s on the fast-track up.

This Autumn Joy Sedum survived all the cold – 18 and lower, without anything more than a few yellow leaves. And it’s blooming. Wow.
Then you turn around, and on the other hand…