• autumn,  summer

    A Future Sunset Part 1

    A few things, among them Scott with the blog Rhone Street Gardens have been inspiring me during this summer and given me the idea to start a ”sunset” border next year. I have a spot that gets the evening sun, where some rather ugly black currants grow right now, that really is in need of a makeover. Besides getting the evening light the idea would be to use orange, apricot and red flowered plants, maybe even with a little yellow which I usually avoid like the plague. I already have a lot of plants that could move there next year: some Miscanthus ‘Malepartus’, M. ‘Morning Light’ and a Miscanthus that…

  • autumn,  shopping,  spring

    Bulb Relief

    I’m up to my neck in pitches, bureaucracies and php-something or others that leave me scratching my head, so it really felt like a mini-vacation to take a look at some garden pictures and order a few more bulbs. I’m ordering more of the same and getting a few novelties, all from Verberghe (eurobulb.nl) that would be quite affordable, but still costs a bit when you order up to 50 of the same sort 😉 I can’t live without my Phalaris arundinacea ‘Picta’ and ‘White Triumphator’ tulips, so even though I still have some I’m stocking up just in case. The narcissi are old favorites as well, except ‘Stainless’ that…

  • photography,  winter,  woodland

    Photographing Snowdrops

    The snowdrop season has not quite arrived here yet, but statistically it should be here soon. About a meter of snow still puts a damper on the snowdrops arrival. I have not kept an exact chronicle on their arrival each year but I can see from my picture folders that in 2005 I have the first pictures of snowdrops from March 26th, in 2006 they are from April 16th, in 2007 already on March 13th of, in 2008 March 10th(!) and in 2009 they flowered at least on the April 19th. Last year work kept me so busy that I did not get a chance to photograph them at all. Snowdrops…

  • shopping,  woodland

    The Danger of Free Time

      Having the flu and having time off this time of the year means a certain danger of succumbing to on-line shopping. I’m not talking about clothes shopping, though some of my friends would probably assume otherwise, but seed and plant shopping. For the first time in a few years I’ve had time to read seed catalogues thoroughly and also time to browse some old favourite suppliers. I usually make some purchases together with my mother (my main garden influencer) and then I’ve participated in large co-orders that some gardening societies make. The Finnish Rhododendron Society  usually orders from some large suppliers every year, I’ve participated a few times, though…