Spring has arrived at last in the unmistakable form of flowers.
The first to appear were the blue-striped white blooms of Scilla mischtschenkoana, which are, in fact, nearly spent now. Then the deep blue of Iris reticulata "Harmony" quickly joined them. And now I have a first narcissus bloom as well; this, N. cyclameneus "Rapture".
Our latest bouts of wind and rain have not been gentle with the flowers. Fortunately they receive some protection from the house front, but I am still glad these little flowers are as sturdy as they are.
For today's vase I picked a late iris and the first Narcissus, as well as a couple stems of noID muscari.
As my title suggests, Narcissus cyclameneus "Rapture" is fragrant.
So are the grape hyacinths, just as sweet as the narcissus but with a much deeper scent. Even the iris has a bit of scent.
I chose I. r. "Harmony" because I wanted its bright pop of gold in all that lovely rich blue. It has not disappointed!
Well, everything seems to growing crazier by the day at present. Though the garden is still quite small--just one partially planted border--it's a great relief to be able to go out and admire the beauty of the flowers while we stay quietly at home.
Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting In a Vase on Monday each week. It's so reassuring to have such a regular pleasure these days!
Weather Diary: Overcast and very wet; High: 55 F (13 C)/Low: 45 F (7 C); Humidity: 72%-100%
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Cathy (Tuesday, 24 March 2020 02:28)
I love Harmony too Amy, and the narcissus is quite a striking shape. Enjoy the scent! �
Cathy (Tuesday, 24 March 2020 04:11)
That is such a pretty narcissus, Amy, a dwarf one I guess? I love the idea of it being fragrant too - and I had forgotten about the scent of muscari. In fact, do I sniff blooms often enough? Do I assume some of them won't have a scent? Hmm, need to remedy that! Love the combination of blue and yello and it is a joy to see your pots again
Amy@small sunny garden (Tuesday, 24 March 2020 11:14)
Cathy@Words and Herbs - I love that shape! This is the first time I've grown any form of N. cyclameneus, and of course, now I'm wondering why it took me so long! I love the smell of narcissi, and often the ones closer to the species seem to be more fragrant. This is no exception. :)
Amy@small sunny garden (Tuesday, 24 March 2020 11:20)
Cathy@Rambling in the Garden - Thanks so much, Cathy! It is indeed a dwarf; I should say about eight or nine inches tall at a guess. Which is one reason we don't smell them as much perhaps - rather hard to get one's nose to them unless cutting them for a vase! ;-) As I mentioned to Cathy above, the greater fragrance is one reason I often grow the smaller narcissus varieties; it seems like the one closer to the species tend to have a richer scent, though I know there are exceptions to that!
Kris P (Tuesday, 24 March 2020 13:01)
I'm glad to see that Spring has reached you, Amy! Flowers and gardens in general are a great comfort tight now. Take care.
Amy@small sunny garden (Tuesday, 24 March 2020 15:44)
Kris - Yes, gardens heal a lot of angst and provide a lot of friendly faces! ;-)