Flowers at home Monday

Jane at small but charming suggested we share images of the flowers in our houses. For all sorts of reasons I wasn't able to take pictures except this one. This is Anaphalis picked from my garden, dried and then taped onto a wire hoop.  It hangs in my kitchen

Planning my cutting garden

I have been planning my cutting garden for 2011. I have already bought some seeds from Sarah Raven, heres the list:

• Bupeurum rotundiflorum 'Griffithi' - green flowers. I have -unsucessfully - tried to grow this before but I am giving it another go.
• Godetia amoena - white flowers
• Lathyrus odoratus 'Heathcliffe'- sweet pea
• Malope trifida 'Vulcan' - Magenta flowers
• Salvia iridus 'Blue Clary' - blue bracts
• Zinnia 'Giant Purple Prince' - Large purple flowers
• Lupinus 'Pink Fairy' - pale scented flowers 

They are annuals for cut and come again flowers. I will also be growing the most successful ones from last year:

White Cosmos 'Purity' with dark flowers from
Scabious'Tall Mixed' with an unknown Aster.

•  Cosmos 'Purity'
• Ammi majus 'Queen of Africa'

Larkspur

• Larkspur Consolida 'Dark Blue'
• Scabious 'Tall Mixed'

I can't wait to get started.

Signs of Spring

We had some lovely sunny weather at the weekend, the first sign of blue sky since the snow thawed. I optimistically went in search of signs of spring and I am glad to say I found two.

I cleared leaves and found snowdrops. A bit yellow because of the lack of light but it will soon green up.

I love this Hellebore orientalis. It has plum coloured flowers for weeks.

In my front garden Lonicera fragrantissima has started to flower after being held back by the weather. It smells lovely on a mild day.

 I bought this pink hyacinth from Marks and Spencer, partly because I thought the pretty tin would be nice to re-use when the hyacinth was over. I like it placed next to the Anaphalis in the pink jug