Monday, April 5, 2010

Yellow in the Garden

Visiting with family kept me busy this beautiful Easter long-weekend. I came back from an overnight stay to find the garden had come alive with yellow blooms. The Tete-a-Tete daffodil is so small it makes the Dwarf Iris "Cantab" look like a giant. The bright yellow of the Tete-a-Tete's looks brilliant next to the cobalt blue of "Cantab," (although I have failed to get a picture that really captures the contrast.)

The King Alfreds have begun blooming in the backyard. They are truly giants among daffodils.

Even the windowsill daffodils are getting in on the action. This window box always presents a dilemma in summer. Nothing has ever grown here really well mainly because I forget to water. The simplicity of the daffodils is appealing but what's a good summer alternative that won't mind a little (okay, a lot) of drought? Suggestions are welcome. If I can't think of anything I have not ruled out an artificial window display.

And, finally the Dwarf Iris "Danfordiae" are showing off their sunny faces. Last spring was much more miserable than this year but the brilliant yellow of these blooms got me through. I loved them so much I planted 80 bulbs last fall. While the colour hasn't disappointed, the performance of the bulbs has me worried. So far, out of 80 bulbs only about half-a-dozen have bloomed. Here's hoping that a few early birds have made an appearance with the rest still to come, because a wide swath of these bright bloomers would be a welcome sight indeed.

6 comments:

Heather @ whats blooming this week said...

You have my favorite daffodils - Tete A Tete. I love how they are so small and sweet. What to put in your flower box? How about some moss rose - they are pretty drought resistant - but they need lots of sun. Also what about lavender or rosemary? Again - sun, sun, sun.

Salix said...

Your irises and daffodils are so beautiful.
You may plant some succulents in the flower box? There are many pretty and interesting ones now as it is becoming "in" to have them in planters.
Lene

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

I love those dwarf Iris! Never seen one before; but now I'll be looking.

Nutty Gnome said...

I love daffodils because they are such happy flowers and always make me smile .... but I've just lost my heart to that blue iris 'Cantab' in your previous post! :)

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Connie said...

Yellow means SPRING!! Guess that's why I love it so much.
Love your windowsill Daffodils.