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Spring arrives here in N.S. in a most
unpredictable manner.
Among the first plants we will see are the Golden bunch crocus( Crocus
ancyrensis). These cheery crocus, the snow drops and the various
other
crocus gives us optimism that winter is behind us, even though green
grass
and emerging leaves are quite a long way off.
Click
for more spring bulbs
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Following the retreat
of snow, the masses of mixed
crocuses
and snow drops
seem instantly ready to bloom . This bed along the front of
the
house is carpeted with multi-colored crocus, followed by 'Glory of the
Snow' and various 'Scillas'.
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Two of our favourite mini-Narcissus, 'Jetfire' and 'Jack
Snipe'.
One can never have too many of these early blooming cheery little
narcissus,
which seem ever so happy to share a bit of space anywhere in the garden.
'Jack Snipe' is growing with the Rhodie 'Ramapo', cushion
spurge
and 'Golden Oregano' in the front.
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The emerging foliage of thousands of
narcissus heralds the next most anticipated period.This view
of
the front perennial bed has earth showing at this early stage.That will
soon change.
Narcissus web
album
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Part of the bed along the 'gulley' combines the narcissus
'Jenny'
with some pink and white narcissus plus Muscari latifolium, a tall
two-tone
grape hyacinth. This bed is home to thousands of other
bulbs, minor and major.
Rhododendrons in the bed are not yet in bloom.
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Tulipa 'Spring Green' shares a spot in the front perennial
bed with
many narcissus. This is a very versatile and elegant tulip which has
been planted in many places throughout the garden
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Two early blooming small-leaf Rhododendrons 'April Rose' and
'PJM'
grow just in front of the house under the large birch trees. Many bulbs
share the space; among them some lovely 'Fosteriana' tulips.
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Rhododendron bureavii is one
of
the earliest large-leafed Rhodies to bloom. It is characterized by
large
pale pink blooms and new growth which is covered by a distinctive tan
colored
indumentum. In the background there are specimens of Rhododendron 'PJM'
and 'Azuray', a semi-deciduous plant with gorgeous blue-violet blooms.
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The Allium karataviense 'Ivory
Queen'
is a handsome, low-growing allium. It has beautiful purple-striped
emerging
foliage. The spherical blooms are sturdy and long-lasting, blooming
here
in mid-late June.The seed heads are attractive well into late summer.
The
regular species has purple blooms, but the same attractive foliage.
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The beds of various deciduous azaleas are in prime bloom
around
mid-June. One of the best pink azaleas is 'Homebush'; shown here with
the
Rhododendron 'Nepal'. Both are very dependable bloomers!
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'Homebush ' has a very distinctive ball-shaped truss. It is
one
of the nicest pink azaleas commonly grown. The description of the color
varies tremendously, some call it salmon; we don't think so! The pink
here
may be a little extreme, but it is still a good pink.
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