Flowers in our garden

Last year we didn't have too many flowers in our garden, but this year we have planted some flower seeds to some pots and containers, and got a couple of lilies, a rose and some other potted flowers from people, condolences on my mom's recent death. The flower seeds have only just started to sprout, but I planted these potted flowers in the ground today, and our yard looks suddenly a whole lot nicer :)

Also, took a picture of a rhododendron by a neighbor's door. One of my favorite flowers. We have a huge one at our summerplace.

 

Around the forest path

Lilies of the valley are starting to put out flowers. The first shy ones are already open, some have only buds, but most none yet. White dead-nettles are in full bloom as are a whole lot of other flowers in the forest, and the buckeyes too. Wild strawberries have flowers, whereas those garden ones in our yard have none yet.

 

Beans, apple blossoms and other flowers

Spring is rapidly turning into summer. While it is still May, the nature is in full summer mode. We have +26C in the day time, and even during the night the temperature doesn't drop below 15 degrees. Everything is in flower. Apple trees, dandelions (many of them already turned to those white balls already), all sorts of little road side flowers, hedges and vines in peoples yards, and rhododendrons and tulips (many of which are already beyond) et al. And trees are heavy with catkins, though birches seem to be past the worst.

Yesterday I went to the stables at Nurmijärvi with my eldest daughter; there are many apple trees there, starting to bloom, whereas here they are already in full bloom. Today I walked aroud our neighborhood with our dog and my camera.

Also, our beans and last year's rucola (I guess it dropped a whole lot of seeds!) are growing nicely :) Hosta undulatas on our yard are growig fast too, and those flower seeds I planted a week ago are starting to sprout.

 

 

 

 

Ferns, filipendula, tulips

There are now two tulips in bloom in our yard. Today was a rainy day, so they both kept their flowers closed. We don't have any filipendulas, but many of our neighbors do and they are heavy with flowers. Ferns are unrolling themselves here and there.

 

 

 

Garden stuff

Today has been a truly warm sunny day, and I did a whole lot of things in our garden. First off, I raked and cleaned off the patch with the spring onions, and found some rucola growing underneath of all the crap! The I planted a bougainvillea in a pot that I placed in one of my twig bunnies. I also sowed some flower seeds to pots and the clay pot.

Our spinach is growing nicely, and at least one of the aubergines has sprouted. The biggest tulip has opened.

The neighbor's cherry tree is producing flowers, but isn't quite blooming yet.

 

Flowers all around

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood... and the sun was out and it was warm already before 10am when I went for the morning walk with the dog. There's flowers everywhere, and the lilies of the valley cover the forest grounds. Hackberry and filipendula are in bloom too.

 

 

 

 

Flowers of Linnanmäki

We went to this amusement park Linnanmäki in Helsinki today. There are some cherry trees and a whole lot of tulips and other flowers there.

 

Tulips

Rain, sun, cool, warmer. Spring. Flowers come out here and there. Tulips all around the neighborhood are blooming, but the ones on our yard not quite. The biggest one, the mother of them all, last year's lone one that now has multiple offspring, is shyly turning red.

 

 

 

Garden coming along

Despite the colder weathers, chives and spring onions are growing nicely outside, and even the salads and beans are to be sprouting. Inside, the zucchinis are growing, as is basil, but the aubergines are taking their time. Also, on the yard, the hosta undulatas are poking through the ground.

 

Cherry tree park

I recently discovered that there is a Japanese style cherry tree park in Helsinki, and today, as I was pretty sure the trees were in bloom, we went for a little walk in the park. The trees were fabulous, but it was somewhat windy and since there was nothing else for us there: we went, we saw, we photographed. There's 152 cherry trees in the park, and some narcissi, and I even found some yellow anemonies by one of the trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprouts

One of our zucchinis has a nice sprout already, a couple others are showing a small corner of green. Also, one pot of basils has one proper sprout, some others are showing signs. It's still so cold that we can't even take the pots outside in the day time.

 

 

Tomatoes and cucumbers

Despite the warmer winter and that short span of summer-like weather, and the nature responding to that, the spring now seems to be colder than last year. We did get some additions to our garden today, though, some small plants that can easily be kept indoors for a few more weeks. We left the medina chilis still in the greenhouse, but got us a couple of tomatoes and cucumbers. There they are now, on our sunny window together with the stuff we planted when it still was warm.

 

Blossoms

Today, when we stopped by the local store, I noticed a beautiful tree full of pink flowers. I simply had to go back with my camera later in the evening to get a few photos. On the walk, I saw a couple of other cherry trees in bloom too, while most were still totally barren.

Butterburs are blooming too, as of today. And despite the cold, tulips are starting to form their flowers. The ones on our yard are still green and small, but some other ones in the middle of a cluster of houses were almost open already.

 

Snails are out for a new summer too.