This is the journal of my endeavours to grow a range of fruit, veg and flowers from seed, grow organically, and my attempts to create a personal paradise with 1/2 acre of maintained gardens and 1/2 acre wild meadows. Northern Ireland's average daily high temperatures are 18 °C (64 °F) in July and 6 °C (43 °F) in January. Soil type: Clay

Thursday, 14 February 2013

What flowers would you choose?

It's Valentine's Day!

 If I could choose flowers for Valentine's Day I'd choose... 

 something bright and cheerful (like daffodils), 
full of fragrance (like hyacinths)  and something a bit wild-looking with a structural shape (maybe Silverdust).

 This time of year I enjoy a visit to Belfast Botanic Garden as they've a beautiful Spring flower display in their Palm House (built in 1840).

 Here are a few photos of what's on display this month.
The Silverdust at the bottom of the photo is quite easy to grow from seed.
I'm amazed at how many bulbs they squeeze into an 8 inch pot. There must be about 12 bulbs in there!
This squiggly plant - no idea what it is - sets off the flowers really well along with the taller Silverdust.
Above and Below: the giant conservatory filled with plants - a guaranteed mood improver!


Happy Valentine's Day! a day for the exchange of tokens of affection. 

Enjoy your day!


Copyright: All words and photos are property of Kelli's Northern Ireland Garden.
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8 comments:

  1. Mark Willis14 February 2013 at 09:29

    Well, I certainly wouldn't choose roses to be the symbol of Valentine's day - they are completely out of season! I think Narcissi or Tulips are best at this time of year - or maybe Irises. Freesias? If you could reliably get the really highly-scented ones.

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  2. Jo14 February 2013 at 09:38

    I think it would have to be the simple daffodil for me, though there's no chance of flowers here, we don't celebrate Valentine's Day.

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  3. Sue Garrett14 February 2013 at 10:59

    What a gorgeous display but please don't expect me to choose a flower - I can't!

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  4. Janneke 15 February 2013 at 01:00

    Beautiful hart of daffodils! And indeed so many colours in the Botanic Garden is a real mood improver, that's what we need in these snowy, wet, frosty and gloomy, grey days.

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  5. Egretta Wells blog15 February 2013 at 08:43

    What beautiful flowers and I love the heart shaped bouquet of
    spring flowers! I like that "Silverdust", too. In America, we call it
    "Dusty Miller". It looks so pretty behind blooming plants. Thanks for the tour of the Belfast Botanic Garden...gorgeous flowers. Hope your Valentine's Day was special!

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  6. Casa Mariposa15 February 2013 at 18:03

    That greenhouse looks like a wonderful place to spend a dreary day. any flower that hasn't been sprayed with chemicals is a winner to me! :o)

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  7. ann15 February 2013 at 20:39

    I enjoyed the color at the botanical gardens. We don't have such a garden dear. I really am in the mood for spring flowers.

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  8. Unknown23 January 2014 at 22:06

    I just bought the same "squiggly" silver plant today and the store owner did not know the name, so I searched the web and came across your photo and kept looking...
    The plant is called Silversand

    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.314619498576937.69152.142987492406806&type=3

    ReplyDelete

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