Snow´s gone and it's Spring again

The mini winter is over and with +10C the snow quickly disappear!

Time to start up the garden slowly but surely, and it's all so fun this the 1st spring in my garden :D

Up in the Geranium Hotel on the top floor it's soon time to take cuttings, but I will wait another week!

The little garden gnome I bought in Chile for 15years ago posing amoung the Geraniums!

A little Maple tree I digged out from the Lilac hedge at the cottage survived the winter indoors and shooting beautiful lime green leafs

My 1 meter high Mårbacka Geranium will give a lot of cuttings this year

Down in the kitchen it was time to put the 1st seeds in soil and I started with Franchis Peperone "Padron" from Gourmet Garage, Chilipepper "Piment dÉspelette" that is supposed to be able to grown outside, Hollyhock/Stockros "Chaters Double" for the south facade towards the road, Eryngium "Miss Willmott's Ghost" and Large Verbena.

Plus some seeds I got from my red Amaryllis and also from the Flock Tulips/Flocktulpan at the cottage

Out in the garden I discover more and more Snow Drops everywhere, in the Woodland, in the hedges and here and there in the lawns, so beautiful.

On the other side of the stream is the 1st bud on the Lilac showing

 And the water is on full power with all the melting snow.

Time to take away the protecting leafs from the new flowerbeds and make space for all the bulbs to see the daylight.

I cheated and bought some ready flowers in a flowershop to get a teaser of what's coming, here some Narcissus put together with some moss and branches from the forrest. I put it in a big pot for outside.

In my livingroom I have some colourful Tulips to match the art on the walls

And today I found some funky shaped Birch/Björk branches that I put in my favorite vase from Finland, for my diningroom!

Until next time, enjoy!

Per!

Mercado dos Lavradores, the colorful Farmers Market of Funchal, Madeira

While there is still some snow about here, I will as promised post some photos from the Farmers market, Mercado dos Lavradores, in Funchal on the island of Madeira, Portugal.

The market is another favorite of mine to visit here besides Jardim Municipal that I posted the other day.

Here I usually buy a lot of dried Chili, but there is also an abundance of exotic fruits, fish, flowers (a lot of Desert Flowers-Proteas this time), spices, seeds, bulbs, plants,.......

These photos are taken in April & November last year, Enjoy

 Hope You enjoyed the market!

Even the beautiful flower ladies working at the market are colourful :D

See You next time, Per!

Friends & Frost

So there it goes, we had the 1st frost this night, 2 days earlier than expected.

Lucky me, I'm travelling on wednesday so I prepared the flowerbeds this weekend already, Spruce twigs for the Roses and Maple Leafs for all flowerbeds, today I put on one more layer.

It could be a expensive experience to create a new garden without friends!

I already got Rhubarbs/Rabarber, Brush Carnations/Bortsnejlikor & Columbines/Akleja from my village flower friend Evy (Thanks)!

Yesterday my friend Ann-Cathrin came the whole way from Vendel here in Uppland with some big plants of  Ball Thistles/Bolltistel (Thanks)!

And today my parents came here with Bulbs of Grape Hyacinth/Pärlhyacint (Thanks) :D

I also ordered Red Garlic Rossi di Sulmona from my friend Anna on Gourmetgarage in Denmark :D

Woke up to this beautiful view of frost and mist around my stream :D

Luckily I started to cover the new flowerbeds already this weekend

The bulbs of Grape Hyacinth from my parents I put in the entrance garden in the hole where I plan to plant a smaller tree in the future.

Tha Ball thistles I got from Ann-Cathrin I did put along the border to the neighbor, they will be big and bushy (hopefully) and be a part of a natural border in the future.

Digging those holes along the border resultet in a fun discovery, I came upon one of those garbage holes they had in the old days. The time before garbage trucks and sorting, the house & farmowners just digged a whole or used a hollow part of the property to throw down what couldn't be used.

I found porcelain and handmade crooked nails :)

Have a great day/evening, Per!