Back in My Garden for the Spring

Dear Friends, I'm back home in Sweden and my garden in the region of Uppland!

After 3 months working in the sun I was excited to see how far the spring had come in my garden :)

There is still snow around even if it's disappear quickly in warmish degrees and rain. Could be deceiving though, it's actually a month early, at least!

My Street is still having some snow, but I feel the excitement over the spring seeing green patches here and there

The entrance to my house are snowfree more or less

 My stream are open and it will be exciting to see how high the water will go in the spring since I plan to plant  some Lillies along the edge and don't want to do it too far down

The "New Dawn" Rose is too early and need some more covering, also to be protected from the coming strong "Spring sun"

Also the "Ilse Krohn" Rose need more protection

Here is the "Barn" looking towards the upcoming Shadow Garden & Kitchen Garden, in front is the new Perennial flower bed I made in the late fall

My Perennial flower bed is full of Spring bulbs, some of them eager to come up

 In the Shadow flower bed under my kitchen window The Japanese Mahonia Fern never lost it's green under the snow, fascinating

In my Kitchen garden the Garlic from Gourmetgarage surprised me, probaly will need covering as well

It's now easier to see and plan my Shadow Garden when the entrance isn't covered with Nettles

The Shadow Garden is a long haul project that will take years, but it's good to see where the water comes in the spring, so I can see where the different plants could go.

Seeing this, I also realize where the Mosqitos will thrive :(

My view from the kitchen window (where the beautiful Orchid I got as a moving in gift from my parents survived 3 months without water ;D )

Up in the Guest room, now serving as a overwintering room for my Geraniums, Fuschias, Olive tree, Walnut tree & more, getting bright light from the skylights towards north and a temperature of +8-10C

Today all the stored mail came from the post office, I ripped up the Garden Magazine and brewed fresh coffee for my favorite moment: FIKA

On the way home to Sweden did I pass through Amsterdam Airport and took the oportunity to stock up on bulbs and seeds :D

The "White Elegance" selection contained: Dahlia Playa Blanca, Liatris floristan Alba, Freesia Single White, Anemone Bride & Gladiolus White Prosperity

The Blue "Mix&Match" Collection have: Dahlia Blue Boy, Ranunculus White, Gladiolus Blue Frost & Anemone Coronaria Mr Fokker (haha)

I also found seeds for a favorite, the Architectural Eryngium "Miss Willmotts Ghost.

An exciting time is coming up, and I'm so glad to live in a area where the spring is very long and fun :D

Enjoy, I do!

Pre Winter Blues in my garden

Not much happen in my garden now when it prepares for the Swedish cold winter, but yesterday we had frost, and that always bring a certain beauty to the darkness :D

My Snowberry bushes bring some light to the darkness

Just now is the water in the stream pretty high by my footbridge, but are regulated further down in the dam's around the Lövstabruk Manor, wonder how it's in the spring when the melting snow can bring a LOT of water.

My new Hollyhock are green wich is promising since I live a little bit high up in the country for these to thrive

The wonderful colour of the Heuchera "Palace Purlpe" bring a certain beauty to the covering Maple leafs

The Deer tounge Fern sticking out

The Japanese Mahonia Fern seems to thrive as well while waiting for the snow

My Rose "Else Krohn" staying green against the warming rock wall

A sign that the fall have been a little bit to warm, and that I layed down the protecting Spruce twigs to early, the "New Dawn" rose growing, and it shouldn''t, the show is here soon and it will probably freeze.

And so the FROST came yesterday, beautiful :D

Beauty by the stream

The Echinacea/Rudbeckia still standing

The Maple leafs that cover all the new flowerbeds makes them look like natural art in the frost

The Japanese Mahonia Fern

Echinacea/Rudbeckia

Certainly another time of beauty before the snow will cover everything

Enjoy, I do! Per!

Flower bed in the Shade and a Special Lilac

Just below my Kitchen window that facing north do I want to put my favorit flowers and plants, the ones that loves the shade.

Always had a fascination for Fern (Ormbunke) and similar plants, specially since my visit on Stewart Island in south New Zealand where I hiked in a forrest of Furn, Magic! This will be in a tad smaller scale though ;)

On my beautiful wood and Granite barn sits a couple of ugly things: Electrical lockets, had to hide them, with a Lilac!

My Newly Planted flowers in the Perennial Flowerbed already start to draw attention to the right kind of creatures: the Bee's :D Here on the Anemone (Höstanemon) September Charm

The Echinacea (Rudeckia) looks great even if it's a tad late for them :D

My Kitchen window facing North and will be in the shade most of the day so here I can do my Shadow Flower bed. I moved the lawn elsewhere, and just needed to turn the extremely dark and fine soil with the pitchfork a few times plus some Bone meal (Benmjöl).

Here again my plan was a raised bed, but maybe next year, now I put a plank between the gravel and the sones that cover the seating area to the left.

I placed out the plants to see where they would look best, I know it's a lot for such a small place, but I will divide them next year and move some to other places.

The high Ferns (Ormbunkar) in the back and the Funkias and others in the frontish. 

Descition taken and all is planted plus springbulbs.

From left to right; Lamium (Rosenplister) "Beacon Silver", Unknown Funkia from our cottage, Funkia Lime, Unknown Fern from our cottage, Ostrich Fern (Strutbräken), Funkia "Praying Hands", Heuchera "Palace Purple", Unknown Fern from our cottage, Unknown Funkia from our cottage, Japanese Mahonia Fern & Fern "Deer Tounge".

Besides that, a lot of Springbulbs, same as in the Perennial Flower bed; Wild Tulips and Fritillaria Meleagris (Kungsängslilja).  

So what to do with these horrible Electric lockers, they are very much visible from the kitchen window and the seating area

I decided on putting a Lilac (Syrén) there that I will let grow fairly freely to cover them in a couple of years. This Lilac plant is what we in Sweden call Farmer Lilac, a very hardy and fragant Lilac, very typical for the Swedish countryside.

 

What is special with this specific plant? 

In the 60´s when my family built a new villa in Skutskär, further up north in Uppland did my dad work in this area for the Swedish Telecom (Televerket). He worked all round this farming area and along the coast. 

When we decided to plant a Lilac hedge did he know about this abandoned farmhouse that had lots of Lilacs. We went here and digged up plants for our new house. 

Then for 25 years ago did we buy our cottage by the Baltic coast in the northern Uppland. I took shoots from our Lilac and planted there.

This is a plant from the very same Lilac we took from this area nearly 50 years ago :D

Have a great day all, See You later, Per!