I start the year off with daffodils, they're a favourite as they're such sunny flowers and cheap as chips to buy in the supermarket. I love them at the bud stage when they offer so much promise of what's to come.
They don't take long to open up. I usually buy a couple of bunches and cram them all together in one vase as I think they look lovely en masse.
Hyacinths have a very strong perfume which some people love and others can't stand. I'm in the love camp, though I'm in the minority in our house. I have to stand my ground when I pick up the pre planted bulbs in the supermarket as Mick isn't keen. Here they are just at the start of their blooming period.
And this is what they look like once they're in full bloom, so many individual flowers making up each stem.
Another favourite are tulips. They're in the shops soon after Christmas but I usually wait until I've had my full daffodil enjoyment before moving on to these. I just love the array of colours that they're available in, it's so hard to make a choice.
I can never resit taking photos right inside the flower, it's like a kaleidoscope.
I have an amaryllis growing at the moment. This was bought prepotted just after Christmas. Sometimes the flower stem grows without any foliage showing itself but this time there's plenty of leaves. So far it looks as though there's only going to be one flower stem, though others can pop up later so that might happen.
Usually, I dispose of an amaryllis bulb after it's flowered but last year I thought I'd save it and see if I could get it to flower for a second time. I repotted the bulb not long before Christmas and it's taken quite some time to get to this stage. No buds as yet, just leaves, so I'm waiting to see what happens.
It's a great time of year for cut flowers and indoor spring bulbs. I noticed that stocks are in the shops now so I might treat myself to some this weekend, especially as I wasn't treated to any flowers for Valentine's Day. Oh well, it just means that I'll have to treat myself instead.
Flowers are so beautiful, but I prefer them in the garden. I have had cut flowers and I always feel sad when they start to die after a week or so, but that's just me. I'd rather have a bulb like your hyacinth or amaryllis. Best, Jane x
ReplyDeleteI love having cut flowers in the house but I like to enjoy them in the garden too. I never cut those growing in the garden for the house.
DeleteI love the perfume from daffodills and the way tulips carry on growing when placed in a vase. Tulips once set off our alarm when all the petals dropped one night.
ReplyDeleteI can see how that would happen. I've just been considering cutting the ends off my tulips, they've grown so much since I've had them but still going strong.
DeleteI repotted two amaryllis from last year, one grew just leaves, the second one looks to be growing a bud, I love free flowers. I ilkie to keep Orchids as they flower for months, I have 4, but only one in bloom. Still only buds on my new this year amaryllis, but the promise of flowers is enough for me.
ReplyDeleteI had three orchids but I've disposed of two of them as they were really past their best, I'd had them years. People seem to think they're fussy and hard to keep but I find them so easy to look after, water once a week and cut the flower spike off once it's finished flowering, and that's all I do and they repay me by flowering over and over again.
DeleteI'm sat out whilst the rabbits have a run around the garden (one at a time). I've just found a wicker basket full of hyacinths just starting to grow! I must have just dumped them in the garden when they'd finished flowering last year. A nice find as I love their scent.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a lovely day today, I bet the rabbits are enjoying stretching their legs. Hyacinths and stocks both have such a gorgeous scent, I can't get enough of them at this time of year.
DeleteI love flowers in the home too and like you I start with daffodils. There's something so cheerful about them and they always brighten up the room.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Daffodils are so cheery, they put a smile on my face just having them in the house, and later on in the year I love having sunflowers in a vase for the same reason.
DeleteThere are so many coloured tulips to choose from, it can take ages to pick a bunch to take home. x
ReplyDeleteI agree, they come in such a beautiful array of colours.
DeleteLovely post and pictures. I'm not keen on hyacinths, and have had no success trying to grow them at home. Fingers crossed that your amaryllis flowers again. xx
ReplyDeleteHyacinths are quite showy, over the top, flowers and have such a strong scent that I can see they're not everyone's cup of tea. I can't get enough of them but Mick always turns his nose up. It would be great if I could get my amaryllis to flower again but I'm not sure it's going to.
DeleteI keep wishing I could get some bulbs. But have not seen them, where we shop.
ReplyDeleteLots of very expensive already blooming flowers! "Solid Gold" expensive. Eeeek!
Must look farther, for reasonable bulbs!
Lucky you!!!!
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It's such a shame that flowers cost so much over there. The shops here are full of inexpensive blooms at this time of year.
DeleteJust love your flowers, all lovely looking blooms.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed your amaryllis flowers …
All the best Jan
Keeping my amaryllis for a second year was a bit of an experiment so I'm not expecting much from it. I'm glad I bought a new one so that I'll definitely have some blooms.
DeleteYour flowers are lovely. I got a small bunch of tulips for Valentine's Day, I just love them.
ReplyDeleteI love tulips, I have them in the garden as well as buying cut ones for the house.
DeleteI, too, love the scent of hyacinths. The smell like spring to me. Daffodils are my first purchase every spring when I can get them at the grocers.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a lovely, flower-filled weekend. xo Diana
Daffodils are always the first flowers I buy after Christmas, a bit of a tradition. There's such a wide choice at this time of year though.
DeleteI love your Springy flowers and am tempted to buy a bunch on my next trip to the supermarket. It would be a treat because they are a little on the expensive side here in Bethlehem, PA, USA. It is cold and snowy here still! I am a new subscriber and enjoy your postings.
ReplyDeleteThere's so many inexpensive flowers available here at this time of year, we really are spoilt for choice. Sometimes it's worth splashing out a little though as flowers do bring such a lot of joy. Thank you for visiting.
DeleteDaffodils are my favourite, bright, fragrant and a lovely start to spring. I do like the scent of the hyacinths though xcx
ReplyDeleteI don't think I can choose a favourite but I always start off with daffodils before buying any other spring flowers.
DeleteI am a fan of having flowers in the house too. Daffodils are one of my favourite and are cheap enough to have a few bunches at a time.
ReplyDeleteI love putting lots of daffodils together but I also like to spread them about so I always buy more than one bunch, they're cheap enough to allow me to do this.
DeleteIt is so lovely to see flowers again isn't it.
ReplyDeleteIt is. I've got lots of spring bulbs flowering in the garden too, helped along by the lovely weather we've had this week.
DeleteI love the daffodils too aren't they lovely I buy them as soon as they are available in the supermarket they bring sunshine into the home. I'm seeing lots of shoots in my pots too so it won't be long before they flower. Have a great weekend. :) xx
ReplyDeleteI've got Tete a Tetes flowering in the garden at the moment but there's buds on the daffodils so they won't be long now. Until then I'll continue to buy them for the house, they really cheer me up.
DeleteThe daffodils are the first to appear in grocery stores here too. I haven't seen any in Wisconsin, yet. Flowers would look so nice here! And good for your for buying yourself some
ReplyDeleteDaffodils are in the supermarkets here as soon as Christmas is over with, it's a good long season for them.
DeleteGorgeous....all those flowers, wish I had a green thumb and could plant some indoors, but have never had any luck. But, maybe if I just buy a clump and keep in water I could at least enjoy some color. I too love the aroma of Hyacinths.
ReplyDeleteSandy's Space
The bulbs are all pre planted, it's just a case of watering and waiting. Just the anticipation of seeing them bloom makes me happy.
DeleteYour flowers are beautiful, Jo. I don't usually have flowers in the house except for this time of the year. Hyacinths are my favourite and who can resist a cheery daffodil. X
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to resist spring flowers and bulbs and they're available at a time when we all need a bit of cheering up.
DeleteI missed leaves on my amaryllis its just a flower stalk. Next year, i'll definately be trying one again. I too have daffs in the house, the promise of spring to come.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely week x
I don't think I've grown an amaryllis which had as many leaves as this does before it flowered. They do grow afterwards though once it's finished blooming. They're great fun to grown.
DeleteAll my favourites too,for the same reasons.Great pics.x
ReplyDeleteThere's such a wide choice of flowers and bulbs at this time of year, we're spoilt for choice.
DeleteI love having Daffs and Tulips in the house, they do seem to brighten up the place. Stocks look very pretty too. I wasn't treated to any flowers this week either :-( I think Mark goes around with his eyes closed, lol. I did buy myself 2 lovely bunches of tulips on Wednesday though. Have a good week
ReplyDeleteWe need to treat ourselves if our other halves don't bother. I love having brightly coloured flowers in the house at this time of year when the weather outside is usually drab and grey.
DeleteI haven't had any daffs yet, I really must as they are so cheerful. I love tulips too, but when I was a child I was terrified of looking inside as I was convinced that spiders lurked there. It took my Mum years to convince me otherwise! Do you put a penny in your tulip vase? It helps to stop them flopping over. I tried it last year and it worked a treat.
ReplyDeletex
It's dahlias you need to avoid, there's always earwigs in those. I tried the penny trick but it didn't work, I now prick the very top of the stem with a pin and that works brilliantly.
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