Fritillaria meleagris

GB Bloom Day for April

April 16, 2016August 20, 2017 Cindy at enclos*ure7 Comments

A bit late, I’m afraid. . .

The tulips are T. Clusiania 'Tubergen's Gem. The purple ground cover is Aubrita-Hybride ‘Lavander’. — The tulips are T. Clusiania ‘Tubergen’s Gem’. The purple ground cover is Aubrita-Hybride ‘Lavander’.

This month, I’m again stalking the pretty display garden of the Spielhaus* at the University of Hohenheim, which is close to our neighborhood.

What’s blooming? Low groundcover plants, tulips, and magnolias.

view of Spielhaus, enclos*ure — The purple groundcover is Aubrieta-Hybride ‘Tauricola’ and ‘Lavander’.

view2 of Spielhaus, enclos*ure — The pale yellow-blooming shrub is Corylopsis pauciflora. I believe the low white flowers in the foreground are Arabis caucasia ‘Schneehaube’.

There were several kinds of Tulipa clusiana or Lady Tulips.

Tulipa clusiana 2, enclos*ure — I believe these are Tulipa clusiana var. clusiana, although there were also var. chrysantha in the same area (as well as ‘Tubergen’s Gem’), and I realized after I got home that I hadn’t been careful enough keeping the flowers with the labels.

Above and below are Tulipa sylvestris subsp. sylvestris.

Tulipa Silvestris view12, enclos*ure — En masse.

Phlox 1, enclos*ure — I could not find a label for these smallish pink tulips.

Euphorbia, enclos*ure — Euphorbia epithymoides growing among Scilla.

Pumonaria, enclos*ure — Blaues meer means blue sea.

P. angustifolia ‘Blaues Meers’ are also called blue cowslips.

The fritillary were still blooming. They have also been called snake’s head fritillary, chess flower, frog-cup, guinea-hen flower, guinea flower, leper lily (from the bell once carried by lepers), Lazarus bell, chequered lily, chequered daffodil, and drooping tulip.

There’s a good article about them here, from the online garden magazine Dig Delve.

Just behind the Spielhaus were a collection of magnolia, cherry, and plum trees.

This cultivar had long flower petals that were all leaning in the same direction.

Not far away was this creamy yellow M. Cultivar ‘Elizabeth’.

To see what’s blooming today for other garden bloggers, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

*Part of the University’s botanical garden.

In a vase on Monday: grape hyacinths

March 7, 2016August 20, 2017 Cindy at enclos*ure15 Comments

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On Saturday, I wandered around the downtown Stuttgart flower market admiring all the blooming spring bulbs — which were being sold both potted and as cut flowers (pictures below). I bought some cut tulips and then went to Butler’s for a vase and another container of seashell chips. On the way home, I stopped at a florist and bought a little pot of forced Muscari, or grape hyacinth, bulbs.

I think I should have set the bulbs lower in the vase, but I didn’t want to disturb their rootball, which I covered with the chips.

Click on any thumbnail in the gallery below to scroll through photos of the flower market.

To see what other gardeners have put in a vase today, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

The flower market at Schillerplatz.

Tulips — 6.50 euros for 10.

Potted forced dark blue irises.

Potted primroses in almost every color are a feature of the markets and florists right now.

Potted forced Fritillaria meleagris.

Cut tulips and Narcissus.

The Saturday markets, Stuttgart, March 5, 2016, enclos*ure

Cut Narcissus.

A potted lime green Chrysanthemum.

This stall had the prettiest colored cut Hyacinths, Muscaris, and tulips.

Cut Muscaris.

Cut Dutch hyacinths.

Potted forced tulips and Fritallarias. This was in the farmers’ market in the square in front of the Rathaus, or Town Hall.

I caught this woman in mid-step. I love the colors of her outfit.

Potted forced Narcissus and Dutch hyacinths.

The “ingredients” of my Muscari arrangement.

On the coffee table in our living room.

Muscari bulbs, Stuttgart, March 5, 2016, enclos*ure

The baskets are from Rwanda.

My tulips, Stuttgart, March 5, 2016, enclos*ure

In a vase on Monday: Fritillarias

February 29, 2016August 20, 2017 Cindy at enclos*ure11 Comments

Potted Fritillaria meleagris in our living room this week.

The plants are 13″ to 15″ tall.

I love the checkered pattern on the blooms.

Right now, almost all the supermarkets and florists here are selling small plastic pots of three or four blooming or almost-blooming spring bulbs (about €3.30 each — cheaper than a lot of cut flowers).

I replanted these into two purple ceramic pots that I had from a previous plant purchase. Then, to catch the excess water, I also put them down in blue pottery teacups from Rwanda’s Gatagara Cooperative.

I covered the soil with seashell chips.

The yellow-blue sake pitcher and cups in the photos above were made by American ceramics artist Hayne Bayless. They were purchased years ago at the Smithsonian Craft Show — which will be held this year from April 21 to 24 at the National Building Museum* in Washington, D.C. If you plan to be in the D.C. area that week, you can buy advance (discounted) tickets here.

To see what other gardeners have put in a vase today, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

*The Oehme/van Sweden exhibit will still be there.