Bloom Day

I always forgot the Garden Bloggers Bloom Day (the 15th of every month). I simply don't use to think about the date when gardening, although all my (our) pictures are saved with the date of the shot.

Here, better late than never, I show some pictures – this time of my husband – made on 15th March.

Hepatica nobilis growing in a large crock pot

Crocus angustifolius in a window box

Crocus sp. in the same window box

And here together

And finally the promise:

Primula marginata in a trough

They are Dreaming of Spring

Draba parnassica

Primula clusiana

Primula marginata

Saxifraga bronchialis

Saxifraga federici-augusti subsp. grisebachii

Saxifraga 'Leonardo da Vinci'

Primulaceae and Others

Some members of the Primulaceae family are just flowering. Here are together:

Primula marginata, Primula rosea, Primula elatior

And in the center the three large buds of the Gentiana clusii are waiting for more warmth to open. Alas the Primula flowers will not wait for them.

And another member of the Primulaceae:

Androsace vitaliana (the newest name as I know)

We have this plant for about 5 years. It wanted very much to die at the beginning. Then last summer it decided to live and made nice foliage and also some flowers. Now it has many buds and is fighting for living place with a Dryas octopetala. I think I will help the Androsace :-)

Not Primulaceae, but Ranunculaceae:

Ranunculus alpestris

I sowed the seeds collected somewhere around the Austrian Totesgebirge in the autumn 2008. They germinated in spring 2009, but only 3 seedlings are alive. These are thriving in a trough placed in the garden and survived the winter without covering. I hope for more flowers next spring. Yes, they have to survive another winter, and a Budapestean SUMMER until then...

Ditto, in Nicer Version :)

My husband is a better photographer than me. So I allow the field photographing completely to him. He makes nice pictures like this also at home if he has time:

Androsace carnea brigantiaca

Last year I sowed also Anrosace carnea 'Rosea' seeds, but they did not germinate. They are germinating just now!

Primula marginata again

Saxifraga x elisabethae cv.

Other joys:

There are buds on the Primula elatior. I collected the seeds on the Raxalpe a few years ago. It is flowering now the first time.  Androsace pubescens (last year's seedling) has also buds. And the Dodecatheon has two leaf rosettes now. 

The sunshine pulls everything out from the earth. If I could sit and look, I could have seen the shoots growing and the buds opening. That's why I adore spring.

And for farewell, a little tit "working" in the garden:

Unexpected Guest and Other Nice Surprises

In one of the troughs appeared a Chionodoxa. It has two buds as yet. I have no idea how it got there, but such surprises are always gladsome, particularly after a winter like this, when many bulbs have died (frosted, rotted and so on). I have in another pot some Chionodoxa but they have had no flowers for many years already.

Chionodoxa sp.

The Androsace carnea brigantiaca flowers have opened. Seeds from the SRGC seed exchange.

Androsace carnea brigantiaca

And:

the first two flowers of Primula marginata

Some Tulipa dasystemon bulbs had also rotted, but the remaining three are flowering heroically:

Tulipa dasystemon

Spring Developments

Spring is working now very very slow, but at least is working. Last days we had much sunshine with extremely cold winds. And tonight snowed again before the last snow could have gone.

Some buds from the balcony:

Androsace carnea brigantiaca

Primula marginata – will flower the first time for us

Hepatica nobilis

And finally some pictures from the Hárs mountain near Budapest. We went back on Sunday and found the Eranthis flowers with a snow blanket: