Posted on by susurrus

Spring Flowers, Picked And Growing

Crocus flowers, picked, lying on a slatted garden table

Yesterday’s trip to Gresgarth Hall Garden for the March hellebore open day is always pencilled into my calendar. One of my favourite bits is the table of floral goodies prepared for visitors to hang over, all neatly labelled. These crocus flowers were part of this year’s display.

Crocuses growing among dead tree leaves and moss

On the far side of the river, the crocuses were flowering in their natural surroundings. Slender, arching leaves, each with its silver stripe, made a lovely contrast with moss and fallen beech tree leaves. 

Pots and baskets of snowdrops, crocus and daffodils are filling the shelves of florists’ shops at the moment. Many of them have moss tucked in to hide the bulbs, but I’ve not seen one with beech leaves too. I suppose art only replicates nature up to a point.

Bud vase of snowdrops and primroses

I’ll leave you with another peek of the display table: a bud vase of snowdrops, with a few primroses tucked in. I do have a few hellebore shots to share too. Laters, as the meerkats say.

25 Replies to “Spring Flowers, Picked And Growing”

    1. So much thought goes into this garden – the display table for visitors is just one sign of that. I love seeing the care taken to protect anything that’s a little tender to frost or liable to shatter over the winter.

  2. Lovely, lovely! I think a few dried leaves tucked among the moss would be very attractive. A blend of spring and fall.

  4. Do the saffron crocus that bloom in autumn look like those in the first picture? Mine looked something like these, but were a bit paler blue like I thought they should look like, but did not bloom in autumn. Instead, they waited until the following spring to bloom, not long after the other crocus bloomed. I have no idea what they are, and have not tried them as saffron yet.

    1. They look a little like these, but with darker stamens. Most crocuses are poisonous. If they flower in spring, it’s a fair bet they are not the saffron type.

  7. Meerkats say “later”? I’m blown away by the budvase of snowdrops, and on this wintry morning in Indiana, that tumbled bit of forest spring up at the top is particularly welcome. Thanks!

    1. I always hear my dad saying you shouldn’t pick flowers, but leave them to grow. I have to remind myself he was probably just trying to stop me from destroying the wild landscape as a flower-loving child, rather than campaigning against cut flowers.

    1. I’m not an expert on crocuses, but that does sound a short time. The general advice seems to be plant pointy side up about 3 inches down.

Comments are closed.

%d bloggers like this: