Tags
Birch, Finland, Hyacinth Woodstock, Leonard Messel Magnolia, leopard's bane, Purissima Tulips, Rasen Japanese Cedar, Six on Saturday, SOS, vanha talo suomi
Hello gardening friends! It’s been awhile since I last posted – lots of changes! 🙂
We are typically about one month or so behind the UK garden results-wise – it’s always left me with quite a bit of garden-envy watching all your gardening developments, while I was still usually looking out the window at snow. We are very snow-free now, and have been for some time this year – thank goodness! We could do with some precipitation though, as it’s getting a bit dry, especially when the sun is up at 04:45 and not setting until well after 21:30 – and the sunlight hours are still increasing until midsummer. That, my friends, is a lot of sunshine! Temperatures today are going to be the warmest of the year so far, pushing 23C!! The rain I was so looking forward to arriving, seems to have dissipated, and we’ll be lucky to get anything at all next week. 😦 All that aside, here’s what I have for you today, enjoy!
Birch trees throughout Finland are pushing new leaves – and lots of pollen!
Cryptomeria Japonica ‘Rasen’ – curling needles are the specialty with this Japanese Cedar
Our beloved Magnolia x loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ – it really is so lovely!
Doronicum orientale – Lepoard’s Bane – planted long, long ago – probably in the 1960’s
Purissima tulipa and mixed croci muscari
Hyacinthus ‘Woodstock’ – provides a gentle aroma as we walk past this oft-traveled walkway to our driveway
There are lots of great posts and photos of gardens around the world centered upon the Six on Saturday theme – you can see them here
Vanha Talo Suomi 
You have a beautiful garden – greetings from the other side of the world.
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Thank you! While the garden renovation has reached nearly every corner and spare space – outfitting it with perennials is now the job to hand. Thanks for stopping by to say hello! 🙂
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Lovely! Especially the Leonard Messel Magnolia. Tosi kaunis. 😄
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Thank you 🙂
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Kevät hiljaa tulee, tänä viikonloppuna jo vauhdilla. Ihanaa kohta on kesä
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A lovely Magnolia.
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Thank you 🙂
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You had to wait for your blooming to occur but it has obviously been worth it.
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Thanks! Good things do come to those who wait 🙂
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Lovely! I understand your sentiment! Wisconsin takes forever to get around to spring, though spring lasts about 2 days before scorching weather is upon us.
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I’m from Michigan originally, so I have a special affinity for other northern states. Thank you for stopping by and saying hello 🙂
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It looks like spring is well and truly in bloom down your way. Our temperatures are still in the high teens Celsius so we’ve got a little way to go yet. But the sun is shining and hope is in the air.
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It’s always nice to see a conifer appear in a blog, they are so out of fashion in the UK now; perhaps less so in colder climates than ours?
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Everything old becomes new again – or so I’ve heard. My husband and I both like conifers, but there are a few he selected which I don’t fancy so much. Nevertheless, we must be out of fashion 100x over, as we’ve introduced 100s to our garden from around the world. I welcome you to explore our specimen list to see what we’re growing: https://vanhatalosuomi.com/whats-growing-at-vanha-talo-suomi/
The header image, and all the photos, are due for an update as they are now 5 years old.
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Glad to see your post and what’s happening in your garden. I’ve never seen a curly cedar before. What long days! How do Finns orient the waking time during the summer? Do you have a nap mid-day? I’ve always wondered. It’s nice to catch up with my favorite gardening writers. I’ve been too busy as well and so am having a treat now. 🙂 Hope all is well for you Kate! -lisa
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Hi Lisa! So good to hear from you 🙂 Yes, the summer hours in Finland are wonderful, but those 03:30 am sunrises at peak daylight hours, around midsummer do take some getting used to. Much more enjoyable and much easier to appreciate are the long summer evenings, when for us in the south, the sun doesn’t set until 23:00. The further north you go, the daylight lengthens, until you get 6 months of daylight in summer and 6 months during winter, of a sun that barely peaks over the horizon. Like many Finns, bedroom windows adorned with curtains are often backed with a sunproof lining to keep the sun at bay. You’d think shift work for outdoor jobs would be a ‘thing’ – but human nature still revolves around a basic workday, composing the traditional hours. Having lots more time for outdoor activities, relaxing into the late hours, is the reward for a weird daylight situation. We pay though in winter, even us in the south. How does a 9am sunrise sound or a 3pm sunset? Finns call winter the dark months – and for a good reason. Luckily, snowfall sometimes comes early and stays. You get light reflection from the snow on the ground. On full moon evenings it’s almost like daytime, despite being the middle of winter, and the middle of the night. All of which makes living here, and all the quirks, worthwhile. Hopefully, all is well in your part of the world, thank you again for dropping in to say hello! – Kate
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Fascinating! That sounds fun… getting to relax well into evening hours in the summer… as well as the snow in winter and the reflected light. But a 3am sunrise?! Ugh! I’ve always been drawn to the northern lands there. My husbands grandparents were Finnish. Nice to connect with you again Kate!
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Beautiful tulips and magnolia ❤ Those tulips are so shapely!
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Hi, and thank you, Sarah! 🙂 Kind words from a kind lady. Have yourself a great day. -Kate
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Hi from south-east Ireland, Kate. Welcome aboard the SOS ferris-wheel, where we meet amazing gardeners who happen to be lovely people too!
I’m in tune with others admiring your magnolia. It’s really gorgeous!
What latitude are you at?
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Well, thank you kindly – for the kind words, especially. Luckily, some lovely soul gifted us a tea towel as a housewarming gift which is stamped with our GPS coordinates, which are: N60*15,10′ E24*03,95′ couldn’t locate the degree symbol on this keyboard – the asterisk is standing in 🙂
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