Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Lovely Nigella



I love this little plant!
I love its leaves, I love its perfect blooms, I love its seed head and I love the fact that is's such an easy-no-fuss plant.
All I have to do is crush some seed heads in late summer and next year here they are, mixing in a charming way with roses.
This light blue colour goes well with mostly any other colour and it also helps keep the weeds away.
What is there not to love about it?



Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Beared Irises



 




 
Bearded irises are a mix of strength and delicacy.
I am amazed at how they brave the freezing cold in winter, while their rhizomes are at the surface.
Yet, their blooms are so delicate.
I did choose delicate colours ... mostly.
As perfume is so important to me in a flower, I had to have only fragrant ones. The best fragrance goes to the very pale blue one - it's fresh and delicious.
The pink one has a very strong fragrance but a little too heavy to my taste.
 
Here are photos of them through Instagram.
I believe it adds a bit to their charm :)
 




Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Mid-Day Walk in Luxembourg City

It was June 2007 when I first set foot in this town.
 
My hotel was not in the city center, but close to my point of interest for that trip. That neighbourhood was green and well manicured and full of new(ish) glass buildings.
 
Then I took a bus and went downtown and what a different view!
 
Luxembourg city preserved its old center and kept the new builds at the outskirts.
I like that.
The old town is divided into two parts: the upper town and the lower town.
As it was originally a fortress, the big stone walls were of great service to protect it from invaders and they look wonderful now offering a beautiful perspective over the lower town and the green hills around it.
 
Yesterday, a friend and I had a very quick lunch and then took a walk. It was with her that I first discovered this part of the old town 7 years ago and we still like to admire and photograph it.
 
This is the view of the river Alzette, some of the gardens on its banks and the Abbaye de Neumunster, which is a place for concerts, exhibitions and theatrical events.
 
This is the continuation of the Alzette with the neighbourhood called Grund, where there are plenty of bars and terraces.
 
And some feathered admirers :)

There are many flowering plants on the stone walls, which make it all the more picturesque.

 
And this is part of the upper town, the Museum of the City with an ancient wall covered in ivy.
 
In the end, we returned to the upper city and had to take the bus back to work. But we enjoyed it again, like we do every year, especially when summer starts and then in the autumn and, of course, when it's all covered in snow.

Friday, May 16, 2014

It's Started!

The first iris has bloomed.
Alas, I've forgotten its name.
But every year, it is the first one to bloom and it has a beautiful fresh fragrance.

The first rose has bloomed, too.
Again, it's David Austin's Susan Williams-Ellis.
Its fragrance is amazing!
One of the best ever, although sometimes it's not very strong. Probably a matter of temperatures.

Also, after taking a look at the weather forecast for the next 5 days, I can only hope that summer is comming.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Quick Visit at the Garden Center

These new miniature roses look rather tempting, but I stayed strong :)


This rhododendron looked pretty cool, so I had to take its picture although I'm no big fan of this plant

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Balcony Corner through Instagram

This is my favourite corner of the house.
As it gets warm outside, it's also the perfect place for slowly sipping the coffee.
It's facing east, so the mild morning sunshine warms me up and makes the lilacs fill the air with their scent.
That's when I can have a good view of the garden and see the most urgent works it needs.
 
And a fragrant posy from the garden keeps good company.

Monday, May 5, 2014

April Blooms Close-up

April is gone, but I have some photos I took and I wanted to post.
They're showing a close look at some of my flowers.

 There is so much beauty in a simple tiny pansy!
 The anemone pulsatilla is a gorgeous flower that I'm so in love with.
It looks so special and delicate...
 ...and there is so much fluffiness about it :)

 The strawberry flowers look lovely through the macro lens
 And my lilac is the most beautiful kind, with its white edges

 Not so close-up, but I wanted to ad this photo of my vintage metal container full of late-flowering muscari.