And for my balcony?
At home, it's also burgeoning
Where to find them?
The early birds of the garden
To plant illico presto for immediate effect or to list for future projects ...
Early shrubs: the Mahonia x "Charity" blooms its golden yellow bunches between Christmas and February. You can associate it with mahonia with holly leaves (Mahonia aquifolium) which will take over in early March and continue its flowering until April. Their powerful perfume will embellish the whole garden. The two accomplices bloom everywhere, in the shade or in the sun, and in the most ungrateful lands.
? perennials easy to live : they will be every year faithful to the appointment between mid February-early March.
? Bergenia . Clusters of pink bells are born in the heart of its broad evergreen leaves, coppery red in winter.
? Hellebore of the Orient . Persistent foliage and flowers not cold at all, white, pink, greenish, speckled ... from early February to March-April.
? Pulmonary . A ground cover plant that likes well in the shade. Its pink, blue or light red flowers open at the beginning of March and last until April.
? bold bulbs : they become naturalized easily and their flowering intensifies over the years.
? Snowdrill . He spreads his white bells throughout February. To plant in carpet at the foot of a tree or a shrub with early flowering.
? Eranthis . Its yellow flowers look like gold buttons. They flourish from early February to mid-March.
? Crocus . Full of gaiety, freshness and all colors: yellow, blue, mauve, purple ... The first to bloom in February are crocus chrysanthus and tommasianus. The vernal crocuses - more common - bloom in March-April.
? Daffodil (narcissus). A strong spring symbol and yellow gold bells from February if you choose the best early varieties: "February Gold", "Jet Fire", "Head to Head" ...
? cherry blossom : Prunus subbirtella "Automnalis Rosea" . Its bloom of a fresh and spring pink is spread between the months of November and March. At the slightest redoux, hatching blooms. It is a small tree "urban" space-saving, to install in a sunny corner and sheltered from cold winds.
And for my balcony?
It is even easier to advance the spring of 3 or even 4 weeks, simply by moving the pots towards the sun and protecting them from the cold winds (north and east) with a screen (type canisse).► Primroses : available in the fall, then in late winter until spring, the primula acaule - the earliest - can be planted at the same time as the thoughts. There is a wide range of colors often very bright.
► Daisies : they are not so commonplace if we look at the side with tapered petals - "Habanera" - and sliced colors - pink and white - like those of "Tasso Strawberries" or very soft "Robella" ( salmon pink). Planting in autumn or late winter.
► Thoughts : they are planted in autumn or February-March. The flowers appear with each redoux, even in winter, and last very long, almost until summer, especially in varieties with small flowers. The trend is soft and tart colors: terracotta, light wine, peach orange, pale yellow ... and drooping thoughts with small flowers ("Rebellina", "Virvole" ...).
► Note : daisies, pansies and primroses grow close to the ground. To give volume to your potées, marry them to spring shrubs - forsythia, currant bush, prunus ... - or flower bulbs with slender port - narcissus or tulips.
At home, it's also burgeoning
► At the garden center, " forced " bulbs ready to bloom are offered in pots or in small pots. They have the advantage of holding much longer - on average 2 to 3 weeks - than a bouquet of cut flowers. Wide choice also: daffodils , hyacinths , muscaris , tulips , scilla , crocus ... They can also be installed at home, near a window in a cool room, or plant in pots on the balcony. Strangely, these pre-flowered bulbs are often cheaper than those - for an identical variety - sold in bags in autumn.
► Armed with pruning shears, simply identify in your garden the shrubs in buds : almond flower , quince of Japan , forsythia , gooseberry , lilac ... Cut some twigs and place them in a vase inside. Place a ripe apple or banana close to the bouquet and cover it under a plastic film for a few days. The ethylene released by the fruits accelerates the opening of the flowers.Where to find them?
► "Early birds " (prunus, shrubs, perennials and bulbs): garden centers and nurseries. www.truffaut.com (tel .: 0 810 810 698); www.jardiland.com (tel .: 01 64 80 84 00); www.allavoine.fr (tel .: 01 69 33 14 14); www.gally.com (tel .: 01 30 14 60 60); www.delbard-direct.fr (tel .: 0 800 942 940).► Balcony flowers : all garden centers, markets. And for the specific varieties: www.jardinexpress.com (tel .: 03 22 85 77 44).
► Forced bulbs : florists, all garden centers.
