end of January 2017

that last bulb bowl with Blue Jacket hyacinths is looking and smelling magnificent

2 days after the next pic below, the remaining Delft Blue are in bloom and I put them all together - making a nice, if a little late, display

that Fresco hyacinth (on the right in the Stevens and Williams Princess vase) developed another stem, it's looking good, a shame that later in the day the main stem fell off and was soft and rotted, as was the bulb

later in the day the above was taken one of the stems rotted and the flower fell off

I have 1 good Fresco hyacinth!

and from the other side

Blue Eyes hyacinths on the left and 2 Delft Blue and 1 Skyline between them on the right

all Delft Blue except the squat vases noted in the next pic and Fresco in a vase at the back (will take another pic as it's not very visible)

close-up of some of those squat vases: Skyline in the terracotta vase, Blue Eyes in the front in the Tye blue vase and in the vase at the back with the white dots, Delft Blue buds on the right

I took the few vases left on the mantel and put them on the table above. Luckily I still have something special and beautiful to look at on the mantel.

the last bulb bowl with Blue Jacket hyacinths, Pink Pearl in the Hornsea bulb pot, Blue Eyes hyacinth bud in the blue vase, Skyline in the Up the Garden Path Portmeirion vase

one of the last hyacinths in a Byzanta Ware vase

the next day, the last 3 hyacinths, 2 of which are above right, which I think will bloom as they have decent looking buds

I don't think this one will bloom as the buds are mouldy - not a common occurrence - not sure I've seen this before. But have seen problems this year with this variety - Fresco. Does not work well forcing in a vase, think they've all failed but one but they weren't prepared or marketed as a forcing variety so can't complain.

after all this time and only some very small roots, don't think this one is going to make it, just checked which variety - Fresco

Most of the tulips were eaten by mice in the cellar but the bulbs survived in this little pot as it had a lid on (think it's a tobacco jar) but they've been infected with aphids. It got so bad I banished the pot outside.

a close-up of those aphids on the tulips shows the insects themselves and their cast-off skin