Spring flowering bulbs

Spring came early this year, some of my spring flowers began to bloom the first week of August.  Some have already finished flowering, others are not going to flower this year after barely surviving last summer, while others are not even starting to emerge from dormancy yet.  I haven't seen a spring like this before, it is all over the place.

I got a bunch of different daffodils and had planned on mass crossing them and planting out the seeds in the hopes of producing something nice.  One daffodil variety I grow is called 'Marieke'.  It is said to be the best yellow daffodil.  Large flowers are almost double the size of my other yellows, good colour, lovely shape, strong stems, flowers last a surprisingly long time, to be honest I don't think I can breed anything better.

Daffodil 'Marieke' - said to be the best of yellow daffodils

Crocus 'pickwick' produces lovely stripey flowers that last well in the garden.  I like crocus, but don't grow many types.  For some reason I don't see many in people's gardens around here even though they are simple to grow in this area.  I quite like pickwick, they are one of my favourite crocus.

Crocus 'Pickwick'

Crocus 'Pickwick'

Grape hyacinths smell lovely, attract and feed honey bees early in the season, are small so take up next to no room, reliably flower even in the harshest years, divide well, can be grown from seed, and generally look after them selves.  I only grow the common blue ones, and some seed grown blue ones.  I keep saying that I should try to get a few more varieties, but never get around to it.  I think they are very under rated spring flowering bulbs.

Muscari grape hyacinth

Dwarf iris 'harmony' is said to be the best of the blue dwarf iris.  I like these little ones, hopefully I can divide them somewhat and have more next year.  I would like to grow some from seed but have had little luck in getting them to set much seed.

Dwarf iris 'Harmony'

Hyacinth - smell lovely and look nice but only some flowered well this year.  Notice the pink one on the left has a lot of flowers, the one on the right has disappointingly few flowers.  They have a bad habit of only lasting a few years and then not returning, so I will need to look after them and lift them at the end of this season.

Pink Hyacinth

Blue hyacinth

Snowflake - these were here before we moved in.  They are mostly in places I would prefer to grow other things.  I don't love them, so each year I dig some up and give them away, every year there are more to replace them.

A honey bee investigating the flower