Hisor Fortress, Tajikistan

Can you guess where these photos were taken on March 31st?

Views from within and without the Blue Mosque of Istanbul.

Honeybees having a fine feed after a long winter.

Galathus nivalis Flore-pleno , double-flowered snowdrop.

Hamamelis Arnold's Promise

First Crocus of the year in St. John's, Newfoundland

To my American followers who want to get the hell out of Dodge, come visit my home province of Newfoundland. Picturesque coastal towns.

Tulipa kaufmanniana hybrid. Blooming in the greenhouse....will bloom outside here in mid May.

A dwarf Aloe hybrid I purchased at Home Depot a couple of years ago. Blooms two or three times a year.

Salix daphnoides....a sign of spring in Newfoundland.

Cymbidium Mighty Sunset

Allium wallichii, a species from the Himalayas. The twisted petals are reminiscent of pinwheels.

Aloe humilis looking happy!

Amaryllis Red Lion....produced two stems at Christmas and now a third is blooming.

First bloom of the season on Cyclamen pseudibericum.

Encrusted saxifrages are looking great right now. The cold weather seems to be making their lime-encrusted margins pop!

Bird of Paradise. Blooms for months from late fall to spring.

First sign of spring in Newfoundland!

An Aloe hybrid I created is blooming. Pleased with the result.

Sinningia insularis....a tuberous species that is hummingbird pollinated. Grace's the greenhouse in late winter -early spring, and sometimes again in mid to late summer.

Part of a mural in the Deer Lake airport in Newfoundland, featuring several of the special orchids of Gros Morne National Park.

First time bloom on Paphiopedilum Erika Potent.

Vaccinium vitis-idaea....locally called partridgeberry but elsewhere known as lingonberry or rock cranberry. THE best jam!

I see these are blooming now in the UK and BC but will be at least two months or more before they start here....a forced pot of Tete-a-tete narcissus.

Cyrtocidium Kolibri...a hybrid from the fragrant Oncidium ornithorhynchum but unfortunately did not inherit any perfume.

X Sedeveria Fanfare blooming in the greenhouse #succulents #houseplants

Coelogyne huettneriana, first time blooming. Not the most pleasant smell. Guess it smells like the pheromones of the bee that pollinates it.

Echeveria 'Perle von Nurnberg'

Hydrangea Pistachio....very unusual colour.

Phragmipedium Cape Bonanza is the setting sun.

Platanthera clavellata....a common orchid in bogs and fens across Newfoundland.

Platanthera blephariglottis, white fringed orchid. Common in fens across Newfoundland.

Malaxis monophyllos, one of the tiniest orchids in Newfoundland and relatively rare.

Platanthera grandiflora, a localized orchid in Newfoundland.

Mini phalaenopsis putting on a nice show.

Forced pot of Jetfire daffodils.

Rhipsalis cereuscula, an epiphytic cactus from the jungles of Brazil. Blooming now in the greenhouse.

Love the delicate colour on this phalaenopsis which is currently reblooming for me.

While I'm waiting for the first blizzard of 2025 to hit me, I'm thinking of the roses of summer.

Enjoying spring with some forced Forsythia branches. They won't bloom outside here for another 3 months. #newfoundland

With all the drama between Canada and the US, I'm feeling a little blue. And nothing screams blue like Gentians!

Cornus canadensis, aka bunchberry. Normally the flowers are pure white. This one with pink is probably due to a fungus or virus, but looks quite attractive.

So happy to live in Canada! The best place in the world. Of course I'm biased for Newfoundland and Labrador. #teamcanada #explorenl

Narcissus decepiens....a tiny daffodil with dime-sized flowers....and blooms in the autumn! Seen in Crete.

Grandiflora rose 'Violet's Pride'....been very impressed with this rose. Highly fragrant and soft mauve-purple colour which is unusual. And it's hardy! No die back at all in my Zone 5. #gardening

Hakone grass is my hands-down favourite ornamental grass. This is the cultivar 'All Gold'. #gardening

Hooded lady's-tresses....Spiranthes romanzoffiana. Another very fragrant native Newfoundland orchid found all over the island. #newfoundland #orchids

Sternbergia lutea, a fall-flowering bulb I saw in Crete last fall.

This Chamaecyparis that I bought as a Christmas plant two years ago will soon take over the greenhouse!