Christmas on the balcony…
#noelaubalcon #flowers #garden #balcony #terrace #massif #landscape
Christmas on the balcony, Easter on the ember… But there are still many other versions of this saying, all of which ultimately say the same thing!
Christmas on the balcony
This saying “Christmas on the balcony, Easter on the ember” has been around for nearly 400 years. At the start, we said, “Christmas on the steps, Easter on the ember”.
It means pretty much the same thing, if the weather is nice at Christmas it will be cold at Easter. Well yes, you can’t have everything!
OK, but that was before. Today, with heat waves in all directions and a year 2022 which broke heat records, the old sayings are a bit off the mark.
This year at Christmas we have not seen snow and not much frost. We gardeners will console ourselves by telling ourselves that the garden will only be more beautiful, faster. And we start with the balcony boxes on the windowsill!
Christmas on the balcony with… Hyacinth
For Christmas on the balcony, we will be able to enjoy the hyacinths. Hyacinths come in the form of bulbs that are planted in the ground in autumn and bloom from March. But for several years, horticulturists have been cheating nature a bit by “forcing” the bulb so that it can flower at the end of the year. Normally, it is reserved for the interior of the house but with the good weather, you can install them on the balcony or the terrace. What to do with this bulb once the plant has faded, you might say! Well, we let the leaves develop and then we cut them and we can put this bulb back in the garden, well buried in a bed. It may not produce a flower next year, but after that it has a chance of satisfying us again.
Cyclamen
The Cyclamen and more particularly the Naples Cyclamen is also a plant that we are going to install in pots and in the garden. It is a perennial that holds up well outdoors. She fears the cold weather, but at the moment, it’s quiet.It is also so quiet that we could also decorate the surroundings with the cyclamen of the florists. Normally, it does not tolerate temperatures below 10°C, but today… Anything goes!Normally, it is made to stay warm, but not too warm, it deteriorates much more quickly above 18°, a cool room would be ideal!
And more…
And there is everything else! Right now we have pansies and primroses that will last beyond spring. The season begins with the heathers which, depending on the variety, can flower practically all year round. You can put them in a window box and then, on sunny days, they can join the garden, in heather soil. This is also the case of skimmia, a pretty shrub filled with small red balls. To accompany it all, you can provide foliage such as ivy which will bring a little clarity!So it’s true that we are in the middle of winter, but with the temperatures of the moment, or could believe in spring. Well, let’s be careful anyway, a cold snap quickly arrived!
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