Mosaic for Monday - A Fair

I've recently been to the town of Lahti in Finland. On Wednesday morning, the fair was held and I was happy to see what people sell there.
Despite the rainy weather, buyers and sellers were many. At first I went to see the seedlings of flowers and vegetables. I was surprised by hanging baskets with tomatoes: some fruits were already hanging on.

Sure, colorful petunias, viola, tagetes, Impatiens and other flowers can brighten any garden.
Nearby I've seen bunches of lilies of the valley, the aroma was so strong that it was impossible to pass by without noticing them.

Further along the stands I've seen beautiful embroideries on cotton tablecloths. You probably know that I love embroidering therefore I looked carefully at them and especially liked the embroidery with Dicentra  (Bleeding heart).

Opposite of flowers stall a cheerful elderly lady was selling honey from her own apiary. I've tried - very tasty and odorous honey. Not far from honey stall I loved colorful socks that another lady in pink was selling.
On the other side of a long table people were selling brooms those reminded me a witch's broom that she used flying in the sky :)). 

There also was a stall with different wooden cutlery. These were wooden spoons and knives, spoons for honey, handles, chairs, brushes, something more don't know what for are.

There were sold natural bristle brushes for utensils, shoes, barrels... and body,  many useful things for sauna. 

For me it was a pleasure to take a look at this diversity of things made with love and warmth. The prices were low and I bought an embroidery and a wooden spoon for a Teflon pan. 

Do you like visiting such fairs? Do you usually buy something there?

Red Avens, Geum coccineum

I love this modest plant named Red Avens or Scarlet Avens (Geum coccineum), here we call it Gravilate. I planted four plants variety 'Cooky' in 2010 in my zone 5a garden.

They bloom throughout May and June, re-bloom in the end of July. This May they were one of the first plants to bloom in my garden and have produced a plethora of blooms.

I want to plant several more in fall to create a large swath of bright orange. I grow mine amongst Allium, Geranium and Leucanthemum and they compliment one another very well. Red Avens have beautiful foliage  and I think they are ideal for rock gardens or near dark foliage plants.

Another one Red Aven in my garden is well known variety  'Borizin' (above). It's also perennial herb 35-40 cm tall, flowers are large, bright red, 3-3.5 cm in diameter. I also love this variety because it blooms from late May to 30-40 days. 

All Avens are very hardy, they survive in -30 C and always are healthy and alive in spring.

Do you have this plant in your garden? Where do you  grow it?

GBBD - Garden in Blossom

My garden is in blossom.
The three Ismene have started to bloom in first week of June, their buds have appeared and opened on high spikes. Perhaps it's their personal record: mostly Ismene (Hymenocallis festalis) bloom in July. Or perhaps I'd stored the bulbs in inadequate cool place, because these bulbs need +6...+10 C for storing during winter time.

The first one was green-yellow Ismene, and then two white plants have bloomed. Hymenocallis festalis common name is Spider Lily or Ismene, they are very graceful.
 

This week was enough warm, +19 ...+24 C and new flowers appeared on the beds, I usually forget them and am surprised seeing their bright colors. 

 

Here are last tulips near my pond. I love that tulips bloom not all at once and some of them blossom in June.

In shady corner rhododendrons bloom. These are varieties 'Helsinki University' (on the left) and 'Peter Tigershtedt' (on the right). They opened their blossoms last week.

 

I think it because May and the first week of June was cool especially nights were cold. Here are other rhododendrons, varieties 'Northern daughter' , 'Cunningham's White' and one of azaleas 'Mandarin light' (orange).

Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day to all!

 Do you ever grow Ismene in your garden? 
 Do your rhododendrons bloom well? 

Marguerite

I love Marguerite (Bellis perennis)! Last year I'd grown many Marguerite from seed and this spring I see a colorful border along my flower beds.

Tasso red and pink

When I'd read about this plant I learned that Bellis perennis has one botanical name and many common names, including perennial Marguerite, lawn daisy, English daisy.

Here in North they generally bloom from April to midsummer, although when grown under ideal conditions, they have a very long flowering season and will even produce a few flowers in October. Here are photos of different varieties of Marguerite in my garden.

It's said they can generally be grown in zone 4 - 8 (where minimum temperatures are above −30°F (−34°C). As I garden in zone 5a my Marguerite grow well. I planted them in full sunny spots and in partial shade beds. 

They grow themselves and require low maintenance, without serious insect or disease problems. I'd like to try propagating Marguerite by root division after flowering in autumn.
 

Speedstar White.

Speedstar white

I've read (but haven't tried) young leaves can be eaten raw in salads or cooked, but leaves become increasingly astringent with age. Flower buds and petals also can be eaten raw in sandwiches, soups and salads. It is also used as a tea and as a vitamin supplement.

Bellissima Red, .

Bellissima Red.

Bellissima Red.

 Bellissima red 

What is your experience in growth of Marguerite?

How do you propagate them in your garden?