‘Say it with flowers’ could best be said this week, with the Snake’s Head Fritillaries and the Wild Tulip the ‘Keningin fan de Stinzenblomkes’ (Frysian for ‘Queen of the Stinzenplants), in the leading role. So many beautiful photos have been sent by the correspondents that they actually speak for themselves.

In the seventeenth century Stephanus Blankaart named the Snake’s Head Fritillaries ‘Lapwing eggs’ (in Dutch the flowers are called Lapwing flowers) and a very interesting illustration of this plant is present in the book he published.

Predicting the development, even a week ahead, is difficult this year because the weather is pretty unusual. The developments have gone fast this week because of the very high temperatures with a lot of sun. The plants are flowering quickly, but they also bloom faster. So do not hesitate to go out and see the Stinzenplants! And if you walk around, please stay on the paths even when you are trying to get that beautiful shot of one of these flowers . Binoculars or a tele photo lens can be helpful.

The current state of affairs is described as follows:

Dekema state: The Drooping Star-of-Bethlehem and the Wild Tulip have caught up with all the backlogs and have popped open.

The Yellow Wood Anemone is in large placards between the Lesser celandine and the Wild Tulip. The Wild Tulip seems to be expanding. Meanwhile, we encounter them almost everywhere on the site; in the Finsterbuorrensingel they are now clearly enjoying themselves too. The places that were already there are becoming fuller. The Bulbous Corydalis plants are still nice but when you zoom in, you will observe that the Bulbous Corydalis is clearly on its way back .. In the back of the forest you can smell the onion smell of the Bear’s Garlic already, whose buds are almost opening …. still a few warm days ???

Hackfort in Gelderland is more southerly in the Netherlands and thus the flowering is earlier than in Friesland: The bloom of the Bulbous Corydalis and the Bird in a Bush is coming to an end. The bloom of the Wood Anemone is over its peak but there are still places where they can be admired.

Clusters of Summer Snowflakes are now flowering along the waterfront. Together with the Snake’s Head Fritillaries they form a beautiful spectacle.

Martenastate: This week and the coming week there is a lot to see at Martenstate. But because of the warm weather, plants fade quickly. The Wild Tulip went from only buds to blooming in less than a week and is already at its peak while the Bulbous Corydalis and the Spring Corydalis are already decreasing.

And there are more beautiful things to see, like the flowering Magnolia in the Martenatuin (Franeker).

Pastorietuin Easterein: The warm weather has allowed several species to start flowering. The Drooping Star-of-Bethlehem was barely visible last week, now they are in full bloom. The Wild Tulip is flowering, but only a few plants of the thousands present produce flowers. The Snake’s Head Fritillaries flowers are beautiful at present. (see photo above)

Schierstins: There were many visitors during the museum weekend. The weather was fine and there were many plants in full bloom in the garden. The Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem and the Glory-of-the-Snow were the favorites. Between the Glory-of-the-Snow plants we discovered a few plants of the Allium paradoxum, Few-flowerd Garlic.
If you want to know more about this and other Allium species, please visit the monitor of week 17 in 2016 and click here , unfortunately only available in Dutch.

At the St. Vitus Church in Stiens the Stinzenflora season will soon come to an end. The Bulbous Corydalis is the last of the flowering Stinzenplants here and with this exceptional warmth, the flowering quickly decreases. There is still a very small spot of Wild Tulip but the later flowering stinzenplanten are missing because the cemetery  will soon be mown.

Stinze Stiens: Stinze Stiens is in Belgium this week to observe Bluebells in the Haller forest and the Brakel forest. More about that next week. Via photos published at Facebook made by visitors who were spying over the hedge, who took a photo of the Snake’s Head Fritillaries, Stinze Stiens got a view of their garden. In 2 days time they have come into full bloom with this warm weather. Last week we discovered the first flowers of the Drooping Star-of-Bethlehem. It is expected to be in full bloom coming week. The Wild Tulips will be in full bloom for sure.

This is also the time of the daffodils. The Wild Daffodil is a Stinzenplant as well as the Pheasant’s Eye. The bloom of the Wild Daffodil is now over, but the Pheasant’s eye is in full bloom at Philippusfenne and the Pastorietuin Easterein. But the park gardens and country estates have beautiful other types of daffodils. Hackfort is proud to have the  species Mrs. Langtry. The Pastorietuin Easterein has the beautiful Narcissus Von Sion.

This is a very old daffodil that is said to have been grown for the first time by Fleming Vincent Sion, who lived in London, for many years. The first flower appeared in 1620. At Stinze Stiens it is also present. In Stiens we have discovered about 15 different species of daffodils in our historic garden.

Finally, something about the Wild Tulip.

In the 16th century all Stinzenplants have been described in the herbal books that were published at that time. For the ‘discovery’ and the description of the Stinzenplants, the books written by Rembertus Dodonaeus, Matthias de Lobel and Carolus Clusius are important. De Lobel describes that he himself found the plants that we now call Wild Tulip in the south of France near Montpellier. He also describes how he has excavated these plants for many years and sent them to garden lovers in the Southern Netherlands. He also found those plants near Bologna. The plants near Bologna were slightly larger and sometimes had a flower stalk that branched, producing two flowers on a plant. At Jongemastate and last year at Dekema State such species with a branching flower stem producing two flowers have been observed. The modern  garden Tulips descend from wild species that are native in Asia Minor, for example in Turkey and other countries in that region.

Flowering: start full peak decreasing
Present: here and there regular massive

Stinzenflora-monitor Calendar 2018 week 16. Scroll horizontally to view all plants. Learn more about a terrain or stinzenplant? Click on the name in the table.

Events *:

The participants in the Stinzenflora-monitor organize various activities during the Stinzenflora season.
The events that are now known are listed below.
‘Open gardens’ with private garden owners are often mentioned shortly before in this calendar and on the websites of the participants. Opening up depends on the flowering of the Stinzenplants and the weather.
For possibilities of (group) visits you can contact the relevant participant.

Data: see ESTATES

For your agenda *:

Events April:

Dekema State Jelsum. Museum weekend Spring Fair 28 April: with a Stinzenplants search map you make a tour during these events. For prices, opening times and activities see the website. www.dekemastate.nl

Martenastate Koarnjum. Freely accessible. Tour Saturday 28 April, 10 am – 12 noon .. Please register no later than one day in advance. For dates, prices and registration see the website http://www.martenastate.nl and It Fryske Gea. http://www.itfryskegea.nl/eropuit

Announcements:

Tourist brochure ‘Stinzenflora in Friesland’: For everyone who wants to go out in the spring, a new handy brochure ‘Stinzenflora in Friesland’ is also available at the tourist centers and affiliated organizations (VVV’s and TIP’s). It was developed in cooperation of the participants in the Stinzenflora-monitor and the tourist organizations Uytland / Destination Noardwest and the regions De Greidhoeke and Noardlike Fryske Wâlden. The folder provides information in Dutch and English and shows which locations are real thriving hotspots in Friesland.

App Stinzenflora (only for Android): The organization Nature2U has independently developed an app (only for Android) with information about Stinzenflora. In this Stinzenflora app all Dutch Stinzenplants and companions are described with country of origin and details. The app is composed with Stinzenplant specialist Heilien Tonckens and nature photographer Wil Leurs, supplemented with some photos of waarneming.nl . The plants are easy to find with flower color and shape or for florists by family classifying. In addition, there are also overviews of the Stinzenflora of the Vecht region and Friesland.
More information via www.nature2U.nl

* Subject to change. Consult always the websites of the participants for the latest information.

• Volgende: Stinzenflora-monitor 2018: Calendar week 17
• Vorige: Stinzenflora-monitor 2018: Calendar week 15