I was belatedly staking plants last weekend in anticipation of Storm Hannah. The tulips in the long border are sprawling around now but otherwise no damage to report. Weeding continues, the greenhouse tomatoes were moved into greenhouse and a second attempt at a patch repair of the broken glass will have to do for a week or two. The dwarf french beans have germinated, the second batch of rocket was planted out and this weekend the courgette seeds will be sown. Here’s what is out and about in the flower borders this week.
One
A last shout for the tulips. Contrary though they are I do love them. This is a second outing for ‘Spring Green’ and ‘China Town’. Last year this planting was infiltrated by a rogue orange tulip and a ‘Queen of Night’. I think some cross pollination must have occurred as ‘China Town’ has an orange tinge this year, instead of the pink tone of last year. Fortunately the orange tone works well with the terracotta pot. I’m happy. This planting should also contain the lovely pink double ‘Angelique’ but she failed to turn up. I was beginning to think ‘tulips, pah!’ but then I read this week’s Dig Delve, Dan Pearson’s blog, and I was smitten again.
Two
This is an early morning photo of the North facing border, the sun will come around to this corner again in the afternoon. I’ve lost the plot on the tulip varieties – I offer you ‘Flaming Spring Green’ – with no evidence of the flame, ‘Ronaldo’ – or not and ‘Jan Reus’. The recently planted armeria maritima is fittinng in well with erigeron karvinskianus, and the osteospermum has just opened up alongside the bluebells.
Three
Restocking the garden continues. The latest purchase was tiarella ‘Emerald Ellie’ which is lining the shady path to the compost heap. This sounds a bit below the dignity of Ellie, but I think she will do well there.
Four
Another of the missing plants for the deep shade section of the north border arrived. Three pots of pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’ will give some evergreen structure. All that remains to be found is the melica which I hope will appear in nurseries later in the season. This part of the border gets early morning sun but then is shaded for the rest of the day.
Five
The sunny border is beginning to offer up the allium ‘Purple Sensation’ which takes over from the tulips.
Six
The first flowers of geranium sanguineum var. striatum are opening up. I keep moving this plant around but I’m hoping it is in now in its forever home.
It’s another bank holiday in the UK, this time cold and windy but I’ll find some time to garden, I hope you do too. Check in with The Propagator to see what else is going on in the varied collection of SOS gardens.
n20gardener 
Lovely foliage on the tiarellas. My heucheras are just starting to shoot back up. Looking good.
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Your garden’s looking gorgeous, as usual. The SoS, yourself included, have converted me to branching out w/new tulips for next year. They do look so good at this time of year. That’s a cracker of an allium & so far ahead of mine (although mine were moved from pot to ground earlier, so we won’t blame them. That’s a great tiarella. She does look really good there & her foliage! In photo 2, your bed is on a slope. Building up the back of some of my current wide beds would help w/weeding the back, I think. Andy downsides to a sloping garden? Is drainage/dry tops of the slope an issue?
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It’s a very gentle slope and doesn’t seem to cause any problems. It’s also about two feet higher than the lawn! The whole garden slopes away down hill to the back and to the left.
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I like the clear edge of these tulip leaves at # 1. Gorgeous !
My allium should arrive soon, I have the first buds that appear
Enjoy your bank holiday !
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Thank you. The weather was terrible yesterday. Today I’m visiting a garden which is open for charity. It will be interesting to see what looks good there.
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Tiarellas are such wonderful plants, love these. Made me laugh that you had “lost the plot” on the tulips. They are lovely whatever they are called. You could have made up names and I would have believed you. 🙂
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I had to restock the whole garden here so I am trying to keep a list of everything! Needless to say I’m losing the plot on that too!!
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🙂
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That North border looks beautiful. Your alliums are doing well – further ahead than mine!
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The variation is things opening is fascinating. Prop has had geums for weeks and mine are still in bud.
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Although I’ve never been fond of tulips as they shatter so easily I do love admiring their beauty from afar.
I also love the bluebells shown in the same picture. When we lived in the UK we often used to walk through the woods full of bluebells. IT was like a blue carpet… sob… feel homesick.
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Aaah. Perhaps you wouldn’t feel homesick after the weather we had yesterday! Cold, wet, windy, hail and the odd glimmer of sun!
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Hmmmm. Tulips i can resist. But that’s a Tiarella I don’t have. (Damn ,,,, yet). Psst. Remember to take photos of the deep shade border thingy area on Friday afternoon/evening (which is when most of us venture forth with the camera). 🙂
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I did wail a bit on Saturday morning when I was taking the photos. Even the first tulip photo was in the shade. I admit to not having been able to schedule of late. It’s been very much a live post!
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Your north border is looking good, nice and wide! My north courtyard doesn’t get any sun at all. Ever! But it is light shade so hopefully the Fuchsias I am putting there won’t mind. Your tulips are still looking good – mine are completely done, Hannah finished off La Belle Epoque which wasn’t looking quite so belle afterwards! Tiarellas and hardy geraniums are such stalwart plants, but I am not so sure about the Alliums. I am growing some larger ones for the first time this year and the leaves are very intrusive. I suppose, like other bulbs, you have to leave them to die off?
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I grew some Mount Everest last year and the leaves seemed to disappear well. This year they look as though they will be disappointing!!!
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All looks very lovely, your north border in particular. It looks sunny in the picture, isn’t it shady?
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Sunny ish first thing in the morning. The north border has an east west tilt. The western end comes off best and is actually quite sunny by mid afternoon.
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As others have said, your Alliums are ahead of mine (by a couple of weeks I reckon). Hardy Geraniums are so forgiving.
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And my geums are a couple of weeks behind others! The alliums are in the sunniest border and with the wall behind.
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Are all storms named? It seems that others there have mentioned the names of storms. I have never met a storm with a name.
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It’s a recent thing. Makes for better headlines probably!!
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Oh, of course.
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