Last week the garden was lingering in cool spring mode. This week some sunshine has persuaded a few more flowers to open out. Overnight showers here have lent a few diamond drops to the photos this week.
One
The dwarf pink azalea that came as present a couple of years ago is flowering. I recently received another one which I may have done for already by forgetting to water it while it flowered in the house. I’ll try to resurrect it and will see if it likes it better in the garden. I could end up with the national collection of dwarf pink azaleas!
Two
I sprinkled the aquilegia seeds around and a few of them made it through to plants. The flowers are just opening out. I think this photo makes the colour more interesting than it is. In reality it looks a rather muddy white. I like them just as much for the foliage.
Three
The first of the roses to really open up. This one came with the garden and was a bit spindly. Three years ago I cut it completely to the ground. It has climbed back up the wall and now has so many more flowers, which are a shade deeper red than comes across here – and therefore much nicer.
Four
This is weigela ‘Florida Variegata’. It was new to the garden three years ago and has made it to about 2 metres. So far I’ve not pruned it at all but now it is spreading out over the path so after flowering I will reduce the length of the side branches.
Five
I’ve been wailing for weeks that my geums had not flowered whilst everyone else’s were romping away. Finally ‘Lady Stratheden’ deigned to put on a show. She’s a bit of a sprawler but it works well as the plants around begin to fill out.
Six
Although these Siberian irises have not quite opened I had to give them a show. The purple of the flowers just breaking through against the green of the sword shaped leaves is just perfect!
Mr Prop who hosts this meme has plenty more gardening delights and will no doubt be adding to his plant collection as I write. Take a look and investigate other delights from around the world. Be warned: Six On Saturday is infectious.
n20gardener 
I have Lady Strarthdern and I know what you mean about being a sprawled. It is a brilliant flowerer though.
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I agree and I love the colour
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The foliage of aquilegias is nice and dainty. Beautiful rose and looking forward to seeing all those iris flowers when they open.
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I do like that weigela with the variagated leaves. Pretty.
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Good start to the roses. I planted new climbing roses last year so I could train them better and looking like much more blooms for being tied in properly.
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Tying in has been a regular job for me over the last few years but it does pay dividends. Most of my roses are now in their third year and it looks like a bumper year.
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Today, I had lunch with my parents and their weigelia, identical to yours, was well flowered … I’m still waiting for mine, late …
This is the right time for aquilegias. I’ll probably show them in the next week’s post.
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Sometimes SOS is not good for me as I get impatient for my plants to flower, but all in good time – as we say here!
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What a pretty weigela.
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My Azaleas have all gone over now and some of the Aquilegia are looking decidedly past their best. I’m getting intrigued by the fact that this year, so many gardens south of me are flowering behind me when, logically, the reverse should be true as you’re nearer the equator. OTOH, no sign of any flowers developing on Iris. My Lady S has clearly decided that she misses the stately pile and hasn’t even bothered to get up this year. I’ve bought replacements. That is a very nice rose, whatever it is.
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Lovely selection – what is the name of your rose?
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Red is a difficult colour to photograph! I don’t actually like the weigela with the variegated foliage, I think it distracts from the flowers, white flowers might be nicer, but that’s just me! The irises on the other hand look lovely, there is more than one moment in a plant’s life when it looks good.
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Those are so lovely!
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We grew a good many azleas, but none of them were dwarfs, or what we know as ‘florist’ azaleas. They were landscape stock. I do not envy those who grow the potted azaleas in bloom. Timing is SO critical.
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Florist azaleas is a good name for them. I used to like them but they are crammed into such small pots and it is impossible to keep them well watered.
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Like so many of the commodities that florists work with, florist azaleas are designed to look spectacular, but not necessarily be sustainable. They are like cut flowers with roots still attached.
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You’ve nailed it. I did plant it out but I feel the need to dig it up and bin it!!
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Oh, just because they were grown to be disposable, does not mean that the must be disposable. There is one at work that is doing almost as well as the cultivars that were developed for landscaping. They are someone more finicky, and take some effort to get established, but they can survive.
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Was just admiring my lady strath. Nice to see some flowers isn’t it?
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