Six On Saturday: Spring delights

/ n20gardener

It’s mid-way through Spring and I am jumping forward to the next bulb order. Gardening does that to you. Always looking for the next excitement, it’s exhausting! I’ve made my notes on the calendar and settled the mind again to concentrate on what’s good at this moment in time. Here’s six from the garden this week.

One

I am sure it will be camassia week for many. These are my first to begin to flower against the trellis of an arch. I have these down as c. leichtlinii. But I am willing to be corrected!

Two

Last November I planted some ‘Cairo’ tulips to flower with the camassias. I think I planted about ten either side of the arch. They have come through just in time and once again I am thinking why didn’t I plant double the quantity?

Three

I’m coming up to completing six years in this garden and this combination of tulips was one the first planted here. Originally they ran the length of the long border but over the years they have become concentrated at the bottom, slightly shadier end. I have topped them up from time to time but now I am thinking it is time to replant the top end of the border with a new combination. This mix is ‘Queen of Night’, ‘Shirley’, ‘Barcelona’ and ‘Violet Beauty’. There are some ‘Purissima’ in the background

Four

Brought from the old garden these geranium phaeums have bulked up over the years and are now providing regular new stock for ground cover in shady corners. Solid, reliable and very lovely.

Five

The apple trees are all in blossom and as I was admiring the pretty mix of pink and white I espied the tell-tale fluff of woolly aphid. Just a few small patches so it was out with a spray of a dilute soap mix which I hope will do the trick before it gets a hold.

Six

Here’s a splash of sunshine to end on. Self-seeding welsh poppies are popping up everywhere. Entirely against my colour scheme but who could turn them out? I read that they can tolerate shade so I am thinking of re-locating a few to new spaces.

Vegetable seed sowing continues to be hit and miss, still no sign of later sown mange tout, but earlier sown cukes have delivered, and I have lettuces that have been hardened off for about a week so I may chance planting some of those out. I’ve seen the very first sign of carrot seedlings sown under cloches – I’m holding my breath and crossing my fingers. The soil seemed to be warming up so I’ve also direct sown some parsnip seed. Hope you are finding joys in your gardens. The Propagator will be sharing the news from fellow SOSers so do stop by for a read.

18 thoughts on “Six On Saturday: Spring delights”

  1. Lovely shades for the border tulips – I must investigate growing tulips again. They’ll have to be in pots as the prevailing wind has proved too much for them in the past, Perhaps newer varieties are made of stronger stuff. I have no success with Welsh poppies – you’d think they’d grow on home soil.

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  3. Pingback: Green Grow The Lilacs – They Say! #SixOnSaturday From My Hampshire Garden #GardeningTwitter #GardenTwitter 🌺🌼🌷 | Rosie Amber

  4. I have Welsh poppy seeds to sow, I think they are a delight, just hoping they will be happy in my garden. Your tulips are lovely, then most tulips are. Nice to see them coming back year after year. You geranium phaeum is much more advanced than mine though. I bought two last May and they are only just beginning to show leaves again now. I do hope they bulk up like yours as they are such lovely plants.

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  8. Apple bloom is some of my favorite, although finished here a while ago. I prefer stone fruit bloom only because it is what I remember from the orchards of the Santa Clara Valley. Apple and pear were more common in the Santa Cruz Mountains above.

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