Month: March 2023

Six On Saturday: And we are off!

/ n20gardener / 20 Comments

The Spring equinox seems to be the jumping off point I was waiting for. The garden has crept forward once again, fed by the magic of rain and a few degrees more warmth. Of course there’s a downside. The snails are eating the tête-à-têtes and the perennial ground elder and cinquefoil weeds are running riot once again. But these are old friends (foes), and signal warming soil and better things to come. I think the garden is behind last year but finally buds are opening out and the bees are flying. Here’s my six from the garden this week.

One

By this time last year the clematis armandii ‘Apple Blossom’ was in full bloom. This year there are plenty of buds still to open but flowers have started to appear and on sunny days the scent emerges.

Two

The muscari are also on the edge of revealing their full potential.

Three

These are early tulips ‘Purissima’ chosen to flower to coincide with the hellebores. They are ‘scheduled’ to flower in late March/early April. Almost there then.

Four

The first of the cowslips have opened, encouraging me to really believe that Spring has arrived in this garden.

Five

Heralding promise for later in the year, the leaves of the climbing hydrangea have opened up. I have two of these, which have been in the garden about three years. They are slowly spreading themselves across a north facing fence and have almost met in the middle. I have high hopes for a good display this year.

Six

I can’t ignore that other indicator of the garden on the move: tree seedlings. Oh my, what a crop of them I have this year. The back of the garden is set aside for the veg and fruit growing and this particular space is destined for potatoes. The asparagus bed, in its second year of growth, is also showing a healthy crop of seeds. There’s work to be done here!

It was not a week for getting out in the garden, the rain was welcome but I could have done without the gusting winds. There wasn’t even time to sow seeds in the shelter of the greenhouse. I managed to pot up dahlia tubers and cut out the dead wood in the choisya. It might survive, as might the cistus. Today I spotted some new green growth in amongst the dead looking stems. There is hope. There’s plenty more to see in Jim’s garden, he hosts the Six On Saturday meme so stop by and take a look at his six and the links to all the other SOS gardeners. Happy gardening.

Six On Saturday: Stop whingeing

/ n20gardener / 10 Comments

I’ve been a little irritable of late. The garden is definitely pushing on but at a much slower pace than I would like. No matter how much energy I expend in muttering and moaning it will not stop dragging it’s heels. I give in, honestly. Not another word will be said on the subject. All in good time. The rain of this week will help things along and although it’s a challenge to find six things it is a challenge worth responding to. Here’s my six finds this week.

One

It’s raining this morning, so I headed off to the remaining greenhouse to see how things were going. Sometime last year I sowed seeds of echinacea ‘White Swan’ and echinacea pallida. I overwintered the seedlings in the greenhouse, in the last week they have generously responded to the rising temperatures. Most of these are pallida. Way back when I sowed them I had a clear plan, now I can’t remember it. But they will have to be on the sunny side of the garden so maybe they will help rejuvenate the thin border.

Two

Also sown last year, the seeds of lychnis coronaria. Around autumn time I potted on eight of the strongest. These have not faired well but those left in the seed tray and positively flourished and look twice as healthy! I will have a generous supply to dot around the garden.

Three

There has been plenty of sighing over lost plants but amazingly the scented leaf pellies are rising from the ashes. Just a few signs of green leaf but enough, I think, to be encouraging. I’ve just started to water them again and they will get a thorough cut back some time around the end of April.

Four

Proof that pulling the stems of climbing roses down to the horizontal really does pay off. This fills me with optimism for the months to come.

Five

There’s more signs of things to come on the weigela. Masses of lovely new leaves showing up as the shrub moves from Winter brown to Spring green.

Six

There have been so many lovely hellebores featured over the last few months. This is a simple unnamed variety which has seeded freely in the border. I think those seedlings will take a few more years to flower but in the meantime I continue to enjoy the parent plants.

In between the moaning I have kept myself busy doing those ‘must do’ jobs for this time of year. I have netted the gooseberries and blackcurrants. I’ve given them and the apple trees a sprinkling of Fish Blood and Bone, successfully timed to coincide with a healthy downpour of rain. More and more of the browness of winter has been cut back and this weekend I plan to feed all the roses. Onion sets have been started off in the greenhouse and I hope to find the time to sow some seeds of hardy annuals. I also need to settle down and plan out the thin border although those echinaceas may be potted on again before I plant them out. I need them to be strong and healthy to compete with the existing plants. I hope your garden plans are going well. More from the SOS team can be found at Jim’s place. All welcome.

Six On Saturday: Recalibrating Spring

/ n20gardener / 20 Comments

That heading sounds a bit technical but rest assured I am not dipping into mechanics or perhaps I am. The mechanics of growing things. The first of March was eagerly greeted by me as Spring arriving, Winter restlessness and impatience was about to be set free. The weather had other ideas and what a week this one was here. Cold winds, overnight snow, sleety showers and down to minus in the greenhouse again. I chided myself for being so eager and resolved to take 21 March as the Spring starting point. This week new plants arrived for the garden so at least I have something to share. I walked the garden this morning and although there wasn’t much else to feature I could see that nature is really pushing on bringing out new buds on so many of the shrubs and more and more perennials are breaking through the winter mulch. That made me re-think and appreciate that dates are only a guideline and one should always be guided by what’s happening in the garden. Here’s my six for the week.

One

The first of the new plants. Helleborus argutifolius, or the Corsican hellebore. I saw these last week in a courtyard garden combined with euphorbia. The hellebores were so striking with their serrated edge leaves and pale green flowers, they proved irresistible and I jumped in and ordered three. They are evergreen perennials and grow to a good size so I am hoping they will give some structure to a rather featureless part of the garden.

Two

Having taking the plunge to order plants, gulping a little at the expense, I forged on and ordered three phlomis russeliana . These have been on my wish list for ever. I love their winter look but have always been deterred by the pale yellow flowers in summer. What would I combine them with? I’ve decided that they can have a stretch of the thin border to themselves. The verbena bonariensis self seeds in this area and I think they will work well together.

Three

The tête-à-tête daffodils are a good indicator of how the garden works here. Over on the South facing border, against the wall, they have been open for a couple of weeks. On the opposite, in a slightly West facing border they seem to be on hold. Just waiting for a few more degrees of warmth to make its way to their space.

Four

The euphorbia wulfenii, the last of four that I planted in the garden about five years ago, is looking splendid. The garden was clear about not wanting to accommodate the other three. I lost and replanted them from self seedlings several times over the last three years. Each time they died off. Perhaps the sole survivor is in an area of better drainage. I am quietly trying again with a self-seeder that made itself at home further up the border. It’s sunnier at the end it has chosen and perhaps less susceptible to holding the winter rain.

Five

Chilli seeds have germinated. They broke through about a week ago. They are on a windowsill above a radiator and will stay there for some time to come. I’m not planning to sow anything more for a few weeks.

Six

Finally, here’s a question for you. The Non Gardener has been muttering that the terrace looks like an industrial wasteland. Moss and weeds are flourishing he says. Weeds, I say. No, that’s my self seeded Mexican daisy, with one or two weeds sneaking in. I am offering a half way house and suggesting that the daisy is banished from the central areas and restricted to the corners and edges. Moss, I say, gives a sense of age to what is some kind of concrete imitation of flagstones and it too should stay. Any thoughts?

The SOS gardeners congregate weekly at Jim’s place for chat. Don’t hesitate to join in, it’s a friendly bunch of folk ready to offer advice and share struggles. Happy gardening.

Six On Saturday: Slim Spring pickings

/ n20gardener / 11 Comments

It’s been a tough week. The weather is still cold, with warnings of cold winds from the North and the possibility of a snow flurry or two. The garden has an air of neglect as it patiently waits to burst forth. The heavy mulch that was put down in December is beginning to show cracks as new growth pushes through so I know that it is all just ready and waiting for the temperatures to rise. In the meantime there’s not too much on show. Here’s my six for this week.

One

These are the new shoots of Japanese anemones, forcing their way through a good layer of mulch. Strange to think that it will another five or six months before these are in flower.

Two

Warming up for their appearance in May, new tulip shoots. These have been in this corner for several years now and a reasonable amount are coming back each year. I’m not one who treats them as annuals, preferring to leave them in peace for as long as possible and only topping them up when they are really thinning out.

Three

Cold weather or not, the pulmonaria is coming into flower. This gets divided regularly, it puts up with complete neglect and happily offers its flowers to the early bees. One of those ‘taken for granted’ doers.

Four

The cornus alba ‘Sibirica’, relatively new to the garden is putting out a good number of new buds. I’m following advice that recommends not cutting new plants back for the first two years. Once it is established it should have annual cut back in Spring

Five

Last summer I planted out three lavenders in a large pot. ‘Munstead’, I think. Although I do really prefer ‘Hidcote’. They put on good growth last year and have come through winter unscathed. I think I chose ‘Munstead’ over ‘Hidcote’ as ‘Munstead’ is thought to be hardier. Seeing them looking nonchalantly content encourages me think about the summer warmth to come.

Six

Lastly, so nearly there but probably still two weeks off opening, the almost ready to flower clematis armandii ‘Apple Blossom’. When this flowers I will know that the garden is really off and running again.

I’ve been shuffling seed packets, looking at my overwintered perennials sown from seed last year and planning out the veg patch. The gooseberries, other fruit bushes, and borders will be fed in the next few weeks as the weather warms up. I try to do that just before a good downpour of rain but there’s little of that in the forecast. I’m limbering up on the starting line ready to make that dash forward. But not just yet! If you are curious to see how other SOS gardens are doing, then stop by at Jim’s. He is our generous host and shares the links to other posts.