Six On Saturday: Old favourites and a newcomer

/ n20gardener

The garden is grappling with the conditions but is definitely beginning to put on a show. There has been no rain here for about three weeks and I’m out of stored water. I don’t think I’ve ever watered the garden using mains water this early in the year. The roses are opening but flowers seem smaller. The slugs are definitely out and about but they do not seem to be wreaking the same damage as last year. Here’s my six for this week.

One

First, I have a question. Do I have English bluebells in the garden? I spotted these as I was pulling out swathes of those annoying ones. I stopped just in time. Should they stay or should they go?

Two

These are pretty standard in most gardens at this time of year, purple alliums and in this case ‘Purple Sensation’. I like them for their strong colour.

Three

I also have the white allium ‘Mount Everest’. I have several clumps of them that seem to take it in turns to flower. Last year the slugs/snails stripped all the green of the stems. This year, so far so good.

Four

The climbing rose ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles that was moved a couple of years back. It seems to have settled in and although it could do with a few more leaves in certain places it is flowering well.

Five

The variegated weigela is a reliable shrub that has been in the garden since the very beginning so about eight years now. The pink flowers work well with the leaf colouring. I do also have a hankering for my neighbour’s dark red one. I get a small glimpse of it over the fence. Borrowed gardening.

Six

The dicentra spectabilis has been in the garden for about three years now and is really becoming established. I love it’s whiteness in the surrounding greenery. There’s a white rose nearby that is just in flower and they do look good together.

There’s more bluebell pulling to be done and the in/out with the seedlings. Weeds galore but there are more and more flowers every day so there’s plenty to enjoy. I had a chuckle in the week as I started to organise the Alhambra photos, the yellow climber that I couldn’t put a name to is so obviously a rose, probably a multiflora one. I am ashamed to call myself a gardener! I blame the thornless stems. I hope you get to enjoy your garden space over the coming week. Jim, as usual, hosts the merry SOS band at his site Garden Ruminations.

16 thoughts on “Six On Saturday: Old favourites and a newcomer”

  1. I’m definitely not an expert on bluebells but, if the colour of them on my screen is accurate, I think they might be English. The bells are all falling on one side, too, which I think is another indicator. I vote they stay for now!
    Alliums may be “standard” in gardens but I love them so I’m very happy to see them included in people’s sixes today.

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  5. Alliums are rather standard? I just got my first from Tangly Cottage Gardening two years ago; Allium christophii and Allium schubertii. To me, they still seem to be rare and unusual. Although I have no plans for more, I might eventually add ‘Mount Everest’.

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  6. Oh, this rose ‘Tess of the D’Urberville’ is incredible! here; the Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ are only showing their first colours, once the balls have formed. A little head start at your house.

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  7. Gosh your alliums are early, mine are just showing buds! Though I do have one which might be Purple Sensation. As for the bluebells, I’d say they are English. English bluebells / Hyacinthoides non-scripta – are identifiable by the way they only flower on one side of the stem and the petals curl back at the tip. And they have a sweet aroma. They also have cream coloured pollen! And that rose is a gorgeous colour.

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  8. The variagated weigela is one of my favourites. They always give such a good show. It seems strange to read you guys are in May but have not had rain for three weeks. I’d offer you my rain dance but sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for.

    BTW: the red rose is really pretty.

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