I had a few days away this week in Sussex where the primroses and daffodils were plentiful. Also in flower were the magnolias and leucojums. But I was smitten by several displays of delightful low growing tulips and daffodils. I’m forsaking my garden this week to share these dainty delights instead.
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The first is the tulip ‘Hilde’, here in a mixed display.
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Next, in a pot of its own tulip turkistanica.
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Onto the narcissi. This one is ‘Snipe’, quite a familiar one, but not I think to be confused with ‘Jack Snipe’ which seems altogether different.
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This is one of the hoop narcissi, ‘White Petticoat’.
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Here’s a mixed display with ‘Toto’ at the front and the yellow on the left is narcissus cordubensis, not one I’m familiar with at all but it is truly delightful.
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Lastly, ‘April Tears’ which is the narcissus to the right of the pot in photo five.
I’ve made a shopping list and I will be planting out the purchases out in pots to be stylishly dotted around for next Spring’s display. I’m a itching with impatience!
I hope you’ve enjoyed the deviation from the rules. I’ll be back to my garden next week. In the meantime, visit the other SOS gardens via the links at Jim’s Garden Ruminations. Happy gardening.
It’s been a cold week but night time temperatures look to be on the rise for next week. I may try to sow a few seeds. I’ve been cutting back the brown stuff, admiring the ability of weeds to keep on coming at me and the patch on the lawn for a new flower bed has had the turf stripped. It is very dense with the old fig tree roots but I’m hoping a few annuals will find a home there. There’s much on the way in the garden but not much in flower, but six must be offered each week and here they are.
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There’s always a cry to sow a few early carrots and over the years I have tried: buying early varieties, warming up the soil by covering it with cloches, waiting until the weeds start growing before sowing but it never comes to anything. Last year I didn’t sow until the end of May. This year I have been tempted to sow a few seeds in a deep pot in the unheated greenhouse. I have germination so I am intrigued to see how they will progress. I will update regularly.
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So very nearly, almost there. The first flowers on the clematis armandii ‘Apple Blossom’ have been spotted. This is mine but it sprawls wonderfully over to my neighbour’s side where it is much appreciated. I think it does better there!
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I have climbing hydrangeas growing up a fence on the North side of the garden. A few weeks ago the soil here was frozen but the hydrangea buds are now opening. They have taken a few years to establish but I think it is looking good for this year.
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An East facing corner of the garden is home to tulips, aquilegia, phlox, geums and hardy geraniums. They are all putting on good growth and although it will be a while before the flower explosion takes place it is very encouraging to see everything reappear.
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I’ve been to the garden centre for compost and of course their tempting displays of spring bulbs in pots called to me. I bought a trio of pots of snakeshead fritillaries to plant along side the hellebores. I couldn’t bring myself to plant them out last weekend as there was evidence of slugs and snails. That hasn’t changed but the plants are a little taller now and the flowers have formed. It’s time to be brave.
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Lastly, three pots of hydrangea macrophylla ‘Little White’ that I’ve had since Autumn. These are destined for the North facing border. It’s a dwarf variety that grows to approx 60cms. They are replacing the pittosporum that were lost over the winter of 2023. This whole border needs an edit so they’ll be in their pots for a few weeks more.
The compost heap was filling up with the March cut back material and so some turning was required. Gently does it as the toads over-winter there and I was pleased to spot one very fat one. There were plenty of worms too. No doubt there will also be a crop of interesting seeds which will reveal themselves once the finished compost in the last bin is used. There were no visits to the Daughter’s New Garden this week. I don’t think I’ll be back there until April by which there could be much more in evidence. Hopefully it will include a new lawnmower! Recommendations for small lithium battery lawn mowers gratefully received.
Wishing you a happy gardening week and hoping that a visit to Jim’s Garden can be fitted in as well.
I was unexpectedly absent from last week’s SOS gathering. The non-gardener became fixated on problem solving and it was a problem that needed to be solved. It was. The non-gardener has also been helping out at our daughter’s new garden. Which is much appreciated by everyone. In the meantime what has been happening in this garden? Here’s six from the garden this week.
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First the problem that had to be fixed. The new water butt had filled up very nicely but it was not willing to let go of its contents. A blockage in the tap was suggested with the helpful advice to stick a skewer up it and wiggle it around. Of course this was not the solution. The non-gardener decided that the butt had to be emptied. In the absence of a long enough extension lead to enable use of the pump a syphon was set up and the water drained off into watering cans and onwards to a water storage tank. As you can imagine this took some time and last week’s SOS faded out of sight. Once the butt was emptied it became clear that the hole for the exit point to the tap had not been drilled. We have now drilled it ourselves and there is an offer of some form of compensation coming from the supplier.
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Even though there has been a welcome increase in sunshine hours and warmth the garden hasn’t moved on much in two weeks. These ‘Tête-à-tête’ daffodils in the border have opened up though, and the slimy ones are out in force to feast on the flowers. Groundhog day, I think.
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The winter pots filled with violas have continued to be cheerful, this pot has done incredibly well.
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New growth is appearing and it is always lovely see the new leaves of aquilegia.
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I was also struck by the freshness of the leaves on hardy geraniums which are filling out nicely
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The primroses are having a great time self-seeding around the garden and I am very happy to see them here in a very shallow soil topped with gravel that runs along side a raised bed. I have sprinkled seeds of many an annual here but the primroses arrived under their own steam. The best way!
I am thinking that this weekly post may become a tale of two gardens. We have now made three visits to The New Garden. Brambles and ivy still abound, what a job that is. This week the non-gardener strimmed the lawn and I managed to plant some hardy geraniums in a small part of the border that had been reclaimed. One of the dead climbers has sprung into life but there isn’t a suitable place to plant it yet. The New Garden is in need of some proper garden clearance, watch this space and I will include a picture. In this garden I have been racing to complete the rose pruning and I have actually sown a few seeds. Coriander inside on a window sill which has germinated and in the new greenhouse, a small tray of half hardy annual phlox seeds that came free with a well known magazine!
I have some replies and some reading to catch up with and some weeding to do. The forecast is good and I will be grateful for my relatively sane and sensible life! Jim’s blog must be visited and good wishes are sent to all gardeners wherever they are.
There’s a certain energy beginning to build. Goldfinches have started to come to the bird feeder and this morning a Great Tit was singing it’s heart out in the nearby hornbeam tree. A little warmth towards the end of the week encouraged a few more spring flowers. It’s all very inspiring. Here’s six from the garden this week.
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I have a habit of buying a bag of bulbs from market stalls. The bulbs are always named varieties and I fully intend to remember which ones I have planted where. Last year I bought a bag of Jeanne d’Arc crocuses and planted them here. Perhaps I didn’t, perhaps I planted them somewhere else, perhaps they were not Jeanne d’Arc at all. But this is what has grown. Lovely but clearly not Jeanne d’Arc.
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I’m pretty sure these are Ruby Giant, a tommasinianus variety. Quite happy with these.
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I love these dark purple ones. I have no idea what they are!
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That little bit of extra warmth persuaded the ‘Tête-à-tête’ daffodils in pots to open. These are going to be dropped into the borders when I see where the gaps are.
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I love the white primroses that sometimes pop up in the garden. This delight has been battered by life but still looks lovely.
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Lastly an evergreen filler from the front garden. The silver edge to leaves looked particularly wonderful today. Its a brachyglottis, could it be Silver Wave?
I’ve had my first gardening visit to my daughter’s new garden. Priority number one was to start on the brambles that are invading it from a neighbouring garden. Of course, a thankless task. But a start had to be made. I discovered four pots of climbing plants that looked newly bought. I think the previous owner’s health took a turn for the worse and a new project couldn’t be completed. Sadly I think they are all dead. But maybe they are just dormant. I will update as the seasons progress. Jim as ever, hosts the SOS meme at Garden Ruminations and all the other SOSers gather there for a weekly catch-up. Stop by, join in, all welcome.
The turning point has arrived. I’m ready to welcome in the ever-lengthening days and the garden is with me. There are new buds on the magnolia, the climbing hydrangea and there are flower buds forming on the mahonia. It is the time to celebrate seed heads and berries and the garden here does offer up some goodies – just a few. Here’s my six for this week.
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I have been meaning to share the cotoneaster horizontalis for some weeks now and as you can see I should have done it sooner. The positive thing is that the birds have been enjoying the berries.
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Of course there must be holly at Christmas time. No berries here!
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For seed heads, I can offer the lovely whorls of the phlomis.
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And here the remains of the flower heads on the hibiscus syriacus ‘Red Heart’.
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The flowers on the viburnum are just beginning to open.
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Lastly, the lime green flowers of some hellebores. These are meant to be ‘Pretty Ellen’ but I have very strong doubts.
This is my last post until the New Year. I wish everyone peace and joy, a good gardening year to come and I look forward to catching up with you all in 2025. Many thanks to Jim at Garden Ruminations for continuing to host our SOS gatherings.
I’m feeling the gloom of a dull December. The garden is so wet that nothing can be done. Mild weather continues but with it comes the rain and so the lawn is still squelchy and the borders cannot be cleared of weeds. Finding six things is always interesting at this time of year but there were some pleasant surprises.
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There was a brief respite from the rain and the ivy to decorate the house was quickly collected and brought inside. It’s used to hang elegantly around pictures and to wrap around the stairs. There’s plenty to choose from!
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The ferns are dying back, at this stage they provide a rusty brown contrast to the remaining greens in the garden. I inherited these but I think they are dryopteris filix mas.
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This is possibly my new favourite rose, so I share it with you again. It still looks spindly and I am hoping that this summer will see it really settle in. In the meantime it does put out the most beautifully coloured flowers. ‘Lady of Shallot’.
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I lost a euphorbia mellifera over the last winter but miraculously another one self seeded. It’s looking so full of optimism at the moment. Harsh weather may change that.
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There is another new flower bud on the climbing rose that I moved this year. This is ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’.
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Appropriately for this time of year the helleborus argutifolius is opening up its flower buds. Also known as the holly leaved hellebore it makes a good companion to the ivy.
I’m still confessing to not having planted tulip bulbs. Perhaps next week. I’ll be here for a last SOS before Christmas. Until then, join us over at Jim’s place for the weekly get together and have a good time enjoying some green spaces in this dull December. Better still, take a look at the SOSs from the Southern Hemisphere!
Having spent several hours over many days clearing out the old shed and greenhouse, the subject of decay is much on my mind. The exteriors of both buildings were clearly decaying and inside many of the contents were also in a state of decline. Plastic sacks that held netting crumbled as they were moved and piles of old black plastic pots were consigned to the dump. It’s a clean slate for the moment, the renewal begins on Monday when the site is cleared. The garden too takes another step towards seasonal decay and the cold weather forecast for next week will surely be the end for the dahlias. Here’s six from a garden in change this week.
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I commented last week on how often the fox had startled me in the garden and sure enough it happened again. I went down to the back corner of the garden to investigate and there was a tell-tale depression in the leaf mould heap. The fox had found a very comfortable and dry place to curl up and rest. There’s not much I can do about that for now but after some rain it will become a little too soggy for comfort.
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Here is the fox, roaming the garden with not a care in the world, searching around for fallen fruit. Picking up the fallen figs and mowing up the leaves is a weekly task.
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The weigela is beginning to turn colour and the leaves will soon drop.
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There are still some surprising flowers in the garden. This is clematis ‘Madame Julia Correvon’, a viticella variety.
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The hellebores are beginning to flower, I think it’s a little early for this variety but I’m pleased to see it has fought back from a slug attack in the Spring.
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There are still flowers on the hebe, the hardy geraniums and the hydrangeas are putting out new panicles too. This one is ‘Limelight’.
The garden is full of bits and pieces from the greenhouse and shed. Those items that can stand the weather for a day or two are piled in every spare corner. Terracotta pots have been de-spidered and moved to the garage. The new shed arrives on Wednesday and then the process will begin again in reverse. The new greenhouse is not expected until January, just in time for the next year’s cycle of renewal.
This weekly post on the state of my garden is part of the SOS meme hosted by Jim of Garden Ruminations. Please take a look at the SOS Participants’ Guide if you would like to take part. Happy gardening to you all.
Anticyclonic murk is the order of the day yet again. Gloomy yes, a chill creeping in but still quite mild. As I peered into the garden this morning I caught sight of the first parakeet of the year on the persimmons. They are not quite ripe yet but the parakeet didn’t seem to mind. There have been squadrons of them swooping through the garden on a daily basis. Occasionally the menacing shape of a red kite circles above, coming closer in to the urban areas. Twice this week I have headed down to the back of the garden only to be startled by the sound of a fox scrabbling over the fence. It’s busy out there! Here’s six other things from the garden this week.
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Work continues on emptying shed and greenhouse. I show this pile because it is all propped up against a water storage unit. I read Jim’s blog on storing rain water this week and recognised many dilemmas. I have emptied most of the water butts for the winter, keeping just one for the moment as I need the odd can here and there as I water in moved plants. But that one will be emptied out soon to give a clear path for the delivery of the shed.
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The seed heads are beginning to give some structure to the garden. I planted phlomis russeliana specifically for its seed heads and it does not disappoint. It also clumps up very tightly and gives good ground cover.
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I’ve not cut back the agapanthus yet as it’s starry seed heads are also looking good.
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The hakonechloa macra is turning colour. I have three lots in pots and three in the border. I count this as a successful foray into adding grasses to the garden.
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This heuchera is still doing well. I tried for a long time to find a couple more of this variety, ‘Grape Timeless’, as the flower and leaf colour are so good together but as yet no success.
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And of course, lastly a rose. Natasha Richardson, which does so well all the year round.
It’s the last push on emptying the greenhouse for me this weekend. At least the weather is dry. Wishing you all good gardening this weekend. I notice that I now have to option to add AI generated images. I can assure you that I have not been tempted so far but who knows what I will stoop to in the depths of winter! Please take a look at the SOS Participants’ Guide if you would like to take part.
It was a drizzly start to the day here. The skies grey but once again the temperatures were mild. The garden is slowly winding down which seems entirely fitting for November. I was doubtful I would be able to find anything for six today but this is a record of the garden over the year and this is what I found this week.
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I have pushed the button on the new greenhouse and shed. Both bases will need some repairs and work to level them. The clearance of the site means we get to have a skip. This is always pleasing to me as there are endless bits and pieces that I keep just in case and once in a while it is good to take stock. There is also an accumulation of things put away in the shed that haven’t seen the light of day for years. Clearing out is the job for this weekend.
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Although the weather has been mild I decided to wrap the evergreen agapanthus. I still have to turf out the pellies from their summer pots in preparation for some tulip planting.
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In the borders, the deciduous agapanthus leaves are turning colour and I need to cut these back before the go slimy. Another job on the ‘to do’ list.
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These are the berries of iris foetidissima. The plant is prolific here, distributed about the garden by the birds. I let them grow in difficult corners but dig them out from the main borders. It seems that I missed this one.
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Last week I mentioned that the hebes were flowering again, and they still are.
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There’s always one more rose having a go at flowering again. This week it is ‘Jaqueline du Pré. Lovely.
The plan for today was to mow up the fallen leaves, but the drizzle has soaked everything. That job moves to tomorrow. I’ve made a start on clearing the north facing border of the weed cinquefoil. I guess every garden has its difficult corner and this is definitely mine. I know it is a thankless task but unless I try to contain it the cinquefoil will run riot. I need the border to dry out a little more though.
Here’s hoping that your gardening jobs are more inviting. I have to say thank you to SOS host Jim for keeping this meme going. It makes me look at the garden every Saturday and this week I noticed that the pots of daffodil bulbs I had planted up had been disturbed by the wildlife – foxes, squirrels? They are now under the protection of an old freezer drawer. Things do come in useful. I need to careful I don’t throw too much out!
The garden has a topsy turvy feel to it. There have been swarms of ladybirds this week. The clematis is in flower again as is the hebe that I had carefully deadheaded for the winter. There have also been misty mornings and the leaves are turning. Here’s six things from the garden this week.
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The leaves on the persimmon tree are turning beautifully shades of red. They don’t last long before they fall to the ground. This is the cue for starting up this season’s leaf mould heap.
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Last season’s leaf mould did not go very far. I decided to cardboard over one bed in the veg patch and use the leaf mould to cover the top. Since achieving this neat finish the foxes have had fun and have dug down to find the cardboard and have shredded it. I reburied it all again. I can see this could go on!
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The hydrangeas are really putting on a great autumn display, the colour deepens every week and this week the re-flowering geranium psilostemon clashes rather well.
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The heavy dew has left delicate edges on the scented pelargoniums. A visit from the greenhouse retailer confirmed that I will be without a greenhouse until January. Now what am I going to do with eight pots of tender pellies? I’ll be squeezing some into the shed and hoping.
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The climbing hydrangea on the north facing fence is putting on a show of yellow leaves. This is the border that is severely infested with cinquefoil. It is my last job to start, one I have been putting off I admit. It’s a thankless task but I will try to dig through the border and remove as much as I can.
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There always seems to be a rose having a go at bringing back summer. This one is ‘Lady of Shalott’. It hasn’t really settled into this spot but it is doing well enough that I will leave well alone.
I moved an hydrangea into the spot vacated by r. ‘Darcey Bussell’ and that confirmed that another one of the Darceys will have to go too. That might tip me into removing the last one as well. I have some veronicastrum waiting for a new home and this could be the space. A few leucojum bulbs have been bought and the camassias were found and planted out. the leucojums have gone into pots until I can see where the gaps are in the borders. I’m beginning to feel on top of things again. The clocks go back this weekend, time to start thinking of tulips pots.
Enjoy the autumn season, there’s still plenty to see in Jim’s Garden and of course he has all the links to other SOS posts. Happy Gardening.
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