garden

Six On Saturday: Old favourites and a newcomer

/ n20gardener / 16 Comments

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.

Six On Saturday: Garden treasures from Spain

/ n20gardener / 17 Comments

I was away from SOS last week as I was travelling in Spain and yes the power outage did have some impact but fortunately the visit to the Alhambra in Granada was not affected. I came back to find my garden had exploded in to action. All those planting spaces that were so clear in March have now been elbowed out by new growth and I now wonder where I will squeeze in the seedlings currently in the greenhouse. I’m sharing from the Alhambra this week. It provoked some thoughts, in many ways it seemed so English to me. Box hedging, roses, irises, wisteria, pansies, alyssum, all so familiar but the use of water, the architecture and the air so heady with the scent of citrus flowers made it all so very different. Tightly clipped myrtle was used in many places where a crisp medium high hedge was required. It worked well. Here’s my six.

One

White wisteria creating a shaded walk at the start of the gardens of the Generalife.

Two

Further on, blue wisteria mixing with a yellow climber that I didn’t identify! Too early for mimosa I think.

Three

There where so many places where water played in the sunlight, I have to share two here.

Four

Here, both sides of a central water feature with a multitude of colourful plants.

Five

In contrast to the more formal planting contained inside edging there were also some loose meadow style borders.

Six

Finally, oranges. They were everywhere, lining the streets of Granada, in cloisters of monasteries and all around the Alhambra site. Wonderful.

I realise I haven’t shown the use of standard roses and the various underplanting ideas or anything from the Los Jardines del Partal with it’s beautiful reflecting ponds. There’s just too much!

In my garden the roses are just beginning to pop. The alliums are out and the later tulips are going well. My plan for the weekend is tidying up the stems of the tulips that have finished and sowing some French beans and courgette seeds. Nothing too energetic here but there will probably be some bindweed digging in my daughter’s garden, it is of course loving the warmth. Jim, our host will be ruminating in a most informative manner and there are the other SOS links to enjoy. Have a great gardening weekend.

Six On Saturday: More delights

/ n20gardener / 23 Comments

It’s a holiday weekend here and I have managed to keep two extra days for gardening! In reality this means two days of weeding, mostly. I can sometimes understand the non-gardener’s take on things. I do also have some seedlings and divisions to pot on. It’s not all bad. Here’s six good things from the garden this week.

One

The first camassias are out. They opened up last weekend which seems rather early but they are coinciding nicely with the euphorbia.

Two

There are more tulips to enjoy, these are at the shadier end of the garden and are a mixture of ‘Shirley’, ‘Barcelona’ and ‘Queen of Night’.

Three

The iberis is in full flow, cascading down a wall and there are one or two ‘Thalia’ narcissus in the background.

Four

I have my first asparagus spear, several of the later ones have been nibbled by the darling ones.

Five

The forget-me-nots have flooded the veg plot this year. I’ll have to been pretty quick to pull those up before they go to seed but for the moment they are a cheerful sight.

Six

I have one lone tulip ‘Cairo’ of about twenty I planted a couple of years back. It’s a lovely colour and I am tempted to add some more. I just have to accept that they don’t always stick around.

So it’s weeding and watering the pots for me. We had one good shower but that’s all and only light showers are forecast. I had a rest from my daughter’s gardening – avoiding the dismantling of the tree house but I did see that a mystery tree there is now in leaf and flower and is clearly a laburnum. Not one of my favourites but as I keep saying, it’s not my garden!

I’ll will be stopping by Jim’s garden this weekend to see what’s going on there and with the other SOS gardens. Wishing everyone a happy time in their gardening spaces.

Six On Saturday: Lift off

/ n20gardener / 17 Comments

Some sunshine has really helped things along and all those empty spaces are beginning to disappear. I do now need a little bit of rain and the forecast of light showers will probably not suffice. But let’s enjoy what is shining through.

One

Plum blossom. Not much more to say really except that here I must give a shout out to Tony Tomeo who suggested Purple Leafed Plum for the tree in my daughter’s garden. He is right, it’s in blossom now and the bees are absolutely loving it. Our tree produces edible plums, my daughter’s is more ornamental.

Two

The first iris has unfurled. I divided these last year and the replanted sections are doing well here, but less well further up the garden. It’s a mystery as to why, but that’s gardening for you.

Three

These are pretty little flowers but there’s more leaf than flower. Ipheion uniflorum, or spring starflower. They can stay but I’m not overwhelmed!

Four

This is a favourite tulip of mine, Shirley. I planted a lovely mix of them with three other tulip varieties when I first moved to this garden, they have almost all disappeared now but an odd one pops up here and there.

Five

Apple blossom. Suddenly the garden looks bountiful again.

Six

The tree house from my daughter’s garden. It gets it’s marching orders next week. A substantial building, I’m sure it will be fun to dismantle. That’s one job I’m not volunteering for. This week it was decided that the Broom in front of the Purple Leafed Plum would have to go – even before it had flowered. Its removal did give the tree centre stage and it does look so much better.

On the seed growing front, it’s the usual mixture of success and non-starters. I keep my fingers crossed that some of the tardier seeds will catch up. The currants have been netted which is a big tick for a job done. Of course there’s weeding to do and tree seedlings to be battled against but all in all there’s a wave of positivity. Tune in to Jim’s Garden Ruminations to share in his garden and those of the other SOSers that post their links for us all to enjoy. Happy gardening to all.

Six On Saturday: First tulips

/ n20gardener / 10 Comments

Top amongst the exciting signs of new life are the first of the tulips. They are my favourite bulb plant, I forgive them for not always coming back, having a particular fondness for those that do. There are other encouraging signs: the dead looking ‘Hawksmoor’ fuchsia has the very first new leaves opening along the dead stems. More seeds have been sown and I have made a start of cutting back the hydrangeas. Here’s my six for the week.

One

Always the first tulip to open in this garden. The cheerful yellow of ‘World Friendship’ This one has been around for three or four years.

Two

In the east facing corner, this is…now which one is it. I think ‘Negrita’ but if not then it’s ‘Ronaldo’. I think Ronaldo is deeper in colour and later to flower.

Three

These are ‘Purissima’. they go completely mad in the sunshine, opening up to show off a yellow inside. They are planted to flower along with the hellebores and fritillaries. They have managed to coincide well this year.

Four

At a lower level, the muscari have opened up and after a couple of years in the garden are filling out well.

Five

I have to include this erythronium ‘White Beauty’ before it has fully opened. Mainly because it is so perfect but also because by next week the slugs may well have found it.

Six

I’ve include a photo from my daughter’s garden this week. The tree, so far unidentified, has some very close neighbours. Immediately in front is a broom and intertwined between the two is some other unknown shrub. Time will tell. The trailing wire in the background is electricity for a tree house! It’s time is nearly up.

Another afternoon was spent in my daughter’s garden, the feared bamboo-spread into the lawn seems to be a false alarm. But the culprit is a very wide leaved, fast growing grass. I’ve no idea what it is. That was strimmed again. Elsewhere bindweed was found and there is nothing like an afternoon spent digging out bindweed to wake up the gardening muscles. Fortunately there is not much in the borders to get in the way of the digging. Next week I must include a photo of the tree house before it is dismantled! There’s plenty going on in SOS host Jim’s garden, stop by and take a look. Happy gardening everyone.

Six On Saturday: Things to come

/ n20gardener / 19 Comments

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.

One

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.

Two

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!

Three

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.

Four

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.

Five

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.

Six

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.

Six On Saturday: Gardens are getting going

/ n20gardener / 23 Comments

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.

One

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.

Two

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.

Three

The winter pots filled with violas have continued to be cheerful, this pot has done incredibly well.

Four

New growth is appearing and it is always lovely see the new leaves of aquilegia.

Five

I was also struck by the freshness of the leaves on hardy geraniums which are filling out nicely

Six

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.

Six On Saturday: February scraps

/ n20gardener / 25 Comments

My great plans for last weekend were foiled by a heavy frost on Sunday so any garden work was limited to what could be done from the path. This led me to cutting out last year’s blackberry stems. It was a good job done. The weather improved a little for Monday which was installation day for the new greenhouse. All went smoothly and for the first time in years I have a leak free greenhouse. It’s yet another grim day here today and finding six delights is a challenge so here’s my scrappy six.

One

The new greenhouse of course. It’s first inhabitants are two pots of scented leaf pellies and a couple of trays of overwinter seedlings and some tiarella cuttings – or were they divisions?

Two

A little while back I reported that one of last summer’s Romanesco plants had decided to grow. This week it has been reduced to shreds. I don’t think it is going to make it to the dinner table. My first instinct was to blame the slugs but now I think it is probably the wood pigeons.

Three

My planting prowess has failed me once again. Here I seem to have replanted iris divisions on top of Thalia bulbs. This will be interesting.

Four

Last week I was bemoaning my lack of crocuses to The Quilting Gardener. This week I have spotted a few.

Five

The Siberian dogwood looked amazingly red today so although it is still a young plant it gets a look in.

Six

Lastly the viburnum flowers are opening up a little more.

There’s no frost forecast for tomorrow so I plan to start the cut back of the grasses. I’ve also marked out part of the lawn to become a flower bed. If I can fit it in I will lift the turf, all part of preparation for the planting of the recently purchased rowan tree.

I know Jim will have more to share so do drop by Garden Ruminations to his garden and all the other sixers. Happy gardening.

Six On Saturday: New shoots and leaves

/ n20gardener / 22 Comments

February is the time I start to cut things back and if it stopped raining I would make a start. It seems that the sunny days fall when I need to be elsewhere. Even if I’m elsewhere the garden moves on. In one part of the garden I have had camassias bulbs pushing through the soil for weeks now. Elsewhere a planting of 30 new bulbs has yet to break the soil. That old gardening trait of impatience is creeping back. Here’s six signs of garden growth for this week.

One

The new tree has arrived. I was very willing to spend a little more to purchase a taller tree but the variety I chose was only available as a 1.5 – 2metre specimen. It is sorbus sargentiana, chosen because it has a slightly narrower growth shape. I fully intended to buy a native sorbus, but this one hails from W. Szechwan, China. It seems to have made it’s way to the UK around 1910 which sits happily with the age of this garden.

Two

The clematis armandii buds are a bit of a garden marker. When the first fat ones appear I know the garden is getting going and so must I.

Three

The other clematis plants are also shooting, this one is ‘Madame Julia Correvon’, a viticella variety that was raised in France in 1900.

Four

These are the glossy leaves of the cherry laurel seedling that appeared mysteriously in the garden last year. I let in stay and it is doing very well. This may eventually move to my daughter’s new garden, once we see what is growing there.

Five

The new rosettes of buds on the hylotelephium. I have several of these in a holding bed. Also waiting to see if they are needed for the new garden.

Six

Lastly, the flowers on the iberis sempervirens are just beginning to open up. An easy doer and reliably hardy. I might be persuaded to share a little of this too.

It’s a sunny day tomorrow so I plan to start some cutting back. Sunny days at this time of year often mean cold overnight temperatures but I for one will be happy to see a blue sky. Jim at Garden Ruminations hosts as usual, stop by and take a look at everything that is going on and happy gardening to you all.

Six On Saturday: Reasons to be cheerful

/ n20gardener / 12 Comments

We have blue skies here. A beautiful sight. This means low temperatures tonight, minus two is forecast, but I’m going to enjoy the sunshine. January is coming to an end and the garden is beginning to take shape again. Here’s six things I found this week.

One

The hellebores are popping up, these are unknowns that self seed very happily and I let them do their thing freely.

Two

This is hellebore ‘Pretty Ellen Red’ that was in bud a few weeks back.

Three

I planted euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety’ around the hellebores but hardly ever share a photo of it. It does a good enough job of covering the ground so I shouldn’t be so mean.

Four

Speaking of ground cover, I also planted some pachysandra terminalis. Various people frowned and looked concerned, but I did it. It can spread to 1.5 metres but so far it’s been a little slow to get going. It has lovely glossy leaves and looks very fresh at the moment

Five

These are absolutely tiny but they are the first snowdrops in flower. Already nibbled of course.

Six

The asplenium scolopendrium, or hart’s tongue fern has also done well over this winter. These splashes of green keep the spirits going.

There are plenty of bulbs nosing through now. I’ve spotted the first shoots of tulips and muscari and the ipheion uniflorum has put up grassy leaves. All very encouraging. I’ve also spotted green shoots among some of the grasses which means I must get out there and cut the old stems down. Thanks to Jim, our host and his garden can be admired at Garden Ruminations where you can find the links to other SOS posts. Happy gardening.