gardening

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: Crocus time

/ n20gardener / 20 Comments

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.

One

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.

Two

I’m pretty sure these are Ruby Giant, a tommasinianus variety. Quite happy with these.

Three

I love these dark purple ones. I have no idea what they are!

Four

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.

Five

I love the white primroses that sometimes pop up in the garden. This delight has been battered by life but still looks lovely.

Six

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.

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.

Six On Saturday: Slim pickings

/ n20gardener / 14 Comments

I have the mid-winter feeling. The frost of last week took out the bergenia flowers and the salvia ‘Amistad’ is a brown stem. But I can see the days lengthening, the bulbs are beginning to nose through the earth and the garden is gently flexing its muscles. Mid-winter feels like a quiet time but there are seeds to be chosen, potatoes to be selected and jobs to done.

One

A friend was sharing out some low growing campanula, I guess it is carpatica. It’s a spreader of course. That is why there is plenty to share around. I’ve taken a pot full to add to my border with a wall. Hopefully it will drape itself elegantly downwards.

Two

I always have pots of verbena bonariensis to share around. This tatty collection is destined for my daughter’s new garden. We are waiting to see what comes up first before any planting can take place.

Three

I flexed a few muscles this week. On the right is the hole left by the fig tree. The stump has been ground out – not by me. On the left is the space for the new tree. It is positioned to be equidistant between the persimmon tree and the first apple tree. Thus giving them all a chance to breathe. I’ve only taken off the turf to mark the position. Now I’m wondering if I can make a semi-circular flower bed. My only problem might be the remains of the spreading roots of the fig tree.

Four

The fig tree may be gone but there are plenty of fallen figs still be collected. With each one I pick up I say to myself ‘You won’t have to do this next year.’

Five

The hellebores are coming into their time. Helleborus argutifolius or the Corsican hellebore is really beginning to shine but something is being brave enough to eat the prickly leaves.

Six

Here’s my ‘Pretty Ellen’ white, I’m developing a clump of these around the oak leaf hydrangeas in a newly planted border. It’s early days yet but this area is beginning to fill out. The green shoots of Tulip ‘Maureen’ have just appeared, ready to take over in May.

I have news of the greenhouse. It should be delivered by the end of January with installation probably taking place first week of February. That should set me up nicely for some seed sowing in March. Oh yes, things are coming along nicely. I hope all goes well in your gardening spaces and over at Jim’s place. He’s the host of the SOS meme so stop by at Garden Ruminations and catch up with the news.

Six On Saturday: Frost on frost

/ n20gardener / 19 Comments

This blog is about six things in the garden every week throughout the year and at this time of year it becomes difficult to show variety. The garden is dormant, not much is changing except the weather and this week it has been a story of consecutive low temperatures giving frost forming on frost. Some plants are not going to like it. Here’s my six for the week.

One

Here’s the view of the main border, the libertia gives it some winter structure and greenery. Taller plants are left standing to give some height. With a sprinkle of frost it can look quite pretty.

Coming down to the detail.

Two

Frosted libertia.

Three

Frosted rose .

Four

Frosted verbena bonariensis.

Five

Frosted phlox

Six

Frosted agapanthus.

The decision to take down the large fig tree has been followed through and this week it happened. The garden feels lighter. The persimmon and a neighbouring apple tree have more room but I think there is enough space to fit in a new tree and I’ve decided to go with a rowan. I’m shopping around now with the aim of planting up in March. In other news the daffodils in pots are beginning to show through. I’m hosting a collection that will go to my daughter’s new garden once we can see what comes through there.

Don’t forget that Jim shares his SOS and the links to other posts on his site Garden Ruminations.

Six On Saturday: Confusion in the garden

/ n20gardener / 14 Comments

Happy New Year to all. Here it is a very frosty morning, the second in a row. Proper Winter weather but the garden up to this point seemed a little confused. Here’s six things I found in the garden this week.

One

I pulled out the ‘Romanesco’ cauliflowers in October as they had come to naught. This one, for some reason long forgotten, was left in the ground. I know they grow well in cool temperatures and clearly the mild winter was working well for it. I’m not sure how it will cope over the next few months but maybe I’ll be harvesting it in April!

Two

This salvia ‘Amistad’ had overwintered through last year and came into leaf very late in the season. I was very surprised to see it flower at the end of December.

Three

I have a flower bud on the libertia grandiflora. This is supposed to do its thing in May/June/July.

Four

The primroses are popping up everywhere. I’m quite used to these being in flower from early November.

Five

I’m showing the seed heads of the phlomis again because, at last, I have been able to capture them frosted. If I’d been up earlier it might have been more impressive.

Six

For the final show and tell, I have the new buds on the hellebore ‘Pretty Ellen’ red. These I grow around the corner of the shed and it does look like I have lost some during the dismantling and re-building process. Perhaps they will struggle through a little later.

I did manage to garden a little after Christmas and can finally announce that I have planted up tulips. Not all, only some. I managed two pots worth in a three layer lasagne. I only have a few left to plant. These are ones that previously lined on of the veg beds. I’m planning to move them to line another veg bed. Why, I ask, did I lift them in the first place? The garden is well and truly in Winter mode and it is easy to see how much pruning the roses need. I completed two bushes and have about ten shrub roses and three climbers to do. The climbers have really gotten away from me and I shall have to be very firm with myself to get them back in control. Happy gardening or garden planning to everyone. The days are getting longer and that itch will soon have to be scratched!

Don’t forget that Jim shares his SOS and the links to other posts on his site Garden Ruminations.