#hellebores

Six On Saturday: Decay and renewal

/ n20gardener / 19 Comments

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.

One

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.

Two

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.

Three

The weigela is beginning to turn colour and the leaves will soon drop.

Four

There are still some surprising flowers in the garden. This is clematis ‘Madame Julia Correvon’, a viticella variety.

Five

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.

Six

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.

Six On Saturday: Celebrations

/ n20gardener / 17 Comments

It has been a busy week here. First a lunch for a family Golden Wedding anniversary and then a day of celebrations for our daughter’s wedding. The weather was beautiful for both occasions. On top of that we collected a record 67 bottles of apple juice from this year’s crop. The garden also seems to have been celebrating with second time round bursts of flowers. Happy days indeed. Here’s six from the garden this week.

One

The apples have done so well this year and as always it will be a pleasure to enjoy the crop during the dark months of winter as a refreshing drink. My apple pruning man was at the apple pressing farm and reports slow but steady progress in his recovery. It’s still a struggle but all is heading in the right direction. More to celebrate!

Two

I’ve made a start on the re-arranging. The garden is still incredibly dry and I am watering in the holes for the plants and then again once they have been moved. This is a rescue plant from a very weedy corner. The plant is gillenia trifoliata which never reached it’s potential in the old corner. Here’s hoping it will romp away here.

Three

I was admiring the wonderful leaf shapes on the Corsican hellebores and was given the added bonus of spotting these just unfurling flowers. Thank you.

Four

Beautiful, beautiful fuchsia flowers, ‘Hawkshead’. So lovely but completely in the shadow of some self-seeded verbena bonariensis. The vbs will be moved on. There are plenty more self-seeding in other spots.

Five

I lost the euphorbia mellifera over the winter but I celebrate the arrival of another one, self-seeded again, looking good after a shower of rain.

Six

I’m also celebrating the recovery of salvia nachtvlinder. A winter survivor but much reduced. I did cut back the dead stems but I think I could have been more ruthless and probably could have cut it to the ground. I moved it to a more spacious spot and here it chimes well with the Japanese anemones.

I am hoping to be back again reading the the SOS links that can be found at Jim’s place. Jim has covid, but hosts again. Wishing you a speedy recovery, Jim. There’s a mix of sun and rain in the forecast. The autumn equinox has passed and it may be that the last tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes are picked this weekend. I hope to get a few more plants relocated too. Wishing you all something to celebrate in your gardens this weekend.

Six On Saturday: Midsummer madness

/ n20gardener / 12 Comments

It is that time when the borders spill on to the paths but even as the alchemilla mollis froths up over the edges I know that the garden is moving to a new phase. The roses have had their first sprint and now stop to draw breathe before the next round. New flowers are stepping up. Day lilies, hebes, shasta daisies and stocks are just beginning to open. The veg patch is being productive with French beans, strawberries and in a day or two the first courgettes. New potatoes are about to be dug up. Here’s six from this week’s garden

One

I can’t take a photo in the garden these days without geranium psilostemon crowding in. The star of this photo is the rose, one that is still pumping out the flowers, ‘Natasha Richardson’. It came to me as an allotment purchase from someone who no longer wanted it in their garden. It is superb! I’ve seen it described as a modern floribunda. I describe it as floriferous, beautifully scented and a winner.

Two

I almost missed this Turk’s head lily, ‘Lake Tulare’. It’s tucked away at the shady end of the garden behind an apple tree. It’s happy there so I won’t move it. It came from Beth Chatto’s garden – honestly purchased! I have to fight off lily beetles but it’s worth it.

Three

Ox eye daisies seed freely down in the veg patch and have to be kept under control. I always allow one or two clumps to flourish, for me and the pollinating insects.

Four

The veronicastrum have opened up this week and will give glorious height to the border. This is ‘Fascination’ which is prone to fasciation. Apparently not harmful but probably a genetic weakness.

Five

I am amazed by what I lose over winter and what survives. This is a white antirrhinum majus that came through a wet winter. I am also lucky enough to have another one that has self seeded itself. I grew these antirrhinums from seed a couple of years ago – the tiniest seeds I’ve ever sown.

Six

And finally how about this for a surprise? I have a hellebore in flower, with plenty of buds too. Another happy moment!

Wishing you all happy moments in your gardening spaces this weekend. Jim, our host, as always offers a varied SOS and hosts the links to other SOS gardening pages. I’ll be weeding out the willowherb which also steps up to flower at this time of year! And those roses need deadheading.

Six On Saturday: Old friends

/ n20gardener / 16 Comments

There’s a window now for some editing of the garden. One or two things need dividing. Plants that were divided in autumn and potted on now need to be dropped into spaces and perennial old friends are re-appearing to welcome the newcomers into the borders. The usual suspects have self-seeded. Here they are primroses, verbena bonariensis, alchemillia mollis and euphorbia mellifera. This is all very encouraging, and encouraging me out in the garden again. Here’s six old friends for this week.

One

A few weeks back the clematis ‘Étoile Violette’ was cut back and as usual I took some cuttings from the new growth that had already come through. Usually these go into the greenhouse were the overwintering slugs or snails lock lasers on them and munch them to the ground. Finally, I have learnt my lesson and this year the cuttings were brought into the house and were nurtured on a windowsill. They have taken and I will be taking extra care of them until they are strong enough to go out into the big bad garden environment.

Two

Last Autumn a seedling of tellima grandiflora was teased out of the edge of the lawn and potted on. This is already looking ready to go out into the wide open spaces and, hoping I don’t jinx things, I would say these are slug resistant.

Three

The hylotelephium are putting out beautiful rosettes of new growth, this one is in the border and I have a small division taken in the autumn that is nearly ready to be planted on. I’m waiting for the roots to develop a little more.

Four

One of my regular old friends is the magenta phlox that came with the garden. The new growth is strong and it’s time to take down the old stems. I have divisions of white phlox in pots that need a home. There’s some colour scheme thought to be done.

Five

This is a relatively new friend, helleborus argutifolius or Corsican hellebore. I’m hoping they stay around as I really like them. I am thinking of dropping the white phlox in amongst them.

Six

The flowers on the rosemary are opening up and I have seen one or two bees in the garden on warmer days. These flowers will be a welcome attraction for them.

The lawn is having its first cut of the year today, blades on high. That always sharpens up the garden and will further encourage me to finish the cut back and tackle the weeds – bittercress and woodland geum are my top targets. For more gardening news I happily send you round to Jim’s place and I wish you all a pleasurable time in your garden spaces.

Six On Saturday: Slow out of the blocks

/ n20gardener / 9 Comments

I am indebted to Dan Pearson, the garden designer, for pointing out that February sees us halfway between the winter and the spring equinox, his post for the second of February is beautiful. My garden is not offering the same delights but it is full of promise. The garden is beginning to fill out again and I can see that I have been slow to tackle a few jobs. Nothing serious, nothing that can’t be caught up on, whenever the rain stops! Here’s my six for this week.

One

These hellebores really caught my eye this morning. The grey light seemed to work just perfectly with their colours. 

Two

Just a few pots of things waiting to be dropped into gaps. The bellis daisies were intended to go into pots for winter bedding but only a few made it. I’m hoping to finish that job off this weekend!

Three

I have absolutely no snowdrops left to show as the pigeons have eaten all the flowers. I think they are also working through the crocuses so I am snapping this little group while they are still here. 

Four

All sorts of plants are making their presence known, here is a group of day lilies but I’m not sure if there is something else growing alongside them, oh how easy it is to forget what is in the garden!

Five

I was taken back by the growth on the clematis. This one is storming away, while others are only just in bud. This is a job to tackle this weekend.

Six

I always regard this corner of the garden as a difficult one.  I should really find some interesting shrubs that will grow high enough to hide the fence and give winter interest. Instead I have a trachelospermum, a collection of tulips and one or two other bits and pieces. I think there is work to be done here, but in a couple of months it will be colourful. 

The lawn is squelchy and the borders soggy but at the moment it is dry so I plan to do a little more rose pruning from the paths and there are one or two grasses that need to be cut back as I can see green growth pushing through. Tomorrow I hope to pick up some seed potatoes from a local allotment shop. I may have been slow to start but now I must pick up a little speed. Out host, Jim is going all out on camellias this week and who can blame him? I hope the weather is just perfect for a little gardening time where ever you are this weekend.

Six On Saturday: Getting going

/ n20gardener / 14 Comments

Here, the garden always gets going before the gardener. But last weekend’s gentle weather was put to good use. It was evident that the garden was gathering momentum, weeds of course but encouraging signs of more snowdrops opening, the first leaves of spring bulbs emerging and plentiful growth on the roses. I had some jobs to do so the weeding has to wait. Here’s my six for the week.

One

The major job for the weekend was the taking down of the rose arch and two side trellis panels. I think it was only the rose that had kept it upright through the recent storms. All the legs of the arch and the panels were rotten at the base and it was a relatively easy job to pull it to the ground and dismantle it. I might be able to salvage the trellis panels for elsewhere in the garden but for the moment everything is propped up against a fence.

Two

Taking down this structure opens up the view of the long border and I have decided to leave it open to see how this outlook will work over summer. I’ve bought two rusty steel obelisks for the clematis to grow up. I managed to salvage them but a honeysuckle was collateral damage. The climbing rose will be dug up and relocated further along the wall on the left hand side. I’m hoping it won’t object.

Three

The lemon tree is no more. The scent of the foliage as I cut it back was wonderful but it was in a very sorry state so I have no regrets. I bought some compost to use for refilling the pot which now houses a hydrangea that has moved around the garden three times now. The compost was left outside overnight and the foxes swiftly moved in to investigate. Thank goodness they didn’t do too much damage. 

Four

On to some flowers! The birds freely seed iris foetidissima around the garden and here they are working well with the blue of pulmonaria officinalis. These complementary colours on the colour wheel provide a great splash at this time of year.

Five

I’ve decided to include this slightly artistically out of focus shot of a hellebore because it is also a self-seeder. One that I transplanted last year and I am delighted to see it in flower this year. 

Six

These are the flowers of sarcococca hookeriana ‘Purple Stem’. A new addition to the border, this is a shorter growing variety which the RHS describes as being tolerant of dry shade and neglect. Sounds perfect.

The weather is holding fair for this weekend too. Jobs to do: begin cutting back the grasses, sprinkle some Fish, Bone and Blood around the apple trees, of course some weeding and I will spread some leaf mould around the soft fruit areas. I hope you enjoy your weekend and don’t forget to stop by Jim’s place to catch up with all the SOS news. Happy gardening.

Six On Saturday: It’s the small things that count

/ n20gardener / 19 Comments

It has been a cold week here, down to -4.3 in the unheated greenhouse and frosts for several days. I didn’t see any magical sparkling photo opportunities which caused me to be a little despondent about what I could find in the garden this week. But so many small things caught my eye that I find I am able present another Six On Saturday.

One

The roses are putting out new growth, an encouraging reminder that the cycle continues even through the coldest moments.

Two

Euphorbia oblongata is looking as perky now as is does in Spring and Summer. I’ve had this for several years now even though it is often said be best grown as annual. Whisper that, I wouldn’t want to frighten it away!

Three

More buds are appearing on the hellebores. These ones self-seed themselves quite freely so I have quite a cluster developing.

Four

The viburnums are just beginning to come into flower, not quite covering the whole shrub yet, but it’s a start.

Five

The melica grass is ready for cutting back, new shoots are coming through. Here it is mixed with hydrangea ‘Limelight’ and self-seeded iris foetidissima all in the shelter of the rhododendron.

Six

Elsewhere other hydrangeas offer their brown winter colouring, the flower heads protecting the new buds of the next season’s growth and I have just spotted the first pairs, green gems in amongst the brown.

What a contrast next week will be. The warmer weather should encourage me to get out and cut back the autumn fruiting raspberries and make a start on the grasses. There’s a new storm coming in so it won’t be smooth all the way but I can see light at the end of the tunnel. I hope you can enjoy your gardening too. Jim’s around as usual, hosting this little band. Take a look.

Six On Saturday: On the move

/ n20gardener / 14 Comments

I’ve been directing my attention elsewhere for the last two weeks but Six On Saturday persuaded me outside again where I found that the garden was rising up! We have a week of cold weather forecast after months of storms and rain. I am looking forward to change. Here’s the six things I spotted this week.

One

I was very taken with some helleborus argutifolius or holly-leaved hellebore that I saw in a garden some time last year and three were promptly added this garden. Hardy to H5 and preferring some shade they seemed the perfect choice. It’s year one and they are flowering. That’s a tick, now they have to survive black spot and the honey fungus that also likes this corner. 

Two

A walk round the garden always reveals jobs to done, here the ivy covering a low wall has reached the lawn. I’m grateful for the coverage of a pretty shabby wall but it is time to get the shears out.

Three

More hellebores are putting out buds, ‘Pretty Ellen’ red. These are in quite a sheltered spot between the shed and a water butt, often overlooked but at this time of the year they do shout out for some attention. 

Four

I’m sure all this rain is not ideal for euphorbia wulfenii but so far they are battling on. There are several self-seeders and the more established ones are putting out new growth.

Five

I don’t cut back the grasses until February but I noticed that the melica is already putting up new growth. I’ll leave it for a few more weeks and will probably regret that decision. In the meantime over Christmas I snipped few stems of miscanthus sinensis ‘Silberfeder’ and calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ to add to some gold sprayed allium heads, hylotelephiums, a stem of veronicastrum ‘Fascination’ and a few fake red berries. The decorations will come down this weekend but these can stay a while longer.

Six

Wow, you may be thinking but rest assured this is not my garden. A walk in a local country park showed the extent of storm damage elsewhere. So many trees down and the ground saturated. After having lost a greenhouse last year I was very relieved that we have had no damage, so far, this winter. I do hope no one else has suffered with damage or flooding. 

That’s the first six of the year delivered, Jim will have the links to more and of course his own choices for the week. Maybe this is the year to take part, Jim has the guidelines for joining in. Happy gardening until next week. And Happy New Year to you all.

Six On Saturday: Gloomy gardening

/ n20gardener / 11 Comments

It’s a gloomy day today but the countdown has begun. The shortest day is twelve days away. It’s a fair way to go still until Spring but I’m feeling a twitch of positivity. I have planted the last of the tulip bulbs and have set out some new hellebores. The lawn is squelchy but there was a brief morning of dry weather and the fig leaves were mowed up and deposited in the leaf mould cage. I am beginning to feel that the last of the gardening jobs are being ticked off. Here’s my six for the week.

One

This comes with a warning of rampant spreading. Pachysandra terminalis. I have two plants in a thin border at the back end of the garden and if they spread I will (I think) be very happy. I have not chosen successfully here in the past, so here’s hoping they will settle in well.

Two

The new hellebores, fifteen in total, are in the old gooseberry patch border. Here they will have the white tulip ‘Maureen’ and hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snow Queen’ for company.

Three

About now I start looking for something interesting in the garden for Christmas wreath making. It is going to be a challenge as everything is so wet. I cut back the hylotelephiums and I will keep them to see if they dry out and are useable.

Four

In cutting back they hylotelephiums I pulled off a few new buds. They had the barest amount of root attached so I swiftly potted them up to grow on. They are usually fairly easy to propagate so I am optimistic.

Five

There’s not much colour in the garden but the seeds of iris foetidissima are just about holding their own against the rain.

Six

To end, a grainy photo of the parakeets and persimmons taken through the kitchen window. A bizarrely exotic site for a gloomy garden.

Jim, our laudable host will have much to ruminate on as usual. Stop by and take a look and happy gardening to you all as usual!

Six On Saturday: Frosty finger time

/ n20gardener / 24 Comments

Three consecutive nights of frost have very clearly announced the arrival of winter. A last minute flurry of activity saw the cutting back of all the soggy green stuff and most of the tulip bulbs were planted out. I have twenty left which will now almost certainly go into pots. In other confessions the winter bedding has not yet gone into pots. I also had to call in the muscle men to dig out the tree stump that was hosting the honey fungus – an old holly self-seeder. I could not budge it. Here’s six from the garden this first week of December.

One

Cobwebs on the verbena. These are left standing for the goldfinches who come for the seeds.

Two

The old leaves of hellebores have been cut back and new ones are coming through.

Three

The leaf mould cage is back in action. It’s been in use for about five years now and sadly the original posts used for the corner supports are rotting but there are just enough left standing to do for another year.

Four

The last of the fig leaves have fallen and once this frosty weather moves on these will be mowed up to shred them and then added to the leaf mould pile.

Five

The long border in winter. The seed heads of veronicastrum fascination are also left standing.

Six

One final confession. I have not yet cut back the autumn fruiting raspberry canes. But there’s no hurry here, these can be done in January.

The forecast suggests a mild spell is in sight so the remaining tulip bulbs will be planted then. Other than that I am pretty well shutting down the gardening for the winter. Fellow SOSers in the southern hemisphere will be showing blue skies to keep us going through the cold. Jim, our host, will almost certainly have a wonderful camellia to show us so stop by his Garden Rumination site to find out more. Keep warm or stay cool depending on your hemisphere!