#iris

Six On Saturday: Mid May border

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Mid May, I am watering the garden and the lawn is drying up over the old path. There was thunder and lightning on Monday but no rain. That’s the moaning done with, here are six things from the garden this week.

One

I shared this iris on Bluesky in the week. I believe it is ‘White City’. It starts out as the palest blue and then turns to white. Quite lovely.

Two

The roses seem to be covered in buds and are flowering well despite the dry conditions. This is ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ which has been a little thin in previous years. I am wondering if taking down the fig tree has improved the situation for this rose.

Three

An unknown rose from the front garden, looking very fetching earlier in the week.

Four

This is a two for one, ‘Totally Tangerine’ geum with a young viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum Mariesii. The viburnum has a some growing to do but it looks pretty even now.

Five

This persicaria bistorta ‘Superba’ is known for spreading but it has done so gently so far. It’s a great plant for just getting on with things.

Six

Finally a view of part of the border. My delphiniums were munched to ground last year and I can’t see a sign of them this year. But it’s pretty crowded out there anyway.

Stop by Garden Ruminations to see more SOS posts from the gardening gang. Jim has a wonderful selection on show as usual. I’ve got dead heading of roses to do and I’ll be looking up and performing the most effective rain dance I can find! Happy gardening.

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: Careful what you throw away

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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.

One

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.

Two

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.

Three

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.

Four

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.

Five

Last week I mentioned that the hebes were flowering again, and they still are.

Six

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!

Six On Saturday: Out goes cold May

/ n20gardener / 13 Comments

Shakespeare was right about the rough winds shaking the darling buds! It was a week of cold winds and those tomato plants that were looking terrible last week, look even worse now. I’ve written them off. Fortunately June has arrived and the garden fills up a little more each day. I have one or two end of May flowers that deserve a turn in the limelight before we get to full blown June. Here’s this week’s six.

One

I have a handful of irises in the garden. Sibirica, Germanica and Bearded but I this iris foetidissima is one of my favourites. It has such beautiful markings and a subtle colour. They can so easily be overlooked as they settle themselves into shady corners beneath the shrubs. They are presents from the birds who perch above.

Two

There have been sunny days, even as the cold winds blew and the hardy geraniums have opened. This is an unknown variety that smuggled itself in with a bulk buy of white ones. Some relocation was required when it first flowered!

Three

This gentle pink one is the bloody cranesbill, geranium sanguineum var. striatum. A low growing variety that I sneak into edges and corners as often as I can.

Four

A last aquilegia, ‘Lemon Sorbet’. This was planted in shade and has self seeded itself out into a little more sunshine. The plants always know best.

Five

Thalictrum ‘Black Stocking’, grows happily in a part shade area of the garden. It’s been here for about three years now and has filled out nicely.

Six

Have I saved the best until last? I was so impressed with this astrantia yesterday. It’s ‘Claret’, a wonderful colour but sadly not a self seeder. My fave of the week, nevertheless!

Summer is here. The bees are buzzing through the buttercups on the lawn and there’s already a scarcity of rain. For more Six On Saturday posts from gardens around the world take a quick trip to Jim’s Cornish garden and enjoy the delights on offer there. I wish you well in your garden this weekend.

Six On Saturday: Pesky blighters

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It’s moan time. I have given up shrugging at the munching of the thalia and now I’m pretty cross. Number one pesky blighter is of course the slug. I collected seed from the delphiniums, sowed them, saw them through to germination, nurtured them over winter, watered them through dry April and set them off into the world last week. Within a night they had been grazed to the ground. This season’s sunflower sowings have had their leaves turned to filigree lace. The one hosta I have in the ground, surrounded by 5cms of Strulch but has suffered similar munching. But I was truly enraged when I saw a squirrel about to eat a rosebud. The lilies are up so I am also on vigilant watch for a second wave of lily beetle. I am going to making up a garlic solution today and will be spraying it liberally. I can only try to make a stand. Fortunately there are six good things in the garden to cheer the mood.

One

The roses are beginning to open, which is always a joy. This one is Gertrude Jekyll. Truth told this did not seem to have settled well into the garden but this year, four or five years on, it looks full of buds.

Two

These are the white flowers of Libertia grandiflora valiantly standing up against the euphorbia melifera. I planted four libertias just as the melifera seedling arrived in the garden. The melifera has dominated the spot and the libertias are fighting for the sunshine. Only one has made it to flowering so I am going to live dangerously and move at least two of the libertias to a sunnier spot. Now. This weekend. They have no flower spikes showing so I am going to risk the upheaval. Fingers crossed, as usual. The foliage is evergreen and the white flowers are a beautiful strong white.

Three

The clematis on the arch is in flower. It’s a montana wilsonii, which has made it to the top of the arch and is now gracefully twining its way down the other side. There it will meet the climbing rose Madame Alfred Carrière. Let the battle commence!

Four

The second batch of camassias are in flower. I think this variety is cusickii. A delicate paler blue than my other camassias which are now almost over.

Five

And next to the camassias, the siberian irises are just opening. I think these are my favourite irises, which is a good thing because they do clump up very vigorously for me.

Six

The very reliable geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ is in flower which gave me the excuse to leave this corner of forget-me-nots for another week.

It’s in and out time for the trays of seedlings in the greenhouse. I have two more pot grown mange tout germinations which means I can claim to have been successful with successional sowing! The first strawberry has been picked so summer must be very close. Enjoy your gardening this weekend and if you can tear yourself away stop by at The Prop’s garden gate for a chat with the other SOSers.

Six On Saturday: The power of seeds

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On the whole it was a gloomy, wet and windy week here but a little milder than of late. It was with some trepidation that I ventured out into the garden to collect this week’s six but gardens have a great way of taking care of themselves and providing a few surprises.

One

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One of the major projects of this year was the laying of the garden path.  It was laid on top of the old path which worked well in most places but as the path rounded the corner to meet up with the lawn the height differential came into play.  The weather was so hot and dry that plans to build up the lawn height were put on hold until about a month  ago.  Part of the lawn was stripped off and the soil level was built up.  My lawn is a patchwork quilt of grass, creeping buttercups, wild yarrow, clover, daisies and much more.  The stripped off turves did not hold together and when re-laid there were several scrappy patches which needed seeding.  I had given up hope of the new seed germinating but I really was very excited to see that the first new shoots have appeared.

Two

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This new growth reminded me of one or two other things in the garden that had sorted themselves out.  Last winter I lost a French lavender plant given to me as a house warming present.  It had done so well over its first summer but winter was just too much for it.  Or so I thought.  A few weeks ago I noticed new shoots of lavender appearing alongside the English lavender I had planted in its place.  This is the strongest of the bunch and I’m hoping that sheltered by the English lavender it might make it through this winter.  There are a couple of smaller seedlings that I am going to lift and overwinter in the greenhouse.  I would love to report back to the giver that I do still have the French lavender.

Three

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This young yew tree was given to me by the birds!  I can’t bring myself to pull it out and would love to find a corner of the garden where I can nurture it along into something significant.  Maybe I can start up my own wild hedgerow along the back fence.  I’ve got a few wild blackberries that need to be taken in hand.  Throw in a dog rose and some years of patient waiting and I could be onto something.

Four 

The back fence is already home to Iris foetidissima and these have helpfully self seeded very successfully.  The orange berries glow brightly through the gloom and a good colony of these in the dark corner will provide a much welcomed lift to the spirits through winter.

Five

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I collected some Hollyhock seeds to bring with me to the new garden and now the seeds from those plants are starting to colonise well.  I have had to take a few in hand as they managed to get themselves going some distance from the main site.  I never know what colours are going to appear which is part of the fun.

Six

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Another great self seeder is the foxglove.  I did not have any in the garden so I bought a packet of seeds and did some sowing around the end of August.  There was a good success rate and I have moved some out into the garden and left some to overwinter in the unheated potting shed.  I’m hoping this belt and braces approach will give me a reward.

The fireside keeps calling me but the garden won’t let go just yet!  Have a look at what everyone else is up to by visiting The Propagator’s blog – there’s no way Mr P will be putting his feet up just yet!

 

Six On Saturday: The strange case of the two tier rhododendron and other oddities

/ n20gardener / 17 Comments

So Monty Don recently said  ‘Gardening is easy. Stick it in the ground the right way up and most plants will grow perfectly well.’ Which is essentially true but every now and then strange things happen:

One

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I think I know why my rhoddy looks like this.  It’s possible that the tree was planted soon after the house was built, which would make it about 100 years old.  I think it had been left to its own devices and being on a north facing border it had reached forward for some sun.  I think the previous owner then cut it back hard at the bottom to regain some of the lawn.  My evidence: when we moved in I discovered a large pile of wood stashed behind the foliage.  Since then the bottom of the tree has regenerated and this year has put out some fabulously healthy flowers and more luscious green leaves.  But the top of the tree struggles on with yellowing leaves and smaller and much later flowers.  My guess is the bottom is sapping the energy of the top.  So do I radically cut back the top, probably reducing the height by half – which feels like vandalism, but if it needs to be done….or do I lightly prune the top every year until the tree balances itself out again?  It has plenty of water and although north facing it does get early morning and late afternoon sun so I think the conditions are okay.  Any thoughts?

Two

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This beautiful iris came free, picked up from the allotment sharing bench.  I think it is  ‘White City’ and last year they were all the palest blue colour fading to white.  This year there is an interloper.  Now since it was a large clump divided from an even larger clump maybe the purple iris has been there all along and has only  just flowered. Or has it been cross pollinated?  Either way I am enjoying them both.

Three

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Is my Sneezeweed trying to tell me something?  I bought some last year with the aim of adding some late colour to the borders but it has been in flower since May.  Label says ‘Flowering period: late summer’.  My, the year is going fast!

Four

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Back to some normal happenings.  These stunning Siberian irises came as several divisions from a friend’s collection.  This is their second year in the garden and they have multiplied amazingly, definitely a case of growing perfectly well.

Five

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The equally successful Astrantia ‘Claret’.  I did try to grow some from seed but that didn’t happen so I happily bought some 9cm pots which have bulked up well in their second year.  The roses in bud behind are ‘Blush Noisette’ – so close to popping but not for this week!

Six

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I must give a shout out to the growers at the Finchley Horticultural Society who also seem to have the knack of making gardening easy.  I decided to diversify my tomato growing this year.  Instead of 15 plants of one variety grown from seed I have six plants of three varieties bought at last week’s plant sale.  I’ve missed the roller coast ride of raising them from seed but I’m going to enjoy the variety: Marmonde, Golden Crown  and Alicante.  I was also tempted by some chilli plants and a couple of Romano peppers.  I’ve taken the plunge this year and planted them direct into the soil instead of in grow bags.  Let’s see what the greenhouse soil has got in it!  I have grown my own basil which I’ll be planting around the tomatoes.

There’s an extra gardening day again in the UK.  Will it be hot and sunny, hot and thundery or a wash out?  Let’s hope we can all find a way to enjoy the weekend whatever.  More gardening stories can be found at The Propagator’s blog.  The contributors also seem to be growing very easily.

Six on Saturday

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This week’s six has a snow damage focus.  Last Sunday’s snow and frosts have taken their toll.  The ground has remained frozen and winter is here.  Let’s start with a carry over from last week.

One

Here is the  missing picture of my bracken /fern for you to consider.  There are a number of these in the garden.  Are they Bracken of Fern I ask myself, this site might help  Fern or Bracken? It’s all in the pinnate .  Whatever they are, they are ready for the Continue reading →