Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – March 2017

All of a sudden spring has sprung and there are hundreds of blooms to enjoy – not least Narcissus ‘Cragford’, above.  And despite moaning last year I’d planted them too close together, I’m delighted to see they’ve all returned!

Plenty of other Narcissi now including ‘Jenny’

 

‘Peeping Jenny,’

‘Tete a Tete’

and my first ‘Minnow’ of the year.  This is definitely one of my favourites – the blooms are really dainty, only about 3cm across, so I hope I’ve planted enough to make an impact.

A few other bulbs blooming now – these Muscari, M. Latifolium are returning again from the wedding flowers.  Last year they got rather eaten, so I’m delighted to see them back better than ever this year.  And interestingly, for those who remember the saga of me trying to get these and the N. Elka flowering together on the day,the Elkas are currently nowhere to be seen!

This last one is the Crocus chrysanthus Miss Vain.  The majority are over now, but if you look closely you’ll see there are daffodils to follow, so hopefully the pot will shortly be rebooted!

I found one of the first bees enjoying the Rosemary (R. prostratus).

And I think I’ve mentioned that I’ve become a bit overrun with Euphorbia, but doesn’t that colour sing (zing?) in the sunshine?

Talking of colour, I know it’s not a bloom, but I couldn’t resist including this Chard.

Continuing on the pink theme, this Daphne x Pink Fragrance ‘Blapink’ is really pumping out the blooms – and scent – now.  It’s in a pot and currently seems happy, but I do wonder if I should plant it out.

The tea tree plant, Leptospermum has just started blooming again after a little rest.  Sadly it has got rather leggy now and I’m not convinced it would resprout from the bottom if I pruned it hard.  Any clues?

There are still plenty of Hellebores but I thought this one was very fine.  Strangely I have no memory of seeing it before, but it seems rather too glamorous to be self seeded.

Of my two witch hazels H. Arnold’s Promise is in full flower

but H. Aphrodite is still being rather shy.

And to finish, because it was such a glorious day it almost felt like a quick dip might be fun, here’s the Diving Lady, with her pool. 

With thanks to Carol at May Dream Gardens who hosts everyone’s GBBDs.  Why don’t you pop over and see what others have blooming now?

End of Month View – February 2017

The Shady Bed is looking good despite the gloom.  Here is probably the largest clump of Hellebores and they’re joined by the sweetly scented Sarcococca and the constant Fatsia japonica.

Elsewhere, the main view is very gloomy (not helped by timing my photos an hour before some watery sunshine emerged).

In the troughs there are plenty of shoots, but as yet no colour.  Did I mention that I’d replaced the old Stocks at the back with new cuttings?  And whilst they don’t seem to be making much progress, the self seeded Cerinthe in the path in front is romping away…

The Swing Beds are still looking quite full but hardly flowery.  Many herbaceous plants still need a cut back, as do the roses, which are looking extremely wild and woolly.

The two Clematis cirrhosa ‘Freckles’ are still blooming well on the pergola, but definitely rather tatty on close inspection.  And I fear pruning the Rosa St Swithun growing amongst them is going to be a little challenging!

More bulbous shoots in the Grass Bed, but as yet no blooms here either.

I’ve pruned all the roses in the Mid Century bed, but still haven’t attacked the Salvias.  In the foreground you can see some overwintered Antirrhinum which look closer to flowering than some of the bulbs!

The soil level has fallen in this bed again this year

so lucky I’m prepared!

On the other side of the garden in the Oak Bed the Hamamelis (H. Arnold’s Promise) is glowing against the wall.  It probably deserves rescuing from all that dead foliage!

In the Bronze Bed the Narcissi ‘Cragford’ are the furthest advanced of all my daffodils and will soon be ready to ‘pop’.

Also ready to pop any minute, my other Hamamelis, H. Aphrobite.  Just a couple of blooms so far, but much promise and such a lovely colour.

In the greenhouse, the Winter Sunshine Sweet Peas have now been planted out,

there are seeds stirring in the damp darkness (I hope)

and on the windowsill a few perky Muscari latifolium, returned again from the Wedding Flowers of two years ago.  Step niece Hannah (whose wedding it was) is now proud mum to Hamish so, looking at the colour, I should probably have sent them over!)

And to finish, you can’t beat a jolly pot of ‘Tete a Tete’.

With thanks to Helen at the Patient Gardener for hosting everyone’s EoMV.

In a vase on Monday – Saturday’s Wedding flowers

We’re just back from a rather mad London based weekend, attending two fabulous 50th birthday parties as well as my step niece’s wonderful wedding.

As some of you know, I have been fretting over the readiness of the bulbs I’d been growing for the wedding since my Advice please! post in February, and by Saturday morning I was all out of time.

The pots were tied with purple ribbon, packed in a big box and driven up to Chelsea to arrive by mid afternoon.  Carrying them all from the car to the restaurant where the reception was to be held was more than a tad scary, with the phrase ‘falling at the last hurdle’ spinning around my mind.  But I got them there without incident and arranged four to a table as agreed.

The Narcissi Elka were just right and very pretty (having spent at least two weeks in the fridge without any ill effects)

however, the Muscari Latifolium weren’t quite as advanced as I would have liked, despite a last minute move into the conservatory, but they provided a good contrast to the Narcissi, and were a lovely deep blue.

And the overall effect – well, judge for yourself!

With thanks as ever to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting In a vase on Monday.  Cathy, I hope you’ll forgive me for posting my Saturday ‘vases’ on your Monday meme!

Advice please!

My sister’s lovely stepdaughter is getting married on 28th March and she (the sister) kindly volunteered me to provide flowers for the wedding.

We had a chat and agreed that spring bulbs in terracotta pots would be fun and go with the laid back vibe she’s looking for.  I did a bit of research and came up with two different bulbs, Narcissus Elka and Muscari Latifolium, both of which are supposed to be in flower at the end of March.  All was agreed and I got buying and planting.

Initially I left the pots in the greenhouse, just until they had sprouted and were hopefully beyond any marauders (I’m still smarting about those crocuses).  Then I moved them out into the cold frame.  The cold frame is never actually closed, so all it did was corral them and also provide a bit of protection.

Fast forward a few months and I have concerns.  The Narcissus are doing too well.  Although the stems are only about 4″ tall I can definitely see flower buds (see above and below).

Now whilst I don’t know how long they’ll take to flower from this point, I feel it won’t be four weeks, and so I have now put them in the fridge:

Whether the complete lack of light will make them etiolated, yellow and sickly looking, I don’t know.  Perhaps I could let them have weekends outside?

Conversely the Muscari seem very behind:

so I’ve now moved them back into the greenhouse.

The question for you, dear readers, is am I doing the right thing?  Is there somewhere else I could put the narcissi to delay them and, from the look of the Muscari, should I be moving them somewhere even warmer, like the south facing conservatory?

I look forward to any suggestions at all, including giving up now, and making a diary note to head to New Covent Garden on Friday 27th!

Thank you.