Wordless Wednesday ~ Anyone For A Game Of Badminton?

 

Champagne Moments

 In my Monday vase this week are :

• One stem of ranunculus 'Champagne'. The tubers were described as a mix of corals, apricots and peaches. So far there has only been one flower in the colour that's in the vase and it's the one I like the most. I have still to crack ranunculus growing. My initial planting of twelve tubers in the autumn dwindled when half of them began to ail in the late winter greenhouse, before completely giving up the ghost. However six plants survived and I have more flowers than last year and the year before which I suppose is an achievement.
• Some white from lunaria annua variegata 'Alba' also known as variegated white honesty. This has self-seeded in the garden now for a good few years and next year's plants are already making good growth. Not only are both foliage and flowers attractive but the shimmering seedheads can be used in seasonal decorations later in the year.
• Polemonium carneum 'Apricot Delight' - this hardy perennial is new to me. You can just about glimpse some flowers peeking out from the under the ranunculus. Ordered online the plant arrived last autumn. I'm slightly puzzled by the name as at the moment the flowers look more pink to me than apricot but maybe they change colour as they fade. I hope so. Time will tell.
• Long term readers of this blog may remember that I don't grow many tulips and fewer and fewer as the years go by. Although I love the flowers I don't like their leaves. However I'm beginning to fall for the smaller species tulips. In my vase are a couple of flowers of tulip battalini 'Bronze Charm'. It has slim green-grey leaves that I have no problems with at all as well as a most subtle flower colour. 

Thanks as always to Cathy who blogs over at 'Rambling In The Garden' who invites us to share our vases of flowers whatever season it is.

Here it's an absolutely beautiful spring day. Following on from a warm sunny dry week last week another week of similar weather is predicted. Last week saw a couple of very light frosts but the minimum night time temperatures should be higher this week. There should be no panic about whether the emerging potato leaves are in danger of getting nipped by frost. It has been too warm to do much in the greenhouse apart from early in the morning or later in the afternoon. When I've posted this I shall be heading outside for a seat in the sun with a cup of coffee and then will check out whether I can work comfortably in the greenhouse and prick out some more seedlings. The annual greenhouse shuffle is now well and truly a work in progress! 

Almost Wordless Wednesday ~ Tulip Horror

 

Sticken by virus and very much off-colour tulip 'Ballerina'! 😱

Five Favourites, April 2026

I'm joining in with Cathy's meme this month featuring five of my favourite April plants. Although May is my favourite month of the year April along with September isn't far behind. I love the greening up that month brings along with all spring bulbs and the blossom on the trees. First of my plants features the blossom and new bronze foliage of amelanchier lamarckii pictured above.

Following closely on it's heels is the blossom on the pear tree which was planted in 2012 :

Most years sees the pear's adjoining neighbour 'Malus Red Sentinel' join in with pink blossom but this year these are sadly noticeable by an almost no show, which means that there will only be a handful of red berries providing autumn colour and tasty morsels for the birds. I'm not sure why this has happened but it has happened on at least one occasion before now. This tree was planted a couple of years after the pear tree.

Now after all that pale a pop of bright colour from tulipa humilis 'Little Beauty' :

Long term readers of my blog may know that I don't go in for tulips in a big way. Although the flowers appeal I just can't bring myself to like their large sometimes floppy foliage. However the smaller species tulips are delightful. Cathy from 'Rambling In The Garden' sent me a few bulbs several years ago and I've enjoyed growing her since. These are in a pot but I must try to plant some in the garden to see how they do.

Next a lunaria also known as honesty. This one is lunaria annua 'Alba Variegata' which has self-seeded for years most considerately.

For my final choice an epimedium sparkling on a rainy day of which we have now had quite a few of this April. I'm afraid the label has disappeared along with my memory of the name: 

A big thank you to Cathy who blogs over at 'Words and Herbs' for her most kind invitation to join in this monthly meme. I've had fun in joining in but before I go must apologise to all those beautiful little daffodils for not including them this month. Maybe next April 🤔 😂

IAVOM ~ 'The Lullaby Of Spring'

 

In this week's Monday vase are some of my this time of year favourites mainly :

• Narcissus 'Thalia' - although I prefer the smaller narcissi the taller 'Thalia' is probably my all time favourite narcissus of all.
• Some yellow from the thug that is lamium galeobdolon 'Variegatum,' also known as the variegated yellow archangel. I have a long-standing love- hate relationship with it.
• A spring of dicentra spectablis alba which I know is known by another name beginning with an L but the spelling of the new name has never stuck with me.
• Some blue from brunnera macrophylla, probably 'Jack Frost'.
• Some much paler blue from a muscari, identity unknown   - in fact it's almost more white to the naked eye suffused with the palest touch of blue.

The title of my post is a nod to one of Donovan's songs which you can listen to here. 

Thanks as always to the lovely Cathy over at 'Rambling In the Garden' for her steadfast year round hosting.

After a very windy and cool couple of days bought about by the latest named storm - Storm Dave, today has been much calmer and warmer. We have done some planting with more lined up for tomorrow. The greenhouse calls with more pricking out on the to do list as well as sowing some half-hardy annuals. Fortunately it looks as if we will have two beautiful days to come and for the first time this year the temperature might hit that magic 20 degrees centigrade! Wishing you all a good week in the garden.

The Under Gardener, Norton Priory Walled Garden.

 

IAVOM ~ Fleeting

A quick pick and plonk from me in this week's 'In A Vase On Monday'. I don't anticipate that the contents will last any great length of time in water but they were most appealing when picked. In my vase are :

• Stems of amelanchier lamarkii - if only the bronze juvenile foliage and flowers lasted longer! They are so quick to come and go.
•  A couple of snippets of what I think is some sort of euphorbia which appeared in the garden all by itself.

Thanks as always to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for encouraging us to share our vases at the start of the week.

Well here March seems to be confused as it is going out like a veritable lion. The last few days have seen the first and probably now only frost of the month whilst another day was intermittently peppered with intense hailstorms. We've also experienced extremely windy weather which has taken the edge off the temperatures. Whilst the garden has been somewhat battered by the elements fortunately the greenhouse has remained snug and warm so seedlings are germinating and growing happily. We now have that extra hour of daylight in the evening to make use of outdoors which is most exciting. Yesterday afternoon though saw me and a good friend safely installed in seats at the Liverpool Empire Theatre, listening to a talk by gardening guru Monty Don on the subject of 'Great British Gardens'. He is a most articulate, knowledgeable speaker and is also quite humorous. A most enjoyable to spend a very wet and windy afternoon. Wishing you all a good gardening week.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Lightbulb Moments

 

In A Vase On Monday ~ Spring Glimmers

 

A vase full of daffies this Monday. They include :

• Narcissus 'Jetfire' - the one with the bright orange/red trumpet.
• Narcissus 'Jenny' - bought with a niece in mind.
• Narcissus bulbocodium 'Arctic Bells' - not grown before but what a delicate lovely.
• Narcissus 'Tete-a-Tete' - with apologies for the missing circumflex accents. Too puzzling for me this morning to fathom out what to do on my Mac keyboard. This little daffodil never fails to deliver and is almost always the first to flower. I have too many pots of it though and must transplant some of them into the garden.

With thanks as always to Cathy who blogs over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for inviting us to share our vases each Monday - winter, spring, summer or fall.

The last few days have celebrated the arrival of the spring equinox in style. It was a week of warmer than what it should be at this time of year weather. Much has been done in far as gardening tasks are concerned. It's also been a week of firsts - first butterfly of the year, first ant, first germination of a number of seeds as well as firsts of flowers and foliage appearing. There has also been a proliferation of ladybirds. True to form yesterday's weather forecast advised that it will be all systems change from tomorrow onwards with heavy rain, strong winds and hail in the mixture. Possibly even snow! Definitely not time to put the winter woolies away just yet. Wishing you all a flower filled as possible week.

 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Spring Glimmers