greentapestry : End Of Month View ~ March 2015

Wednesday 1 April 2015

End Of Month View ~ March 2015


Word of the month must be 'ROAR' which is just how the month arrived and departed perhaps with the loudest roar coming yesterday. It blew an absolute ferocious hooley as well as spouting out a fair bit of the wet stuff. In one of the few dry interludes there was a chance to take a couple of photos of 'The Gabion Wall' border. This is filling out nicely now. The hellebores are making good clumps as well as the pulmonarias and the little 'Elka' daffodils are a treat. I've also planted a few of my special snowdrops in this area. The one disappointment has been the refusal of cardamine pratensis to be sociable and produce more than a few flowers. There are astrantias 'Gill Richardson' and aster diveraticus dotted about for later flowering interest but I need to introduce more plants to the mix. Before that a weeding of epic proportions is required. The main culprits are herb robert and couch grass. I need to find some unobtrusive small paving stones so that I can get around without compacting the soil.




The above pumonaria is 'Majeste' - apologies for leaving the accent off the e but I'm using a borrowed computer for this post which is proving to be rather challenging. The leaves are in need of a tidy up and general spring clean. Finding time to fit in these jobs in is proving to be a challenge along with the allotment as we are trying to spend time in our caravan in Cumbria. The weather this March has not been particularly kind but it should start to warm up/rain less soon. Now that we have extra daylight I'm looking forwards to gardening outdoors in the evening whilst the allotment can be fitted in during the day. Well that's the plan anyway. We have a pocket handkerchief sized garden outside the caravan but that's more than enough. I will be planting up a couple of pots but in the meantime have been enjoying the patches of snowdrops, primroses and daffodils that can be found throughout the site. We also have some wonderful scenery on the doorstep. We returned in the middle of the month to the church we visited last year in search if its plantings of daffodils. Again we were too early so were greeted with snowdrops and swathes of crocuses. If anything the season seemed further behind this year.



However at the more sheltered and mild Grange-Over-Sands just a few miles away spring seemed more advanced with blossoms in full flow. There is a fine ornamental lake graced by some most interesting feathered visitors, a community orchard (more in a future post) and a prom with a richness of perennial planting (again more to come in a future post). It's the only prom where I've encountered hellebores in bloom.








I've not much to report in the way of seed sowing having made a conscious decision to sow less, sow later and try more direct sowing. I might also be buying a few plants this year rather than sowing them myself. I think that April therefore is going to be a busy month.

March plant purchases have included more snowdrops, pulmonarias 'Diana Clare' (a second to join the one already in the garden) and rubra 'Rachel Vernie), the sultry viola 'Molly Sanderson, as well as clematis 'Princess Kate' which was rescued from a bargain bin in an Ambleside garden centre.

With thanks as always to Helen over at 'The Patient Gardener's Weblog' for kindly hosting the End of Month View. 

18 comments:

  1. That pulmonaria's lovely - I've not seen it before, such pretty leaves. I've made a mental note of the name and will seek one out locally.

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  2. Lovely photos Anna. You've got loads of spring flowers out that are not present yet up here. It was tremendously windy here too over the last couple of days, but strangely none of my tubs blew over! I'd love to see more photos of Grange over Sands if you visit again - went there as a child - happy memories.

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  3. Nice to see the gabion border.
    I did smile that you are planning to sow less, you are as bad as me. I am trying to do less better

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  4. Beautiful photos Anna, and you have so many spring flowers that bring cheer :) and nice to see your Gabion wall border that is shaping up very nicely!

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  5. The hellebores have been wonderful this year. I am glad to see the back of March, let's hope April is better.

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  6. Oh, that first image gave me a frisson of excitement, it has come together splendidly Anna, you must be delighted. Despite the wretched weeds. Your graveyard with its swathes of crocus is a delight, and how wonderful to already be so settled in your home-from-home that the seasonal variations are becoming familiar. I love that process of making a new region "home". Enjoy the new balance, we will have to swap notes on the "more direct sowing" front, I will be doing likewise. I must get more hellebores...

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  7. March certainly did roar in and out, I'm glad to see the back of it. Your Gabion Wall Border is filling up nicely, the hellebores are looking particularly good, they look to have bulked up nicely. I haven't been able to resist sowing a few things but the majority of my sowing will be done this month.

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  8. The Churchyard looks lovely with all those crocus in flower. The hellebores and pulmonaria are putting on a good show at home. Enjoy your Easter break before you become really busy in garden and allotment.

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  9. That gabion wall border is looking so good now Anna! I love all your hellebores, and the blue Pulmonaria. It looks so healthy compared to mine! I definitely need to find some more to fill in a few gaps. April began with a roar here too - in fact not only the wind but thunder (and even some snow!). It is calming down at last now!

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  10. Definitely a roar. What I love about hellebores is that they last so long. And even when the blooms have gone the foliage is so dramatic.

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  11. The gabion border is looking wonderful and a pleasure to see. I'm with Jessica on the power of hellebores and even more so this year that the weather has remained so cool/cold.
    Yes, stepping stones in the border - I've had an issue with those lately. If you don't read my latest post, suffice to say pay close attention to where you place them.
    Have a Happy Easter Anna.

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  12. Great blog, its so nice to see everything coming into flower, I have so many plants on the edge of flowering, but with the snow, wind, sleet and low temperatures they are sitting in suspended animation.

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  13. The wind this week has been awful. I dread the damage it does. Your gabion wall bed looks great. It is amazing how long the hellebores bloom and they get better as they mature. I love Narcissus Elke, it is so dainty. Pulmonarias are great at this time of the year; I love the way they are so promiscuous and you never know how their children will turn out. They are all lovely.

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  14. Oh Anna, I've got Clematis 'Princess Kate' on my Pinterest wish list board. The flowers look incredibly beautiful. And you rescued yours? Lucky you, girl! I hope you'll post photos when it blooms. We're in the thick of rain here too so I understand. I hope you have a wonderful Easter.

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  15. Thanks for showing that gabion border as I always enjoy seeing the wider pictures. Looking good! Pulmonaria grow wild around here so I don't plant them extra but enjoy them big time. What a glorious little graveyard - I love the simplicity of unadorned stones and wildflowers mingling among them. Hope your unseasonal weather leaves in time for Easter - have a happy one :)

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  16. I love your hellebores, they look so well against the gabion border!

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  17. Lovely graveyard and what a promising park at G-o-S. It will be so interesting to compare the seasons when you move between your two homes - the seasonal difference between here and my Mum's and between here and ED's in Surrey often surprises me. Good to see your gabions again and how your border is progressing. Here Robert has a foothold here too but being a geranium relative I tolerate it to a degree and it pulls up so obligingly easily anyway!

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  18. crocus and spring blossoming trees have a northern hemisphere magic we way down south miss!

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All your comments are much appreciated and treasured. I wil try to reply to everyone who leaves a comment, but it may take me a few days, especially when I start spending more time in the garden and at the lottie. I know that you will understand :) I am sure that I will also visit your blog if I have not already done so. If you have any specific questions I will either reply to them here or you can email me at : thegreentapestry@gmail.com

Namasté

- Anna.