" I remember once walking out hand in hand with a boy I knew, and it was summer, and suddenly before us was a field of gold. Gold as far as you could see. We knew we’d be rich forever. We filled our pockets and our hair. We were rolled in gold. We ran through the field laughing and our legs and feet were coated in yellow dust, so that we were like golden statues or golden gods ... It was only a field of buttercups, but we were young.’.
Saturday, 28 May 2022
More May Musing - On Buttercups
" I remember once walking out hand in hand with a boy I knew, and it was summer, and suddenly before us was a field of gold. Gold as far as you could see. We knew we’d be rich forever. We filled our pockets and our hair. We were rolled in gold. We ran through the field laughing and our legs and feet were coated in yellow dust, so that we were like golden statues or golden gods ... It was only a field of buttercups, but we were young.’.
Monday, 23 May 2022
IAVOM ~ More Darling Buds
- Aquilegia - this is one of the self seeders from the original 'Hensol Harebell' seeds from The Cottage Garden Society that I sowed many moons ago. Some good news on the aquilegia front is that Carrie Thomas of Touchwood Plants is back in the business of selling aquilegia seeds again. I'm most sorely tempted.
- Geranium phaeum - again a self seeder and perhaps not as pure white as it appears in this photo. These are such easy going and obliging perennials
- A trio of stems from millium effusum 'Aureum' also known as 'Bowles Golden Grass. Again a self seeder which prefers some shade as the foliage can scorch
- Finally astrantia - variety obscured by the mist of time and many lost labels along the way. The astrantias are only just getting going here so I'm looking forward to others in different hues opening very soon too.
Monday, 16 May 2022
IAVOM ~ It's A First!
This week's vase just had to include :
- The first ever ranunculus that I have ever managed to get to flowering stage! I have had a few attempts at growing ranunculus in the past but have never managed to get them this far. The fact that they were a named variety 'Champagne' and cost more than what I have paid for ranunculus in the past may well have something to do with it. I planted the corms in February in a tray under cover. I resisted the temptation to give the tray some bottom heat on the sand bench and watched eagerly for signs of growth. Sure enough I eventually saw signs of shooting and six of the ten corms I planted took off. They were eventually transferred to individual pots but I lost one when they were still quite small. There are more blooms to follow - not in copious quantities but they will all be treasured especially the couple that look as if they will be a coral/salmon colour when open. I haven't cracked ranunculus growing yet but will definitely be planting some claws in the autumn and hoping for sturdier plants which will produce even greater a quantity of flowers next spring,
- Thalictrum - 'Black Stockings' I think and perennial . I planted this in 'The Lockdown Border' in 2020 and it has now really clumped up well and has several flowering stems this spring. The photo makes it look more pink than it is in the flesh. The dark stems are most attractive too,
- Some flowers from geum 'Totally Tangerine - three of these were planted in the 'Lockdown Border' in 2021 with varying degrees of growth. The one that has been in flower since late March seems to be on steroids and hasn't stopped flowering since. I must start to deadhead them soon.
- A couple of sprinklings of the grass 'Briza Maxima' which has conveniently and so far considerately self seeded about here and there.
- Lastly some of the deliciously scented biennial hesperis matronalis also known as 'Dame's Rocket'. I always think that the scent is more pronounced on a warm evening. These were sown last June or July.
Thanks to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for encouraging us to share our Monday vases. I wonder what spring sparklers are in other folk's vases this week.
Saturday, 7 May 2022
May Musing
" The growth is a remarkable thing during these weeks between spring and summer. If you could hear it, there would be a tangible hum, made from a million buds breaking and stems flexing. The tide of green sweeps up and over bare earth, cloaking it as fast as the leaves fill out above us. Blink and you miss the soft marbling on the new leaves of the Epimedium and the dusty bloom of the overlaying the ruby young growth on the 'Molly the Witch'. Blink again and the first of the peonies will be open - primrose cups filled with bees.
The flurry of spring perennials starts the summer garden. One layer takes over from the next, replacing and adding like an increasingly complex textile".
From 'Natural Selection' by Dan Pearson.
If you enjoy Dan's writing and have not come across it yet he produces an excellent online gardening, growing, cooking and making magazine most Saturdays over at 'Dig Delve' together with his partner Huw Morgan. You can also subscribe to have it sent to your inbox.
May is such a beautiful month and although my favourite of the month I've noticed a distinct lack of May musing on my blog. I hope to return with another snippet or two as this magical time of year unfolds.
Saturday, 30 April 2022
Garden Diary ~ An April Catch Up
An extremely dry April looks as if she is going to exit on a last minute downpour in this part of the world which will be more than welcome with farmers and gardeners. We have had a very settled month with much in the way of sunshine but some cold nights when the fleece has come out to protect the more tender greenhouse occupants at night.
Wednesday, 27 April 2022
Monday, 25 April 2022
IAVOM ~ 'Blue Monday'
Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Monday, 18 April 2022
IAVOM ~ "Wearing White For Easter Tide"
Well not just white but shades of cream, green and even some red too. In this week's vase are :
- Lunaria variegata alba - this variety of the biennial honesty obligingly self seeds so I now have a perpetual colony. The foliage is attractive too with the variegation varying slightly from plant to plant. I can't remember cutting the flowers for a vase before and somehow don't think they will have much staying power. Later in the year I will be cutting the stems down when the seeds have set and using them for seasonal decoration. I will have seeds to spare if anyone would like some.
- A couple of stems of cornus which missed the chop out when I was pruning the shrub.
- Narcissus 'Thalia' - possibly my favourite narcissus and one that is still going when most of its more diminutive siblings are fading.
- The last occupant in my vase this week are stems of the tactile pussy willow catkins - none to be purloined in the immediately vicinity so I have to confess that these were bought especially for Easter.
Monday, 11 April 2022
IAOM ~'I Will Survive'
We had a reminder on Saturday that winter still had a sting in its tail when there was a sudden and most dramatic hailstorm. I was inside and cosy at home at the time and wondered what the loud clattering noise was, before realising that himself had left our bedroom window wide open so I was being treated to the additional sound effects of hail bouncing on a wooden floor. Whether that is winter's final fling remains to be seen but yesterday and today have been noticeably warmer and there is a strong pull towards the garden. In my vase this week are :
- Tulip - this is the only one one in the pot that has flowered so time to jettison all the bulbs. As to variety I know not what. Before the bulbs depart I thought that it only fitting to include the only survivor in this week's vase.
- Lunaria annua - this has arrived by itself and I'm delighted to make its acquaintance. It's in an out of the way part of the garden used as a gathering place for pots of bulbs after they have flowered. I'm hoping very much that will gently self-seed.
- A stem of amelanchier - variety unknown. This has made rather spindly growth but is slowly bulking out after a few years. I'm hoping to find room to tuck in another specimen somewhere . The colour of the spring foliage is exquisite. I just wish that it flowered over a longer spell but that of course is being greedy.
- Some hellebore flowers which have now reached the stage where you can see the seed pods forming. The colours are fading but they are still attractive.
Monday, 4 April 2022
IAVOM ~ 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart'
I snipped the content's of this week's 'In A Vase On Monday' in anticipation of some wet weather today but it now looks as if we might have a better day than originally forecast. It will be milder which will be welcome after some biting chilly winds over the last few days.
- A single leaf of arum italicum var. Mamoratum - this plant has really grown in spread this year and needs dividing. I will have to look up how and when the best time is to do this. As well as growing in stature it has gifted me with some seedlings for the first time. which when slightly larger will be extricated and either potted on and then eventually planted or shared.
- A single sprig of one of my favourite spring plants, the artist formerly know as dicentra spectablis alba also known as 'Bleeding Hearts'. The form of the flowers is fascinating. I refuse to learn the new name which is ugly and which I also find difficult to remember and spell. This perennial which goes completely underground in winter, always amazes me each spring as it seems to appear in the blink of an eyelid and then is flowering in no time at all. It has a a clump of snowdrops in front of it and the dicentra is planted behind and just to one side. I had a trio of dicentra at one point but the other two plants have disappeared. In the latest episode of 'Gardener's World' Monty Don demonstrated how to take cuttings in the same way as dahlia cuttings but the growth on my plant is too advanced to do this. I think that the programmes are filmed a good ten days or so before they get to our screens. I must try to divide it when it first shows next year which I've done in the past or even treat myself to two new plants. It was really too bright when I took my photo but after waiting some time standing in a chilly wind waiting for the sun to go in I decided that it wasn't going to happen. Of course it did as soon as I got back in the house!
Thursday, 31 March 2022
March Garden Diary
A quick recap of the month before it goes sailing over the horizon. March 2022 has been dry and mild in the main and we have recently enjoyed a fool's spring, basking in a most settled long spell of above average temperatures, blue skies and sunshine. That came to an abrupt end with some dramatic torrential rain on Tuesday evening since when the temperature has absolutely plummeted. The month is ending with a cold but most seasonal snap.
Various distractions have meant that I've not achieved a lot in the garden other than seed sowing in the greenhouse and continuing to plant up the dedicated snowdrop border, where I'm beginning to run out out of room for further snowdrops. I have been making sure to regularly water new additions and the established bulbs have had a seaweed feed.
A few more new plants have arrived in the shape of yet another pulmonaria 'Miss Elly', phlox 'Blue Paradise', epimediums 'Domino' and youngianum 'Niveum' and viola odorata 'Konigen Charlotte'. I'm looking forward to seeing all of these in flower. I've also had a delivery of dahlia tubers which now need starting off.
I've not sown any vegetable seeds yet but there is plenty of time left to do that. Shallot bulbs 'Red Sun' have been planted in cells in the greenhouse and will be transferred to the ground when they have made some growth.
I've made the difficult decision to sow fewer seeds this year but whether I stick to that remains to be seen. It's a decision largely influenced by the fact that I have developed osteoarthritis in my left hand, which ironically is not the hand that sustained two breaks a couple of years ago or so. I think that I need to ease the burden on my hands as I get older and sadly lugging seed trays back and forth adds to the workload. The special snowdrop pots have been turfed out of the greenhouse into the outer world, the sand bench has been turned on and seed sowing has been going on since the start of March.
To date I've sown panicum capillare 'Sparkling Fountain', lagurus ovatus (my own saved seed for these first two), larkspur 'Misty Lavender' (all of eight seedlings as of today), salvia viridis 'Blue Monday', two batches of sweet peas, ' papaver rhoeas 'Amazing Grey', more rudbeckia 'Sahara', phlox paniculata 'Isabellina' and 'Cherry Caramel', amaranthus caudatus 'viridis', cosmos 'Apricotta' and scabious 'Fata Morgana'. I've been mostly happy with germination rates with the exception of the poppy, larkspur (although the packet carried a warning that germination had been low in tests so there was a larger quantity of seeds included in the packet to compensate) and the phlox 'Cherry Caramel', which hasn't germinated at all so a second sowing has been made from a different packet. I will also sow more larkspur and poppy. The only perennial sown to date is heliopsis 'Bleeding Hearts' which is a new one on me. The seedlings from September sowings - orlaya grandiflora, ammi visnaga, perennial scabious, calendula and daucus carrota have been pricked out and potted up. Sadly all the puny snapdragons went by the wayside over the winter. April will see a few further flower sowings.
Anemone 'Mr Fokker' is now in flower from November planting but those that were planted this February have gone mouldy in their pots. However I'm delighted that six of ten ranunculus 'Champagne' planted in a tray in February have healthy green shoots and need potting up soon.
So that in a nutshell was March in my garden. A month especially memorable for it's unexpected weather and an unbelievable sudden woooooosh of growth, the return of our resident ducks and for the pleasure gained from sticking my head over the stream to to gaze upon labours of my guerilla gardening. When we moved here there were already clumps of snowdrops and some native daffodils growing on the other bank, which is nor owned by us but isn't maintained by anybody. I have slowly lobbed bulbs over to that side over the years. Numbers have depended on my finances and Wilko's sales at the end of the planting season. More yellow patches and the odd white are spreading slowly but surely with each passing year, with no attention from human hand whatsoever.
Monday, 28 March 2022
IAVOM ~ 'Monday, Monday'
A few tiny spring treasures in my tiny vase on this sunny Monday. Making their way into this week's vase are :
- Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare' who sadly lost some of her dark purple colouring as I rather dangerously twizzled the stem round in the vase for a better view. Fiddling has its dangers when it comes to vases. This is one of my favourite pulmonarias.
- Muscari 'Valerie Finnis' named after the plantswoman and photographer.
- A fritillaria meleagris or snakesead fritillary flower with its most distinctive chequered markings.
- A couple of stems of perennial anemone blanda.
Monday, 21 March 2022
IAVOM ~ A Spring Posy
Although spring has really and truly been officially declared it feels more like winter today with a frost to greet my accidentally door left open overnight greenhouse, stubborn grey cloud cover and a definite nip in the air. I was relieved that I had bought my really tender seedlings into the house overnight and that I had fleeced up a few cuttings before darkness set in. I was also pleased to have snipped my flowers for a vase and taken photos on a Sunday sunny afternoon. In my vase this week are a mixture of late winter/ spring flowers and one that has surprised me by coming into flower so early. They are :
- A flower of iris 'Purple Hill'. I have not grown these bulbs before now and initially thought it was too dark a flower but it's growing on me.
- A dusky pink primula - unknown variety.
- A flower of anemone coronaria 'Mr Fokker' - I planted the tubers sometime in November. They overwintered in single pots overwinter but have taken up residence in the outer world for a while now.
- A couple of flowers, one now fading, of a white picotee helleborus hybrid I bought from Ashwood Nurseries.
Monday, 14 March 2022
IAVOM ~ Simply Yellow
Saturday, 5 March 2022
Garden Diary ~ Looking Back
A mention if February before March is well underway. It certainly lived up to its reputation of being a wet month. As well as what seemed vast volumes of the wet stuff it was an extremely stormy month. Three named storms - 'Dudley', 'Eunice' and 'Franklin' battered us within the span of just over a week. Fortunately there was no real damage in the garden although there was a lot of garden debris to clear up. We had battened down the hatches beforehand which was just as well. It was a month when doing anything in the garden would sometimes have been to akin to taking part in an extreme sport. However there was little in the way of really cold weather and only a handful of light frosts. I haven't seen any February weather statistics so will be looking out for them.
Seed sowing started in the heated propagator starting with the tender cobaea scandens at the beginning of the month. I've sown the purple flowering one. This climber takes a long time to come into flower so an early start is advised. The seedlings are already like triffids but it will be May before they can be planted in the big wide world outside. They have moved out of the propagator and are now on the kitchen windowsill. I hope to prick the most well advanced ones out into individual pots next week. From there they will need a lot of tender loving care and mollycoddling if it is cold. Another early sowing was some rudbeckia 'Sahara' which were sown during half term week here, again in the heated propagator. They have germinated but fortunately grow slowly and caring for them is not as demanding. They have now become a must sow each year. That was the extent of my February seed sowing although my fingers were itching to sow more seeds.
I have indulged in some online horticultural retail therapy treating myself to some spring treasures. First to arrive were a trio of pulmonarias - 'Spring Awakening', 'Stillingfleet Meg' and 'Blake's Silver.' I have a vague inkling that I may have purchased the last one in the past but have no idea what happened to it. In the same box was a diminutive almost invisible epimedium 'Purple Pixie'. I'm relieved to say that it eventually showed signs of life and continues to grow. A trio of hellebores have also descended, a pink from the excellent 'Ashwood Nurseries' and two much smaller but sturdy plants from 'Twelve Nunns Nursery' - both Harvington doubles. All three hellebores were very well packed. You can photos of two of them in this post.
The one remaining pear tree has been pruned. We had two but one has never flourished so the decision was made to remove it. The Charlotte potatoes have now moved from shed to the spare bedroom where they are now chitting on the windowsill.
The snowdrops continued to sing throughout February, along with crocus, iris reticulata, hellebores, cardamine quinquefolia, cyclamen coum, muscari and towards the end of the month little daffies showed their colour. Towards the end of the month the green garden waste bin was emptied for the first time this year, always a welcome sign that spring is really on the way.
Monday, 28 February 2022
IAVOM ~ Mainly Ephemeral
I picked my flowers for 'In A Vase On Monday' yesterday in the sunshine as the forecast was for heavy rain today which has turned out to be spot on. It was good to enjoy a weekend of calm and sunshine and to blot out the outer world albeit for a short time. My vase contains some familiar friends in the shape of :
- The dear little narcissus 'Téte-à -Téte' which stand up well to all that the elements throw at them and just make me smile whenever they come into flower each year.
- Some lilac sprigs of the perennial cardamine quinqufolia. This plant will forever in my mind unfortunately be associated with the compost toilet at our allotment, which was officially opened by our then local M.P. in April 2012. I bought the plant at a plant sale run by the local Cheshire and Friends group of The Hardy Plant Society. I had a rushed round the stalls and grabbed this plant and a few others, before rushing back to the allotment where I was charged with the task of meeting the M.P. It was a small plant at the time with just a couple of fading flowers but it now has morphed into a substantial lilac carpet. It comes up early in the year and then completely vanishes underground in the summer. It has looked its very best this year. The attractive ferny foliage quite often gets nibbled by some unknown beastie but not a single bite has appeared this year. At least it's one plant that I will always remember where I got it from.
- A couple of iris reticulata 'Clairette' flowers.
- Some galanthus 'Blond Inge' flowers. This is small snowdrop which sometimes misbehaves waywardly as the yellow markings can sometimes appear as a murky shade of olive green as you can see in the photo below. It has the reputation of either being difficult to establish or clumps up well. I have found it to be the latter so it must be happy where it is planted. It is in danger though of being smothered by an arum mamoratum sub. italicum, so I must take some remedial action before that happens
Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Monday, 21 February 2022
IVOM ~ Bring Me Sunshine
A slightly naughty vase from me today in the shape of a recent supermarket purchase made when I was feeling very much in need of some instant sunshine. I rarely buy flowers from a supermarket or florist these days but occasionally make an exception.
Sunshine seems to have been in very short supply this last week with three named winter storms more or less in succession. There has been much in the way of gales and heavy rain.The latest and let's hope last one 'Franklin' raged furiously for a good part of yesterday, throughout the night and well into this afternoon. I was rather deprived of sleep but am glad to say that apart from a good bit of twiggy debris and the odd snapped tree branch there was nothing serious in the way of damage. I hope that everyone who was in its wake escaped its full wrath. It looks as if these intense storms are likely to feature more regularly in the future because of global warning. A most sobering thought. Thanks as always to Cathy, over at 'Rambling In The Garden', who provides a platform for us to share our vases on Mondays come storms or sunshine.
Sunday, 20 February 2022
February Musing ~ Winter Dreams
Monday, 14 February 2022
The Best Laid Plans ...
Monday, 7 February 2022
IAVOM ~ Creeping Towards Spring
- A hellebore flower - variety unknown.
- A trio of iris reticulata flowers - the variety is 'Pauline', chosen as I have a friend who is a Pauline. I've not grown it before, like it but I'm coming to the conclusion that I prefer lighter and bluer iris flowers. Iris reticulata does well in pots for me rather in the garden but even then they tend to be short lived. A friend suggested a possible reason for this last year and it wasn't our lack of dry warm summers but I can't remember what it was.
- Finally a couple of snowdrop flowers. These flowers are of galanthus 'Lapwing' which is easily identified at a glance and clumps up steadily.
Wednesday, 2 February 2022
Slightly Wordy Wednesday ~ 'Imbolc'
Today not only marks Candlemas Day, the Christian festival of light but also concludes the pagan festival of Imbolc. Imbolc marks the half way point between the winter and spring equinoxes which is indeed good news for people in the northern hemisphere. Both of these festivals have connections with purity, cleansing and hope and snowdrops are often associated with these festivals. Snowdrops were once known as 'Candlemas Bells', usually being in flower at this time of year. The above photo is of galanthus 'Imbolc'. Despite the fact that is has been the sunniest January on record in England as well as being warmer than average the flowers on my clump of 'Imbolc' in the garden are still shut tight. The flower is from a bulb that is growing in a pot in a sheltered spot near the house. This is one of my favourite snowdrops and one of the last to open for me.
Sunday, 30 January 2022
Diary Update - Late January 2021
During the past week we had a couple of blissful hours when it almost seemed like spring and the greenhouse temperature warmed up encourage a couple of pots of iris reticulata 'Pauline' and a
Wednesday, 26 January 2022
Saturday, 22 January 2022
January Musing - A Posy On The Kitchen Table
Monday, 10 January 2022
In A Vase On Monday ~ Just Dropping In
Picked on a bright, blowy and cold Sunday afternoon, these few stems of galanthus elwesii 'Fieldgate Prelude' only fully opened to reveal their markings when I bought the vase into a cosy warm kitchen. It rained overnight but it is now possible to see their full colours.
What you are not able to see though in this photo though is just how small this vase is - about the same height as my middle finger. The few stems dropped in most snuggly indeed.