Six on Saturday - 15 March 2025

 It is still cool here in Somerset, with some night frosts earlier on, but thankfully some good periods of sunshine.  The Snowdrops are very nearly over. On a couple of day a pair of Long Tailed Tits have been charming us as they search and collect little feathers and other soft material from between the plants. This weekly post is for the plants and matters gardening, and it is under Jim's wing that we gather and share .

My six this week:

1. I had not expected any gift, when I invited my friend and near neighbour Maggie round for a kitchen supper, but I couldn't turn down this little beauty: Anemone pavonina.  The 'Blooming Fun Gang' had all been to Forde Abbey earlier on that day,  but I did not go this time. Looking up its requirements and also its origins, a place downslope, in front of the Cistus x obtusifolius, was found. 

Anemone pavonina

2. Last week Beth mentioned the mosses in her garden, and joining in with that theme, here is one of the three pots growing in our side alley with ferns about to unfurl,  with their mosses.

3. On a little outing just on my own in order to maintain my driving, I visited a local spot called Rocky Mountain, to buy fruit and vegetables.  It also happens to be a plant nursery but here I only bought ericaceous compost and some slow release feed to plant up the Camellia 'Fairy Blush'.  A little detour saw me visiting a friend who had set up a new plant and gardenalia place, and I came back with a little addition to my primroses.  It is so small, neat and cute, and being well grown it easily separated into two.  Of course two labels were required!  I am showing flowers of Primula Schneekissen on the left, with Primula White Wanda on the right for comparison.

I wasn't surprised to read that it a  Juliana hybrid primrose from Germany, its original name Schneekissen, means snow kisses or snow pillow. Raised by George Arends sometime in the 1930's at his nursery in Ronsdorf, near Cologne.

Primula Schneekissen with label reading Snow Cushion

They may have had snow at the races in Cheltenham, but the only two snow cushions were lovely little primroses. 

I just love primulas, and here is a 'gratuitous' picture of the primroses in the Wells Bishop's Palace arboretum this week to show just how well they grow in Wells.  Their rampart walk bank is covered all with naturalised primroses with many variations.

 

4. Only a couple of weeks ago I mentioned on my SOS post my disappointment regarding the lack of growers for the Primula vulgaris 'Taigetos'.  I remember the wonderful display when the Blooming Fun gang visited  Broadleigh Gardens last year. My SOS Sis sent me a very generous package with two plants courtesy of one of her Patrons, and again two labels were duly written, and the garden will no doubt be a spectacular primrose garden this time each year going forward. 

5. In the front garden the earliest species tulip to flower is the multi headed T. Turkestanica.  You can probably see that the soil is in need of a much after the heavy rains this winter, and yes mulching is on the list of jobs to do this coming week.  I have had the bags standing by some time now, but the opportunity or weather have been against me till now.

6. Early in the week, I felt the lovely Pittosporum Tom Thumb was getting a little large and decided to have a prune of it. I didn't take any before pictures but this is what it looks like now, diminished in volume by about half.  It had a harder cut on the southern side. I had been looking to giving it  a trim, a little more than the odd the pieces which grace my Vases on Monday, for some time.  I also like to cut quite good handfuls and place them just on their own in a vase, and place them as if they were house plants around the house. The dark maroon shiny foliage is so attractive and it also gives off a pleasing scent. There often  seems to be the newer green growth appearing and I felt then the sap would be active and could lead to too much bleeding, I caught it when it was just ticking over without the new growth, and   I just hope it has not suffered too much. 

Pittosporum Tom Thumb pruned

A few days ago my friend Mandy asked me if some of the YouTube videos were possible such as growing a rose tree from a whole rose hip, which just grew roots and shoots.  I am sure this is a ruse to get people looking and a clever piece of trickery, but it did get me thinking and feeling pleased for having so many plants in my garden that I raised from cuttings.  This Pittosporum is one of them, taken from a shrub from my previous garden. Of course a few more cuttings were taken this time just to see if they would take, without knowing where in the garden there would be any space! 

Interesting sources of information found on the internet this week are the various names for leaf shapes for primulas...I had no idea there were so many! https://primulaworld.blogspot.com/2015/10/primula-leaf-glossary.html and that site offers so much more botanic details.