I believe only a gardener could be thinking we need a little rain when everyone had been enjoying a really warm and sunny day on Thursday! It rained overnight last night, so I had my wish granted, and this weekend I am sure there will be more mulch spreading, and adjustments, repotting etc. Here are just Six of the many things going on in a small garden. I am linking in with others over on Jim's Blog, where everyone rolls in with sixes, and you don't even have to play to enjoy watching what other gardeners are posting this week.
1. Nothing quite like evening sun and Primula Wanda to brighten up the garden.
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| Primula Wanda |
It doesn't mind the overnight frosts at all, is not fussy and happy anywhere in the garden.
2. A few years since first posting about Corydalis cheilanthifolia, it has found its own favourite place in the garden, no doubt helped by ants, and is very much thriving on the very sunny and dry stone wall.
A close up of the plant shows its dissected foliage and pretty flowers.
Jim showed his last week, and here are mine this week, here it is an evergreen.
3. Following Fred's almost all leaf theme last week her are beautiful shiny leaves of Loropetalum 'Fire Dance', which this year seems so far to have survived the winter undamaged.
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| Loropetalum 'Fire Dance' |
4. There are so many plants in flower now in the garden and all around bees, bumble bees etc are harvesting, with this white Pulmonaria 'Sissinghurst' being one of the favourite. Again this is one of plants which reminds me of my friend Kay who gifted this to me many years ago. I have three large patches in the garden, again one of those plants that I divide frequently to share with friends.
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| Pulmonaria 'Sissinghurst' |
5. One of the violets new to the garden last year is Viola 'Baronne Alice de Rothschild', doing very nicely in the Millefleur Border, aka the Conservatory Border. I am trying to work on it looking like one of those very early tapestries during this spring periods. When my friend Alison visited, we went round the garden and she pointed out plants which I was able to divide and send her home with, I picked her a little pinch of these blooms, and they definitely have a strong scent. They were put a little vase whilst we had coffee etc in the conservatory, and then with all the plants to pack up, I forgot to give her the violets, which are still on the Kitchen window sill.
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| Viola 'Baronne Alice de Rothschild' |
6. At this time of the year I find it hard to resist buying little pots of flowers, then placing them in the garden and forgetting what I planted and where. This Spring I was totally surprised when these very pretty and small Scilla bifolia which I bought in 2023. I read from my notes that I would need to find somewhere shaded to plant them. I can't have headed my own notes as they were planted in a fairly sunny space, close to the seating circle in the bed that extends from the Acer.
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| Scilla bifolia |
I adore drystone walls with flowering plants growing in the cracks! There was a lot of that sort of thing when I lived in Seattle yellows, blues, pinks, cascading down the wall in spring. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful, and a real dry stone wall without mortar is something special, however this wall is just a rough boundary wall with the cemetery behind, and they are just cracks where some of the mortar has fallen out. We get bees and even slow worms living in the gaps, so I am really happy to have this.
DeleteWe all seem to be featuring Scillas this week, faring much better than last year when the S&S ate them all. That's a lovely viola. I have a lot of self-seeded wild violets which unfortunately have no scent.
ReplyDeleteWhat is not to love about self seeded violets? I used to have them in my last garden and brought some seed along in the pots that came here. The ants just move the seed around.
DeleteI love the colour of Wanda and the name reminds me of a childhood pal.
ReplyDeleteThen I think you will already have one yourself or will be looking to have a few for your garden perhaps?
DeleteThe corydalis is perfect against the dry stone wall, I love it.
ReplyDeleteI also struggle to resist little pots of flowers but there's worse things we could be tempted by so I don't worry about it!
Worry? The only worry I have is that my garden is full, so I may be planting on top of a dormant plant...and that is starting to happen a lot.
DeleteOh your pulmonaria looks really happy and healthy Noelle - I have a few in the garden but gave up on 'Sissinghurst' after a couple of attempts. A shame as it's a beautiful plant. I will read the primula link over the weekend. I attended an online HPS talk on double primroses a couple of weeks or so ago which was most interesting. My wish list grew! We certainly need rain here - some gentle stuff last night but I'm hoping that tonight's forecast for heavy rain materialises.
ReplyDeleteOh, you must have been listening to Caroline Stone perhaps? Is this the Shade and Woodland Group? How many zoom talks do they hold a year?
DeleteI'm surprised to see the Corydalis growing in a wall like that, mine seem to mostly have self sown in the moister areas. Having said which the one I put in last week is right in front of my big Yew, so full sun and very dry. I will try sowing seed of it in a couple of dryer spots.
ReplyDeleteI too found it counter to the many of the guidelines, but these ones growing in the cracks where the mortar has dropped out proves that they are amenable to a range of conditions. In their book Bleeding Hearts, Corydalis and their relatives, Mark Tebbitt etc say that it is amenable to a range of conditions, the seed is distributed by ants here.
DeleteI presented 2 very colourful primulas, but I must say that the one you showed us, ( Wanda ), is so flashy and vibrant!
ReplyDeleteThank you for showing the pretty foliage of your loropetalum, which looks pretty much like mine here. I hope the cold weather has passed so that we can soon enjoy these pretty pink flowers.
Finally, a big surprise with these Scilla bifolia flowers!
This primula is quite small and neat to the ground Fred, and I seem to want to collect that form. I am hoping to find some seedlings which may be crosses in good time. Yes the little Scilla were a spring bonus for sure. Have a lovely week in your garden. It is so large, you must have help to do this.
DeleteFor the moment I manage everything on my own on Thursdays and weekends, but in a few years, yes, I will need someone for the 5000m2...
DeleteI'm always amazed how plants can grow and thrive on walls - that Corydalis looks very good indeed. Your Loropetalum is looking healthier than mine which has gone a bit brown and crispy in places after the frosts.
ReplyDeleteYou have many things blooming that are just about to bloom here. Thanks for the preview. And that's a beautiful yellow Corydalis! Your photos are lovely!
ReplyDelete