In the week that has 1 April in it: April Fool's Day. the weather had a joke on us giving us the warmest March day for 53 years. These few days of warm temperatures was most welcome, but we are ending the SOS week with cool night temperatures. Early butterflies were spotted flying around the garden: male Brimstone and Small Tortoiseshell.
Jon the founder of Six on Saturday has sufficient superb daffs to make his post this week solely about them. I shall be enjoying them and other posts about plants this week in fellow bloggers gardens, and probably adding plants to my list.
Here are my six for this week:
1. The unseasonably warm weather, and bright sunshine, and then cold nights, has meant moving plants into the garden and then back into the conservatory at night. Do you remember the big pot of Alstromeria 'Indian Summer' which was frosted and which I had to pull up? New shoots emerged shortly after that, and now forming flower buds.
2. The Sun had got too hot for Primula auricula 'Nessun Dorma' and the diva had to go and rest in the shade along the alley.
Some of the early spring beauties such as the early flowering corydalis have had their moment, and now I am waiting for the species tulips in the front garden to flower for the first time. Tulip turkestanica having almost done its thing...
3. Dicentra cucullaria in its fourth year is now spread across two pans. Has anyone grown this successfully in the garden? Ought I to try them in a shady patch or will they be devoured by the molluscs?
4. Sorbaria sorbifolia 'Sem' growing in a pot is one of the shrubs that always delights me in the spring. I move the pot around either to light up a dark corner or to be grouped with other plants to form an interesting grouping. I just love the colour, form and leaf shape.
I'll start at the end, what a pretty little primula! Not one that I have heard of before. I have tried the dicentra outside, but I don't think it lasted too long. Perhaps worth a sample? And the colour of that auricula is just perfect! You have such lovely plants. I think of you everytime I write a label, if you know what I mean. Happy Easter Sis x
ReplyDeleteI used to grow quite a nice selection, but that changed when we moved. This was was just squeezed onto a pot with other shrubs, with a bit of tlc the four pots are pretty much the stars this week. Almost as good as your Primula sieboldii.
DeleteThis weather is giving us all a bit of a work out, moving plants from one place to another, then back again! I'll be moving all the peppers back out of the greenhouse and into the living room for a couple of nights!
ReplyDeleteYour D. cucullaria looks in fine fettle, a little bit further along than mine (which will probably be making an appearance next week). I grow it in roughly the same area as C. solida and chums: light shade and leafy soil.
Thanks for the tip, I'll pop a few corms in the border when I repot. Maybe one good pan and some in the garden, which will release one pan for growing something else.
DeleteI have Dicentra cucullaria in a trough in shade for a number of years, 5+ at least, and it has done very well. It is in flower at this moment also.
ReplyDeleteI can just imagine has lovely that is Paddy.
DeleteHmm, I can't read 'Nessun Dorma' in a non-Pavarotti way. It's very pretty, as is the foliage of the Sorbaria sorbifolia 'Sem.'
ReplyDelete3 years and already flowers for your Echeveria! Well done.
ReplyDeleteAnother bravo for your blooming alstroemeria. Mine looks sad at the moment. We had a great week of good weather but now some plants like altroemerias will have to go back to hibernation again...
The whole pot has been in the conservatory since it got frosted late last year. I may well divide it and have a 'conservatory' and garden plant next winter.
DeleteYour Echeveria is looking lovely. Mine (slightly different variant) is just coming back from the dead but I love your primula auricula too.
ReplyDeleteI have found some echeveria not so good on the low light levels we have. This one works well in the conservatory all through the winter.
DeleteI was hoping someone would have some Primula auricula to show. They seem a little unreal, in a good way. The colour of your Nessun Dorma is so rich and gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThe photograph doesn't quite capture its beauty. I love the old paintings of them by the Dutch artists.
DeleteThe dicentra has attractive foliage. I imagine it would be a wonderful addition to the woodland garden, if the risk of annihilation were not too great. Haven't seen this sorberia before - the bright green of the mature leaves is nicely offset by the bronze of the new.
ReplyDeleteThanks Erin, did you see the foliage a couple of weeks back? As for the Sorberia all of this is new growth, early on it looked like pink prawns emerging and as they unfurl turn this beautiful light green. This shrub is a real beauty, but I don't know how far its suckers would travel if out in the garden.
DeleteI hadn't heard about it being the hottest day for all that time - I remember a March Easter in the early 80s when it was into the 70s... We had an unexpected frost last night, so I have some checking to do later, including Indian Summer now you have mentioned it �� You certainly have some pretties in your six
ReplyDeleteHi Gill - you've shared yet more lovely treasures with us today. I'm very taken with your auricula and the dicentra. So very pretty!
ReplyDeleteI think you mean Noelle, Katharine, we have so many contributor, you got the names of the plants right though!
Deleteohh, my favorite is your Echeveria, I just bought one and am now hoping for flowers..The warm and frosty weather is annoying!
ReplyDeleteThank you for a lovely selection, Noelle. Hope you had a nice Easter. Isn't it amazing that we can go from hottest March day to very cold April week!
ReplyDeleteMy vote goes to the Sorbaria. Must go go ogling it.