In a Vase on Monday - Am I conckers?

 For a month at least, I've been enjoying 'Sticky Buds' on the Kitchen Windowsill.  On one of my regular circular walks, usually to the letter box on the Keyward Estate, I pass a T-junction where the planners deemed to set back the houses, to leave a couple of green spaces, in which were planted Horse Chestnut Trees.  They are probably around 50 years old now, and fine trees to admire.  In that area the roads are being dug up to renew pipes for one of the utilities, and the contractors are treating the grassy areas very roughly parking up their equipment but the inevitable damage to the branches of the tree.

I spied a broken branch on the floor and rescued some shorter spurs.  They have been on the kitchen window sill and I've enjoyed watching their development.  It took a few weeks before I was confident that the branches had survived their weeks on the ground.  Last week the sticky bud covers were being pushed back with surprising woolly looking leaves emerging.

This morning as I lay on the kitchen floor going through my exercise regime, I could see the promise of  flower buds.

Not only do I look beyond at the spring flowers, there in front of me are details you would never see high up on a tree. I may be going bonkers or 'conkers' as we used to shout out in the playground, not using a selection of my spring flowers, but for me it would be a shame to miss this opportunity.

This week our WI photography group have a meeting, we meet on zoom and put forward pictures to share and discuss on zoom.  This month's challenge is to take pictures to show the effect often artistic of over or under exposure.  I'll be submitting the following two.

One of the little jobs to do today, sadly after the pictures have been taken, is to clean the window inside and out. I may even try a little black and white. I'll be joining in with Cathy and other IAVOMers so if you would like to see some prettier spring beauties or even exotic ones from our overseas friends. so go and have a look there. 

Six on Saturday 25 February 2023

This Saturday it is one of those perfect mornings with wall to wall sunshine. We have had rain, and now we have seasonal temperatures, it feel like Spring.  I'm joining in with Jim to sow six things from the garden.

1. Starting off with some 'tropical' colour, here is the Tropaeolum tricolor which has been sitting, or rather climbing up the structure I made for it.  Close up you can see the amusing blooms, which look to me like a little shoal of tropical fish. They are in the same family as Nasturtiums.  They are edible and used in high end cocktails and salads, so in the absence of tomatoes, they may catch on as the colourful addition to salads this week.  I have not yet seen any self germinators of the nasturtiums in the garden yet, still too cold I should think.

2. I am quite disappointed that almost none of my special daffodils have emerged.  I am beginning to think they won't.  I wonder whether they were attacked by the Narcissus fly?  The standard Tete a Tete are doing fine in this little clump though.

3. By the front door the white pansy is looking perfect this week.  Now I have uploaded the picture I can see that I had forgotten to deadhead the little spent daffs.  This is how the ready planted tub I bought at the market is looking like, and it has been great for many weeks now. That will be a quick job!

4. Planted up just at the beginning of the year, my first Cyclamen Society seed allocation are germinating. A few seedlings in around half the pots have germinated, so I am hoping they will all be up soon. The longer growing period they have this year, the more sizeable will be the little corm, which will help it through the first dormant season.

5. I would love to imagine my conservatory bed as being covered in early spring flowers, with lots of those delightful little yellow blooms.  I had visited a friend's garden,  a well established one which had carpets of choice cultivars of Eranthis, at the time when not one single one had come up in the garden.  A couple of days ago I had another look and found one  at the other of the bed from where it was originally planted three years ago.  Maybe a squirrel or other animal dug it up tasted it, and after a 'yuk' moment spat it out or buried it for later at the opposite end of the bed.  It is staying where it is..

6.  I posed last week's crocus and another new one just to see the differences clearly. The smaller crocus is Crocus Advance, That is what they were labelled as when I picked them up at the Potterton's Stall as corms last year. Advance is a mellow yellow compared to Crocus Goldilocks behind. The detail of the outer petal is as beautiful as that on some of the Tulips. I'm not convinced these are Crocus Advance but have contacted Pottertons to check that I had not wrongly labelled the corms.  Could it be Crocus Angustifolius?

 

Yes this is how the crocuses will look all fully open, and the bees are flying around. 

In a Vase on Monday - More Snowdrops

 I enjoyed a day in the garden yesterday, after a few days of 'heavy mizzle' yes, not quite rain, but some rain some of the time, it was a joy.  To celebrate I cut a few special snowdrops and before I took it round to a neighbour's posed it on the edge of the mantleshelf for In a Vase on Monday.

These snowdrops were tall and large and therefore the Caithness vase was the right size to hold them and some twigs of Pittosporum Tom Thumb. There is Pat Mason in there at the front, joined by the enigmatic  Mrs Thompson, here with a stem with two flowers and beneath a flower with five petals.

Galanthus Mrs Thompson with five petals

Galanthus Magnet and Ginns Imperati just above

and standing tall at the back Merlin, which was bred by James Allen just a few miles down the road. For me it is a tall stemmed snowdrop here showing its characteristic full green inner marking.

Galanthus Merlin

Its just another Monday, not a manic Monday...and I am joining in with Cathy to show a few things in a Vase.  Anyone is invited to join in and add their vase with flowers from their garden, or just view and enjoy. 

Six on Saturday - 18 February 2023

 It is grey and on the heavy side of mizzley today, light is poor as it has been for half the week, when there is a respite there is nothing nicer than to admire the spring flowers.  I think this is the reason that I enjoy snowdrops, crocus, cyclamen and other spring plants.  If I had the right type of soil I would definitely go for one of the fine camelias the small flowered and leaved white ones which Jim is growing.  Jim is a 'master plantsman' and each week several people join up with him to share some of things which are taking place in their gardens.  Do check his and other bloggers posts out.

1.  As bright and golden as the yolk on a Maran Hen's egg yolk, these crocus light up the grey days.  Pottertons came for the first time to The Rare Plant's Sale at  The Bishop's Palace Wells last Autumn.  Normally I buy from them by post.  I see from their schedules that they are coming this way for more fairs this year! This was one of several types planted up in pots for their first year, they are easier to see on the 'shed shelf'.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Goldilocks'

2.  Mr S and I like pea shoots, but they are not always stocked in our supermarket, so after reading a little about growing them at home, and finding some peas in a supermarket, I planted a couple of pots, which are now waiting for the sprouting to take place.  Hope they will be safe in the shed under a dome.

3. Every few days a different small clump of specials shines out in the garden.  Here Galanthus Magnet displays its characteristic slender arching pedicel, which allows the flower to gently swing in the slightest of breezes.  In 2018 I received Galanthus Magnet as one bulb from Cathy and it is enjoying its position. This is one of the forms selected by James Allen who lived in Shepton Mallet where the Snowdrop festival is being held this week.  

4. Cyclamen coum 'Tilebarn Elizabeth' is also growing in the Conservatory Border: with its flowers standing out against its silvered foliage, with its bicoloured flowers, it really deserves to be in an Alpine House.  However without the luxury of such a structure, it still is worth growing it amongst other cyclamen. If one of the seedlings comes up similarly marked, I shall 'rescue' it from the melange and pot it to bring on for the plunge bed in the large Alpine glasshouse (in my dreams) for the' Shed Shelf'  next year.

5. I suppose you can only judge a snowdrop when it is growing well in you own micro climate.  With the elements throwing everything at the blooms over the last two weeks, those with thicker petals stand up the best and this one bought last year at the HPS snowdrop day  is proving its garden worthiness here. Here is Galanthus Bertram Anderson.

Galanthus Bertram Anderson

This is the description of Galanthus Bertram Anderson from Avon Bulbs: "Named by Chris Brickell in 1971 as a posthumous credit to EB Anderson as it was found in his garden in the Cotswolds, a fine rounded beauty with thickly textured petals, one of the Mighty Atom - like varieties that are hard to differentiate but are brilliant snowdrops."

6. For another year running Crocus minimus Spring Beauty is my top favourite crocus in the garden.  From one pot in 2018, I have a nice collection along part of the edge of the conservatory border. It is certainly a good garden crocus for me. Some of these will be potted up once they have died down to form a display for the shelf next year.

Crocus minimus Spring Beauty

Pale lilac petals flamed with dark plum on the outside, with the inner petals a darker bluish purple.  Fine leaves with a thin silver strip.

Mr S very patiently walked round the various snowdrop stalls and exhibitions at Shepton Mallet with me yesterday, and when we got home and I removed few plants from the boot, he said to me that he had only just realised why people who love snowdrops are called 'Galanthophiles': ie named after the plant Galanthus, how he has spent all this time and not know that is probably my mistake, I shall start telling him the full name of the plants!  I think 'Croconut' will be an easy one for him.  I am neither a Galanthophile or a Croconut, I think you need to have many dozen varieties and to be prepared to pay for the rare and difficult ones to claim those labels.  I like them and have a few, but I feel the same way for a lots of plants.  If they grow well in the garden, I grow a few different types, find out how to grow them well, enjoy them, and also appreciate other special ones grown by other people in their gardens. 

In a Vase on Monday

Today it is one of those lovely  sunny days, with not a cloud in sky, but coolish, and this time of the year that means it will be cold tonight.  Elephant is definitely staying indoors.  Hopefully I shall shortly escape into the garden, after having baked Mr S's birthday cake. I shall wait till later to ice it.  

In the old Victorian ink bottle, Cyclamen coum from the garden in a variety of forms: all white, white with a pink and white 'nose', and the standard pink ones.  A fern like leaf from Corydalis  ochroleuca which has kept its green leaves all winter.  This one self seeded down the side alley in the shade and is a probably in the wrong place as it is clean grey gravel between the small wall and path, and I catch it when I push the cycle down to the shed.

I'm joining with Cathy who had lots of visitors yesterday to her Open Garden.  Let's hope she has time to put her feet up sometime today. Talk about coincidences, her post features elephants!

Six on Saturday - 11 February 2023

 It has been cool with frosty nights and mainly dry bright days, but I don't feel that I have done enough gardening.  I don't mean there are gardening tasks piling up, but that I feel the lack of gardening, I want to be out there, just pottering around, perhaps planting a few peas, spreading a little more of good stuff around ie mulching.  Hopefully I shall find an hour or two over the next week to indulge in communion with the soil, maybe even get outside and tidy out the shed, and continue cleaning the all the tools, having started on all the 'cutting tools' this week.

1. Starting with a bit of colour, since Mr S on coming out into the garden noticed the numbers of small things in flower.  I bought this yellow hellebore last March at the Bishop's Palace.  It is doing well but I would like it to be a little taller, hopefully in future years it will be taller, maybe even later in the season.  This plant is down to be mulched with something good and rich such as the composted manure I had delivered last week.

2. Iris Blue Note is flowering for its fourth year in the garden and is in a rich blue. Since it continues so well with little disturbance, it would be reasonably fair to conclude that the conditions are just right for Iris.

3.  I often feature a sprig or two of the evergreen golden small leaved leaved Lonicera' Baggesen's Gold'.   I was asked by Cathy last week what it was like in the garden as she had been thinking of having one in her borders.  For my part I rather like the shrub, and have had it in various gardens, each time having started them from cuttings.  They take very easily and I had three growing well in pots to bring to the garden here, and have developed this one in the back garden from a cutting from those and is probably in its fifth year.  

Here I have just recently cleared the growth which was on the ground to leave a stem, and cut back some of the taller growth. The birds seem to like a little shrubbery around their water.

I ought to have cut back the ones in the front garden some time in August, but it was so dry and hot.  Although they were well leafed, I knew they needed a good trim back to keep them neat and tidy, really taking the place of box balls or rather shapes as they are rather varied.  The blame for this is truly in my court, as I only cut them back a couple of weeks ago.  They will leaf up nicely within a month or so.  Here I need to trim them two or three times a year. Some of the lower layers had grown well out, and here the cuts reveal the bare insides.  I took the opportunity of removing some of the lower branches that had sent down roots.  A way of obtaining new plants, but these were binned since I did not need them.

I added the smallest round one right on the corner of the drive, what an ironic name to call the piece the tarmac just over a car length's! This one did get trimmed in the summer, and it is in better shape after the trim again a couple of weeks ago.  I do enjoy neatening up the balls with my old shears.

Here along the side of the house, I popped in some rooted cuttings of the same batch as the small ball, and have kept to the arching form of the plant, but do remove stems from time to time if they start to overshadow nearby plants. 

4, Back to plants that are looking good:  the fancy pants leaved ones make lovely winter ground cover along the shady border.  I am pleased to say that I shall be selecting some pleasing leaved forms from their seedlings to pot up for a second generation of plants to show on the garden shelf next year.

This is one of the Cyclamen hederifolium selected by Hayden Worton at John Massey's establishment at Ashwood Nurseries. 

5.  I have planted out the latest batch of the new snowdrops, and have taken pictures and made some good name labels.  This one is very small so it has a very select place close by the gravel where I will be able to go and look at it closely.   Most snowdrops have three outer sepals/petals, this one has four and I have heard sometimes five.

Galanthus ” Margaret Billington ” Rizehensis Hybr Cult

6.  I was dithering about where to plant Galanthus Three Ships.  I knew I would want to see it when sitting in the conservatory, so here it is marked up in the photograph. I hope it will be in flower next Christmas Day morning...

The bed has been mulched just in time before all the other plants emerg.  

I'm joining in with others tagging onto Jim's post, and posts such as this one serves me as a reminder of where I have planted new plants, and a good way of looking back to see how older plants are doing. 

In a Vase on Monday - Snowdrops and Cyclamen

 Today is lovely and sunny yet still cool at around 6 C (in the shade).  However it is warm in sun, and Mr S came to warn me about getting cold as I dawdled in the garden checking out and admiring some of my special snowdrops. I'm joining in with Cathy and others who link in with her posy found after rambling through her garden.

These are all the blooms on Jacquenetta.  I think I may have cut a couple before, but rather than offer one from this or that snowdrop, this week, I could add a few of the cyclamen coum as a contrast. The dark leaves are from Pittosporum Tom Thumb and the lime green from Golden Shrubby Honeysuckle Lonicera nitida 'Baggesens Gold'.

I tried taking the picture in the conservatory but it was a little too bright there, but the cropping does show good detail of the inner markings on this double snowdrop. 

I found the February from my book club a gripping story...

 The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson drew me in and once started, I had to grab every available moment to complete it! I'm looking forward to the discussion and reviews of fellow club members.

Six on Saturday - 4 February 2023

 Since I visited two interesting gardens this week both with views, other plants, shrubs and trees, as well as beautiful snowdrops, it hardly feels right to show what is going on in the garden here.  However  I was delighted to see what had grown here in the garden in just a few days of warmer temperatures and a little sunshine.  Here we go:

1. I am not persuaded that 'grasses' would be right here.  Having bought a couple of Pheasant's tail grasses at the HPS last autumn, I failed miserably in planting them out.  They have been in a sort of quarantine..and look what is popping up around the base.  Some grass weed and what could be a celandine.   There are no 'weed' celandines in the garden, but I shall wait to see if this a special.

 2.  I purposely asked that the compost and manure delivery be next week...I reckon they didn't want to carry it round the back of the house as they have done previously, so on our return what should we find but bags by the front door.  Mr S bless him and moved them to strategic points around the garden.

Two bags are fine composted bark has already been spread as a mulch.  One more to go, and then this stuff to be spread too.

3. I can't help myself, I love stones, and these few found along the beach will find some way of enhancing a plant somewhere in the garden.

4.  One of the gardens we visited with Brenda and Peter was Elworthy Cottage, and in addition to Galanthus Three Ships which was on order, I was tempted further..

5. This snowdrop was new in the garden last year, it has good strong flowers which are out whilst their leaves are shorter.  It is really the 'classical' white snowdrop and is supposed to be a good doer.

Another snowdrop which is easy to spot, and is quite happy in the garden here is Galanthus Diggory, as the flowers open and age a day or two they take on the characteristic balloon shape with heavy seersucking. I gratefully received one bulb from Anna in Spring 2019 and last year dug up the bulbs to space them out. I shall be out later with the watering can full of dilute seaweed feed to help new and older snowdrop clumps.

6.  One of the snowdrops I admired at Elworthy Cottage was Jenny Spiller's Galanthus gracilis Kew Form

I do have Galanthus gracilis here in the garden doing very nicely and I just wonder what the difference could be? Mr S learnt quite a bit from Mr W about 'those white flowers', however I did so much enjoy looking at snowdrops with a friend Mrs W, who appreciated their differences.  Comparing the inners and their outers, I would say that the blooms on my form are more elongated, but it could well be down to the type of soil, orientation, local climate etc.  They would really have to be growing side by side for any difference to be observed correctly! They are different from the other snowdrops in the garden though, with their finer twisted leaves, and small olive green ovaries. 

Everything I would want to know about Galanthus species, but won't remember much is on John Lonsdale's website.

There will be so much more than snowdrops over on Jim's lead post, probably camelias etc.