Six plants from the garden at the end of April 2023

We seem to have the same cool days, with some having heavy rain, but there has just been a day and sufficient time during the week so go out and have a look at the garden, take a cutting or two, and move plants or plan plant moves with existing plants to try and achieve improved combinations.  This is the consequence of acquiring plants for the plant sake, rather than starting with a plan with the all the plants positioned out on the drawing, the plants ordered en mass, and then the garden grows.

1. One of the Auriculas arriving this year had to be 'Sarah Millington' as it is named for one of the owners of Hillview Hardy Plants.  I think the plants were suffering a little due to their being delivered late in the season, well at least this was my mistake ordering only a couple of weeks ago and I am sure after settling in, they will be magnificent next year. This one was completely in bud but just look at her now!

Primula auricula ' Sarah Millington'

This is my first double flowered Primula auricula. I used to love growing a few show auriculas and was proud to win a couple of prizes at my local gardening club with them. I'm not going to in for shows but will take plants for the various clubs members tables at meetings.

2. In the gravel garden one of the Pulsatillas, a red one is taking centre stage.

3. Part of my order from Twelve Nuuns Nursery last year, this 'bloodroot' in its second year was trying to push up through the leaves of Cyclamen Silver Shield which was growing a little too large for its allocated space.  It had also been moved in the late autumn after the blood root had died down.  The cyclamen got moved further along the bed, and the Bloodroots' little patch is now fronted by some dainty little Achillea erythropoda.  These proved to be nicely evergreen over the winter and had also expanded so well, that some of them had to be removed from the sunny border where the Origanums also grow. It will be interesting to see how the Achillea grow in part shade. Along the very front, at the edge of footpath, the divisions I planted out late autumn of the small but beautifully leaved Astilbe glaberrima var. saxatilis are emerging, they survived my chopping up of the dormant 'mother plant' and replanting in late November.

Sanguinaria canadensis multiplex'Plena'

4.  In front of the Viola Corsica, with a low mass of fine green leaves, this plant given to me by a great plantswoman who has had it for years, is covered in beautiful small yellow flowers.  I have found out that it is most probably Erysimum kotschyanum. I shall take a few cuttings and plant some in my 'Mediterranean' garden, I think it shall be happy there since it hails from Turkey. It is a great complement to the blues and purples out now.

Erysimum kotschyanum

5. Geranium malvifolium is just starting to throw up its flowers over its winter green leaves, and everything will disappear in just two or three weeks time: it is ideal growing amongst the perennials which are about to emerge.  I rather like to the soft green effect of its leaves all through the winter helping to cover the soil in the perennial and spring bulb beds.

Geranium malviflorum

6. Here are some of last year's cuttings in the gravel garden. The two older plants gave up the ghost.  I like to move plants to  different position as it offers the opportunity to view them from different angles or in different combinations with other plants, another good reason to propagate new plants and ditch the older ones particularly for these short lived perennials.  Phlox bifida 'Ralph Haywood' is one deserving its own space and the gravel in my opinion forms an ideal background.

Phlox bifida' Ralph Hayward' in the gravel garden

Of course it doesn't have to be just plants for the SOS meaning Six on Saturday from the garden.  The rules about the six items from his garden and the anchor is on Jim's weekly post which is to be found on his blog: Garden Ruminations. Because this is a virtual meet up of gardeners there is no fear of the stick or being chased by Jim with the threat of being composted, though he is no push over and you may be gently reminded or even encouraged in your 'artistic' pushing of the border edges!