Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Lathyrus vernus

I’m starting this month’s GBBD post (possibly the first one this year) with a favourite plant at the moment which I think is very overlooked, Lathyrus vernus; I also think the photo is rather nice.  This is the pink version but the most common is a blue/purple version.

Lathyrus vernus

If you don’t know it then I would recommend it to you.  Part of the pea family, a low growing perennial which appears at this time of year, flowers and then disappears so good to plant around late summer perennials to keep the interest going.

Just by the Lathyrus vernus is this herbaceous clematis (I have no idea of its name) which picks up the colour well, albeit it unplanned.

Narcissus Beautiful Eyes

Narcissus ‘Freedom Stars’ – probably

The garden has had a lovely display of Narcissus over the last month which is still going strong.  I added quite a few new varieties to the main border, having identified that it looked a little flat this time last year.  They have made a real difference and I want to do the same in some other parts of the garden for next year.

The tulips are just starting to flower.  There are a few variegated ones which will be opening in the next week but I thought I would share this rogue one. It doesn’t bear any resemblance to any of the other tulips I have added so I am assuming it is a rogue bulb that got into the wrong bag at the bulb merchants – however, it is rather gorgeous.

Muscari ‘Valerie Finnis’

Last of the bulbs that I thought I would share this month – Muscari ‘Valerie Finnis’.  I’m not the biggest fan of the general Muscari as they spread everywhere and produce a disproportionate amount of foliage but ‘Valerie Finnis’ is very different.  I love the pale blue flowers and it seems to be fairly well behaved in terms of foliage.

Hertia cheirifolia

Just by the Muscari ‘Valeria Finnis’ is Hertia cheirifolia which I added last summer.  I bought it on a trip for its grey succulent foliage so the flowers are a bonus.

A couple of my epimediums, they do have labels but they are buried well beneath the plants.  I do like epimediums, their foliage is a great foil for other plants during the year and then at this time of year there is the added bonus of these dainty flowers although sometimes you could be forgiven of overlooking them.

Magnolia stellata

A finally, my little Magnolia stellata.  I have had this for years and it just sat there doing nothing, so I moved it a few years ago to a different location with more shade, better drainage, and less competition and it has rewarded me with a growth spurt and now I can see a flutter of white flowers from my living room window.

I hope you enjoyed my highlights for this month and thank you to Carol for hosting this wonderful meme.

 

Six on Saturday – 23rd March 2019

Anemone coronaria ‘Bordeaux’

A lovely sunny day in the garden, finally, with no particular plans just being.  I am enjoying this meme as it makes me really look at what is looking best in the garden. I have a mooch around the garden taking photos of anything interesting.  However, it took a few walks around the garden before I spotted the Anemone coronaria ‘Bordeaux’; which was a real thrill as I have tried to establish this before and failed.

Pulstilla vulgaris ‘Papageno’

Not far away I found Pulstilla vulgaris ‘Papageno’ which was new a couple of years ago and seems to be establishing itself.

I have been bemoaning the fact that the primroses haven’t been reappearing this year and they never seem to bulk up but I did find this double primrose.

There are quite a few tulips almost ready to flower in the garden.  I really like the serrated edge of the petals of this one.

I thought I would include the Forsythia as I think it is really underrated and people can be quite snobbish about it but what’s not to like about those lovely yellow flowers.

Melianthus major

Finally, I discovered that the Melianthus major is flowering.  It doesn’t flower every year and I think the flowering is brought on by the warmer temperatures.  There are two flower spikes so far.  They are fascinating to watch as the spike slowly grows and unfurls over a number of weeks.

So those are my favourite things this week – for more Six on Saturday pop over the the Propagator’s Blog.

Wordless Wednesday 10/5/16 – Rhubarb & Custard

My Garden this Weekend – 6th April 2013

The Prunus flowering in my garden is always a sign that spring is most definitely here.  The arrival of the flowers is accompanied by the pollinators and there is a constant humming as you work in the garden under the tree.  In fact over the last few weekends the sound of bumble bees has been a constant soundtrack to my gardening and I am sure there are more than in previous years – maybe the milder winter temperatures has been good for them.

The first tulips are flowering.  I think these are Purple Prince and am rather taken with them.  I like the way the petals look like crinkled silk, the colour is so iridescent.  I generally plant the bulbs out in the borders for the following year but after the experience of the badger trashing the garden the winter before last in its pursuit of the tulip bulb I am a little hesitant at doing this; something to ponder. Though looking at the photo below I think these might look good amongst the foliage of the conifers

The weather has been grey and damp with rain showers so outside gardening was a non-starter today but I did get some tidying up and weeding done yesterday.  The small conifer planting is looking quite nice with the various muscari adding a splash of colour. I’m not sure about the geraniums here but again they will add colour until the conifers spread out.

The original woodland border has also had a tidy up.  I have been editing the planting in here and adding taller perennials and some shrubs to the back of the border to give it some more interest – it was all too low  and tiny and bitty.  I have some other late summer perennials to add from the slope which I hope will do well in this slightly shady spot; but I have to wait for Hosta Sum and Substance to put in an appearance as I can’t remember where it is!

As you can see my son has cracked on with pushing the stone wall back to allow space for a bench in the tiny new seating area.  Sadly it didn’t get finished due to the rain; there is so much clay in the soil that it becomes unworkable but he is getting there.  Once done I can order a load of gravel to cover the seating area and the steps leading to it.  You will notice the old tin bath in front of the shed.  I have had this a few years having bought it from a flea market.  It started life as a pond on the patio but didn’t really work; I think the location was too sunny and hot.  In recent years it has been used as a planter for various seasonal interest and it peaked last year when I filled it with masses of bargain basement tulip bulbs.  I had thought about using it for a courgette plant or two but the more I look at its new location the more the idea of reinstating the pond seems to be the way forward.  It will mean sealing up the drainage holes but we were looking for a solution to the water that will  come from the guttering that is to go on the shed and I think it would look rather good feeding water to the bath pond.  It won’t matter if it overflows onto the gravel and it will be a way of oxygenating the water – she says not really knowing what she is talking about!  There will be a water-butt on the other side of the shed for the other downpipe.

Knowing that I will be ordering a load of gravel in the very near future I took the opportunity yesterday to remove the rotting wood chip from the top path.  The wood chip has been added to for several years but has rotten down so it is more or less compost and full of weeds and perennial seedlings.  The path has irritated me for a while and is one of the areas that has seen a lot of neglect over recent years while I was too busy.  I have decided to replace the wood chip with gravel.  I  know it will get weeds growing in it but I think it will look smarter and I am trying to keep the different hard landscaping material types to a minimum. The composted bark has been tipped down onto the slope for me to work into the soil.

Due to the rain showers on Sunday I went off garden visiting but I will post about that later in the week.  I do so love this time of year, so much promise.