SNOWDROP TIME
The snowdrops are here! I predict wall to wall snowdrops on UK Six on Saturdays this week. It's inevitable as a Bread Week on Bake off, and just as delicious.
Here are a few of my beauties, nestling in the grass of the 'Arboretum'. Most of the single flowered ones are still in bud, but this taller one has opened up.
My favourites are the doubles, and they are at their best right now.
Patches of yellow aconites keep them company.
No fancy varieties here, although I'm happy to admire them in other peoples posts.
Crocus tommasinianus has also made a sudden, and welcome, appearance. They are in a patch in the grass, placed quite randomly in the knot garden where they grew naturally. The squirrels leave them alone here, whereas if I move them to the borders .... well, they get eaten.
Since it was a bit over cast yesterday, the crocus were all closed up, except one little soul who decided to open up anyway.
What's that - 'All very nice, but what about some actual gardening?' I hear you mutter/moan/ask in despair (delete as appropriate). There's not much going on expect rose pruning and yet more rose pruning. Here is 'Golden Showers' tied in against the wall. Since I don't actually like this rose it has had a very severe pruning in years gone by (as I didn't care if it died), and as a result has lots of healthy young growth. There's a lesson there somewhere.
I've just a few of these Spring flowering cyclamen with their shocking pink flowers. (I left the camera on automatic setting and it has weirdly over exposed all the shots leaving them looking rather washed out.)
I've photo shopped this one below to make it pinker, and they look quite nice with the pink hellebore.
Talking of hellebores, they are getting into their stride too. So difficult to photograph though because their heads hang down dreadfully.
And to wrap up some lovely seedlings. These are the sweet peas I sowed in January. Not a great germination rate but at I do have some at least. They got moved to the greenhouse on a heated mat once they grew too tall for the propagator.
That's all for this week in my garden. I expect next week there will be more snowdrops opening up and this lawn will be a carpet of white. Until then you can check out other Six on Saturdays from around the world by heading over to The Propagator.
Lovely naturalistic planting, especially love the crocus shot. I laughed about the rose pruning, I have found the same in the past with dahlias I wasn't fond of and left out over winter - survived each and every time!
ReplyDeleteThat's so true. I had a horrid yellow dahlia planted in wet clay. Must have survived to haunt me for six years. I think it's had it now.
DeleteThe Crocus tommasinianus are really interesting and I will have to add some to my garden. My aging parents get rid of a lot of things and these are some of them. I will get a few (hope). (To photograph the hellebores, I cheat and I put a small stick)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the stick trick Fred. Those early crocus are so delicate. I hope you manage to get some.
DeleteThe Aconites look super. I used toilet roll inserts for growing my Sweet peas last year, but the tubes went soggy and moldy too quickly. Yours look good though.
ReplyDeleteThey are on a heated mat, so I wonder if that stops them from going too soggy and mouldy?
DeleteYour spring carpet of early bloomers is delightful, the aconites are a real splash of colour.
ReplyDeleteLike many people I'm not a huge fan of bright yellow, but those aconites seem just right.
DeleteThat is a really lovely snowdrop display, they look so at home among the trees, and the aconites are just delightful. I was also going to mention about growing in loo roll tunes and how to avoid the mould issue, Rosie Amber beat me to it.
ReplyDeleteIt may well be the heated mat. I have had slightly mouldy ones in the past, but they manage to hold together for long enough to get the seedlings to planting out stage.
DeleteLovey and uplifting photos of early flowers.
ReplyDeleteVery lovely, all those spring flowers, especially the snowdrops. I must try to plant some here.
ReplyDeleteThanks Megan
DeleteIt's looking beautiful in your garden, I love the Snowdrops in the grass. I tried Aconites again last year and planted fifty in the green in three different locations but not a single one seems to have made it up this year. Very disappointing.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same about the autumn flowering Cyclamen I planted, but there are more starting to appear now, so sometimes these things take a little longer to settle in. Fingers crossed your Aconites will too.
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