Tags
Allium Purple Sensation, asiatic lilies, buxus, Cercis canadensis, Foeniculum vulgare purpureum, Forest pansy, forget me nots, Hebe hulkeana, May, myosotis sylvatica, New Zealand lilac, Purple fennel, Sambucus Nigra, six on saturday, Sweet cicely, Thalictrum Elin
Do you feel a little bit like I am feeling? I feel as though we didn’t really ‘have’ an April. The days and weeks of lockdown are merging and although we did have some standout weather, we strangely haven’t been anywhere or seen anyone. It might be that May is going to be the same. Weird.
That said, the garden is making rapid progress now. The warm weather, the rain and longer daylight hours are creating a massive growth spurt. If we were going places and seeing people we might have missed the detail of this happening. My six today reflect the changes.
Above is a carpet of forget me nots, drifting across the ground, encircling the box ball ( loosely ball shape). By next week they will need ripping out as they begin to set seed. The space they leave behind will be perfect for annuals.
The fennel has doubled in size since last week and the NZ Lilac which is not a lilac at all is starting to open. It has no scent to enjoy which is disappointing but it’s flowers are very pretty.
The froth from umbellifers has filled out more. The Thalictrum has opened its pinky flowers and the sweet cicely has opened more flowers. The dark divided foliage of the Sambucus is contrasting in a pleasing fashion with the divided foliage of the the green and white sweet cicely.
I really like the dark pointy leaves on the spines of lilies. These flower well each year and are a very very dark maroon lily. On the lookout for the orange lily beetle so far so good.
Alliums are opening offering purple clusters of star shaped flowers to make a globe. They are a splash of interest, a layer of colour after the tulips and before the Hydrangeas flower.
Looking through the emerging red heart shaped foliage of the Forest Pansy. My favourite shrub/tree. It’s petals dropped in the rain but still the beautiful foliage is emerging.
These are my six for this Saturday joining our host The Propagator and other bloggers from around the globe.
Have a good week wherever you are. Stay safe and thanks for reading. D.
digwithdorris.com 
Well your garden is benefiting from this weird time. I particularly like the black of the Sambucas and Thalictrum against the white cow parsley!
I think everyone who is fortunate enough to have a garden is using their free time to garden, garden, garden! Thank you
I love forgetmenots as they remind me or a proper old English country garden. Stay safe …I can’t believe how quickly the situation has escalated in the UK and is getting worse. I hope they allow the garden centres to open soon so at least you can buy plants etc.
Is that a ‘Black Lace’ black elderberry? There is one or something like it here. It is supposed to produce good fruit, but makes only a few very tiny berries. It supposedly does not need a pollinator. There are plenty of blue elderberries growing wild anyway.
It is indeed. The fruit is small and here the birds eat them
At least the birds are happy. I have never seen a common black elderberry that is grown for fruit. I am pleased with the native blue elderberries.
Elderberries here are a nuisance as they self seed and they grow as a consequence in unwanted places.
Ours are not so prolific. I will actually plant some that I grew from seed so that I do not need to go so far for berries. The ‘Black Lace’ that we planted in one of the landscapes is not a native, of course. Someone left it for us, and it works out well. However, it is not something I would have selected as an ornamental. I certainly would not have selected it for fruit. Black elderberries are not sold in California. Mail order catalogs can not send them here. I do not know why, but the potential for them to be invasive even here may be relevant.
Black lace can be cut back hard in spring to encourage better size foliage
For the blue elderberry, I alternate canes; by cutting out the old canes that already fruited, while leaving those that developed in the previous year to bloom and produce fruit in the following year. I had intended to do the same with the ‘Black Lace’. However, because I do not want the fruit from it, I would not mind cutting it back, even to the ground at the end of winter. I really do not care if it blooms, since it is grown more for the foliage than anything else. (To me, the bloom looks rather shabby against the richly colored foliage anyway.) It seems to me that it bloomed on new canes that came up from the ground last year. Has that been your experience? I mean, do you notice that completely new canes will bloom in the same season in which they grow, or must they be from the previous year to bloom?
Lovely, I have been making Elderberry syrup here. Enjoying the Cow Parsley from afar. Strange days everywhere, stay safe.
Elderberry syrup? How do you make yours and what do you use it for?
Elderberry syrup reportedly contains phytochemicals that prevent the flu virus from attaching to cells in your body or something like that. It also has a lot of vitamins…I have been making it in the Instant pot with local honey to help allergies. Link to recipe https://wellnessmama.com/1888/elderberry-syrup/
Syrup is a new one. Thanks I shall look it up and perhaps have a go. I don’t think I have an instant pot although I am not sure as I don’t know what that is
I can make it on the hob and store in a mason jar. Perfect. I might give it a go when the berries are ready.
Well, we have been healthy so far..
A lovely post and I love the images – gardening has been a saving grace – stay safe and positive.
Thank you
Gardening has most definitely been a saving grace. You too stay safe and keep smiling
Lovely post, and I enjoyed seeing the drifts of forgetmenots. Love the colour of the Allium. Interesting read in comments about elderberry. I have one in a pot.
Thank you. The allium colour seems more intense in the morning light