Six on Saturday: 25April2020

Tags

Aesculus hippocastanum, Anthriscus sylvestris, apple blossom, Cameraria ohridella, Cercis canadensis, cow parsley, Foeniculum vulgare purpureum, Forest pansy, Hebe hulkeana, Horse chestnut tree, leaf miner, New Zealand lilac, Purple fennel, six on saturday

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather as it seems it is forecast to change. I have been grass cutting just now (groan) and weeding again (bigger groan). I am not moaning though, I feel very lucky to have space outside and I love my garden, it is just that those particular tasks are about as exciting as the washing up.

More exciting are the beautiful sights and these are my six to share with the Propagator and you.

First off is this huge bunch of Anthriscus sylvestris, Cow Parsley. Picked to stop it seeding around the garden and picked because I adore it for its airy and delicate freshness. This is adorning the zinc table in my summer house. Sounds a bit fancy but it really is not a house as it has no doors or windows.

More lovely white flowers. These are veritable candelabras compared to the Cow parsley. The flowers of the Horse chestnut tree. Aesculus hippocastanum.

The trees look magnificent at this time of year and I don’t want to visualise the sorry sight they become by late Summer due to leaf miner Cameraria ohridella.

Then there is the lovely apple blossom which I am enjoying everyday knowing that as soon as the rain comes it will be gone, washed away, curtains.

Combinations of foliage are always interesting to me. I am liking the foliage of purple fennel, Foeniculum vulgare Purpureum, behind the emerging flowers of the New Zealand LilacThe blue grey foliage is from Thalictrum Elin. Not actually a Lilac it is Hebe hulkeana.

Then there is the emerging foliage of Cercis canadensis , Forest pansy.

The pea like pink flowers are beginning to drop and this year the branches have been covered. A first.

Lastly there is this view to share

A seating area backed by the garage wall. Just trying not to look at all the grass that needs weeding out to make way for the annuals. Big groan.

Wishing you all a good weekend, wherever you are. Thanks for reading. D.

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Six on Saturday: 18 April

Tags

Anthriscus sylvestris, apple blossom, carpinus betula, cow parsley, Hornbeam, hostas, six on saturday, Sweet cicely, Veratrum, violas

Avoiding any references to that virus or lockdown., my six to share with you are nothing but pure garden escapism.

Veratrum and Violas

Pot grown and displayed with my hostas the emerging foliage is always pleated and pleasing. Not dissimilar to hostas, in that the foliage is irresistible to slugs and snails and so the battle to keep the molluscs off and the plant looking ‘pleats please’ is tricky. This is arguably Veratrum at its best.

Next is apple blossom, it is blossom time.

Emerging Apple blossom on the old tree.

Hopefully we will not get a hard frost. Last year I got 44 bottles of apple juice and the previous year 72! Hoping for a good crop.

More pleats, this time from the new leaves of the Hornbeam hedge.

This is not Cow parsley but Sweet cicely. It is much lower growing than Anthriscus and it’s deeply divided foliage tastes slightly of aniseed and is sweet. It is good cooked with rhubarb.

Anthriscus sylvestris or Cow parsley is taking over rather.

Here with Euphorbia amygdaloides and against my WillowFencing. Tall, billowy, romantic, it is running amok and will need deheading to stop it self seeding everywhere.

Finally my pots of hostas are beginning to emerge. More about who, what, where, when, another time.

Wishing you, Master Dorris and our host The Propagator a good weekend wherever you are. Stay home, stay safe, save lives. D.

Wordless Wednesday: apple blossom

Tags

apple blossom, blossom, May, no frost please, Spring flowers, wordless wednesday

Tuesday View: 25/4/17

Tags

Allium Purple Sensation, Allium siculum, apple blossom, euphorbia griffithii Dixter, Geum "Mrs Bradshaw", Narcissus Thalia, Tuesday View

Today the view is still about the apple blossom but as I took this picture, petals were beginning to fall. 

The forecast for later today is a cold wind from the North and possibly even showers of hailstones or sleet. I suspect by tomorrow the blossom will be on the ground, gone for another year. Blossom is so fleeting, perhaps that is why we all love it so.

As one plant ends its show of petals, others are getting ready to bloom. 

Geum ‘Mrs Bradshaw’

Allium siculum 

Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ behind new foliage of Rose Gertrude Jekyll.

Some plants are still blooming such as Narcissus Thalia, showing white in the background and Camellia.

Spring is when Euphorbias are at their best including this Euphorbia griffithii Dixter. I love the strength of colour. This was planted less 18 months ago and it is bulking up nicely. 

Cathy is host of the ‘Tuesday View’ why not join us? Share your view with us linking back to Cathy. It is a really useful record of what is happening in the garden week by week. 
Finally the view

The Ash tree on the right has yet to open. I should take a look at the Oak to see where they are. You know what that might mean? 

“Ash before oak we’ll get a soak” but, “Oak before Ash we’ll get a splash.”  There you have it, fully scientific based predictions. Right I am off to read my horoscopes next. 😉

Saturday smile: the palest pink to the richest orange

Tags

apple blossom, Saturday smile, Tulip Apricot Beauty, Tulip Ballerina, tulip Brown Sugar, tulip Comet, tulip Graceland, tulip LaBelle Epoque, tulips

Apple blossom is covering the tree this year and it looks fabulous against the blue sky. I am a little fearful for the damage risk, posed by the forecast of cooler temperatures next week, but we cannot control the weather, can we.

We shall just have to enjoy it while we can. Another palest white with pink/ purple margins are these tulips

Named  Graceland they are part of a lovely mix of tulips with so called ‘Apricot Beauty’ and ‘La Belle Époque ‘.  Planted lasagne style they have not disappointed.

Close up La Belle Époque are very beautiful

Even their insides are attractive 

I am so pleased with these. 

I also planted a ‘scented’ mix of tulips.  Surprisingly to me they actually do what they say i.e. they smell. The colours are strong and rich, the scent rather similar to freesias. 

An eye catching bunch that are making me smile today. Enjoy your weekend.

Tuesday view: 18 April 2017

Tags

apple blossom, Betula albosinensis Fascination, Epimedium rubrum, euphorbia griffithii Dixter, Geum Totally Tangerine, Lily flowered tulips, Tuesday View, Tulip Apricot Beauty, Tulip Ballerina

 

Look up to the sky and see

This beautiful Spring day, I am joining Cathy with her meme to share a view on  Tuesday.  I did do this last year and found it a good way to record just how my new garden is developing. The apple tree is one of the few trees that survived living in a paddock full of goats.  Despite the abuse and notwitstanding having had chicken wire nailed into its trunk, the tree survived.  Following three careful prunings in as many Winters, it is now in pretty good shape and rewarding me with masses of blossom this year.  I had a pretty good crop of apples last year and this one tree generated enough juice for 27 bottles.  I just hope we do not get a sharp frost to knock back the blossom, a possibility as it is still only mid April.

Apple tree with early blush of blossom

Against the backdrop of Horse chestnut trees, the apple tree is coming into its own and follows the earlier blossom of the Victoria Plum.  This year I will look at a view on the opposite side of the garden to that which I shared last year.  We have not had much rain and the clay flinty ground is looking grey and hard.  I have resisted watering but the wind is drying and if we do not have a heavy shower this week I will have to give it all a good soaking.

Ground cover in the form of Tiarella and Epimediums

The border includes a multi stemmed birch, Euphorbia griffithii Dixter, and daylilies.  As the birch has an orange bark, I have used variations on this colour

Euphorbia grffithii Dixter

throughout the season.  A poor photo thanks to the strong sunshine, no grumbling please.

the first flower of Geum Totally Tangerine

The geums seem to do well on the heavy soil and Mrs Bradshaw is in bud having flowered from about April to October last year.

The Tuesday view 2017

So much is happening in the garden at this time of year as the ground has warmed a little and the light is stronger so the weeds are on the march.  The grass had its first early trim in March and cutting is now in full flow. The daffodils are beginning to fade whilst snowdrops and crocus are long gone.  They tulips however are having their moment.   I purchased some half price bulbs from Sarah Raven including Apricot beauty below and Ballerina.

Do you have a view to share? If you do be sure to add your link to Cathy