In a vase on Monday: finally the roses

Tags

Ammi majus, cerinthe, David Austin Roses, in a vase on Monday, Nigella hispanica, Rose 'Gertrude Jekyll', Rose Morning Mist, Stipa gigantea

Hello.

As we fast approach midsummer I am finally getting to enjoy my roses. They suffered the indignity of standing about for months in cold water until March. They were then baked in hot weather only to have their new foliage burned by a late frost. No wonder their flowers have taken so long. There were times when I thought I might have lost them all together.

Climbing rose Morning Mist is on a sheltered south facing wall and has been flowering for well over two weeks. I picked some last week to door drop to my friend who was celebrating a birthday.

Everything but the kitchen sink

The terracotta toned pink rose of Morning mist was mixed with Stipa gigantea, Ammi majus, blue Nigella hispanica, Californian poppies, a bit of the Cerinthe and a couple of Dianthus Carthusianorum. As I said, everything but the kitchen sink pulled into that bunch.

Today I have picked the delicious Rose Gertrude Jekyll. She is a strong pink colour and has the most incredible strong rose scent. The only thing you have to watch about Ms Jekyll is that she is as prickly as they come.

No messing with those thorns

Her petals make lovely confetti when dried. I am saving petals for the day that sister Dorris gets married. All plans have had to change of course but when the day comes I shall be ready to shower her and David with petals.

Sharing my flowers with you and our hostCathy.

Rose Gertrude Jekyll

Have a great week wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.

In a vase on Monday: little vases

Tags

Anthriscus sylvestris ravenswing, Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata ‘Greenapples’, Aquilegias, Californian poppy, cerinthe, Erigeron, Eschscholzia, Geum "Mrs Bradshaw", Geum Totally Tangerine, in a vase on Monday, London Pride, persicaria bistorta, riot of colour, Saxifraga x urbium, Thalictrum Black stockings

Aquilegia Greenapples, Erigeron,

Aquilegias are all over the garden in shades of purples and burgundy. A cheery marking of early summer. This is Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata ‘Greenapples’ Her bonnet is much more considered. Significantly bigger, a warm apple tone to its white. Long elegant spurs out the back of the bonnet.

London Pride
Saxifraga x urbium

Sometimes the smallest things just do it. The tiny flowers of London pride are exquisitely marked. Flicks of pink dots adorn the tiny petals. The stems are a shade of pinky brown. Common as, but a beauty nonetheless.

Then there are the others. A riot of colours. A rainbow of blues and purples, pinks and red, juicy oranges.

In a vase on Monday

There are Aquilegia, Thalictrum, Persicaria bistorta, Anthriscus Ravenswing, Cerinthe, Geum Mrs Bradshaw, she’s the red one and Eschscholzia the orange Californian poppy.

A dazzle of colour so perhaps you can see why I separated out the small but beautiful ones first. They’d be lost in that lot.

All together now

In the sunlight I feel I need my sunglasses on looking at this bunch.

Joining Cathy and bloggers from around the globe. Pick some of your home grown flowers, place in a vessel of any sort and tell us all about it. Share with us and link to Cathy using the link above. Simple fun.

Have a great week wherever you are, thanks for reading. D.

Goodbye April, hello May

Tags

Acer, April, cerinthe, friday flowers, Hornbeam, perennial poppies.papaver Patty’s Plum, Spring, Tulip Ballerina, tulip Brown Sugar, tulips

April collage

I cannot believe April has been and gone. The tulips came and thrilled me with their vibrant colours. The emerging foliage of Hornbeam all pleated and fresh never looked so good, well not since it looked so good this time, last year.

Cerinthe has emerged from the ground. Self sown and so very striking. Such an exquisite plant, flower and foliage so interesting and different.

Still emerging and opening into May are the perennial poppies. Patty’s Plum is still looking like crushed velvet or crumpled tissue paper.

April gave us some beautiful weather this year. Blue skies against the blood red foliage of the Acer was astonishingly striking.

Violas and mint to dress a birthday cake for daughter Dorris. Another year older. Best she start lying about her age as I cannot possibly have a 24 year old daughter !

Have a good weekend wherever you are. Thanks for reading. D.

In a vase on Monday: a mixture

Tags

Borage, cerinthe, Geum Totally Tangerine, in a vase on Monday

Pick n mix

This morning I selected a little bunch of flowers that have popped up. Borage and Aquilegia, self sown from the original sowing over two years ago. Tulip, rich and dark but tiny as its bulb weakens over the years. An Allium Purple Sensation which also has self sown. Geum Totally Tangerine and Spraxis a tiny bulb which pops up each year.

I have white Borage as well as the more familiar blue. I think the seed originally came from Jekka McVicar. Perhaps not quite as striking but none the less pretty.

I nearly forgot the beautiful purple Cerinthe major. This was originally sown three years ago and now pops up where it likes.

All in a vase

So a little mix of colour and flower today for my vase on Monday. Joining our host Cathy and other bloggers from around the globe.

Have a great week. Stay home, stay safe wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.

In a vase on Monday: bunches

Tags

astrantia, cerinthe, cornflowers, geraniums, in a vase on Monday, roses

I picked flowers for my friend to use at her garden opening yesterday.

A few Astrantia Roma and major

Geranium Johnson’s blue and Ann Folkard

Clover type flowers from Trifolium purpurascens.

Then roses

Lark Ascending

Gertrude Jekyll

A Shropshire Lad

Morning mist

With some alchemilla mollis and cerinthe I tied up three little jam jar sized posies.

One larger bunch

Oh and a few poppies and cornflowers thrown in for good measure.

These are joining fellow bloggers and Cathy. Perhaps you could join us, it’s simple: pick your flowers from the garden, arrange, discuss and add a link to Cathy’s blog as above. Simples.

Have a great day. D.

Six on Saturday: favourites

Tags

Allium Purple Sensation, cerinthe, Eschscholzia californium, euphorbia griffithii Dixter, hebe hulkanea, Iris Sibirica, New Zealand lilac, six on saturday

Good morning. I am joining The Propagator with a quick six, favourite sights in my garden.

First is a shrub I purchased from a garden in Winslow. A family were about to complete the sale of their late mothers house. A developer had purchased the property and the place was about to lose its garden to concrete and brick. The family invited Winslow & District gardening society their local garden group, to attend at a certain hour on a given day to dig up plants from the garden for a donation in aid of their chosen charity.

You can imagine the scene as gardeners in anoraks, armed with trowels and garden forks arrived. Hellebores, snowdrops, ferns were the main plants of interest. A polite-ish dig-up began.

Whilst the garden was under siege, I got talking to a lady who turned out to have been the owners longterm carer. She handed me a scraggy shrub in a pot. Take this for your garden, it is something special, I cannot remember what but I always had to pay particular attention to watering it. Inwardly thinking, yuck that looks dreadful, I politely accepted it and made a donation of £5.

I planted it in the ground in about February this year. Clearly delighted to have space to send its roots, it is now flowering happily.

It is New Zealand lilac, Hebe hulkeana or right now, Happy Hebe.

2 .

This is the outlook from my chair where I enjoy my morning coffee. Purple Cerinthe in the foreground with masses of Eschscholzia poppies behind. These are all self sown. Bargain.

3.

These may not have been fashionable at Chelsea this year but I don’t care, I still love Allium purple sensation.

4.

The border in morning light before the sun gets to it. The contrast of green with the dark burnt orange from Euphorbia griffithii Dixter.

5.

I have always admired Iris sibirica for its royal colour and neat form, somehow refined. I planted these last year and am delighted to see they made it.

6. Another view of a different part of the border.

Again before the sun reaches it, this is a pleasing gentle froth of green, pink and white. Persicaria bistorta, Anthriscus sylvestris Ravenswing and Thalictrum Elin.

Wishing you an enjoyable long weekend, wherever you are. D.

In a vase on Monday: Wishing you a Happy Easter

Tags

cerinthe, forget me nots, in a vase on Monday, pulmonaria, sparaxis, tulips

I hope this Monday, the Easter bank holiday you might have time to pick a little something from your garden to bring into the house. If you do perhaps you could share it with Cathy. Send her a link and you could find bloggers from all over looking at your flowers. What a nice thing to do.

This is a sprig of sparaxis. Bold, bright and brash but small and in its own bottle as it does not want to share space with the others.

The others are tulips, Cerinthe, Forget me nots, Brunnera and Pulmonaria. In shades of white marked with plum to pinks and blues and darkest near black tulip Queen of the night.

A quick post this Monday. Food to prepare, tidying to be done. Happy Easter. D.