Return of the Fair Weather Gardener

Spring must be on its way as I have ventured out into the garden for a few hours over the past couple of days; granted this foray was prompted by Thursday's unseasonal temperature of 17C and the appearance of that big yellow ball in the sky!

pale lemon primula

As usual when I make this first attempt of the year at gardening I have conflicting emotions; firstly, what a lot needs to be done and secondly, what joy to be out in the fresh air.  The first can have the effect of making me turn around and head back indoors, defeated by the task, but it's the second that keeps me out there, that and the promise of the difference a few hours gardening can make both to the garden and to my state of mind.

dolly mixtures

So this Spring I resolve to focus on what I have achieved after each gardening session rather than what is yet to be done, as there will always be something!

Yesterday I managed to weed and cut back two of the perennial borders and one raised bed in the kitchen garden.  In the process I made room for some lovely, bright primula; I love the dolly mixture colours of these little plants.  Being down amongst the borders I was able to appreciate up close the spring bulbs that have already made an appearance; miniature iris, snowdrops and the occasional narcissus.

miniature iris

This morning I've fortified myself by a glimpse back at photos from previous Springs and Summers to remind me of the end game: a productive and pretty plot in which to sit and enjoy all my labours.

crocus almost in bloom

So what are you waiting for Susan?  Get out there and continue to make a difference!

Pretty as a Picture 23/08

gladiolus callianthus

Spring Planning in August

Over the past few weeks I've been receiving bulb catalogues and this has coincided with me considering gaps in the Holly Grove borders during late May/early June and again in August/September.  After many happy hours making lists of potential bulbs to fill the gaps I came up with these:

May and June



allium neopolitanum grandiflorum



allium schubertii

gladioli byzantinus



June and July

allium cernuum



allium pulchellum, pulchellum album
and allium flavum 



July to September



lilium White Heaven



So having selected my gap fillers for the summer borders, I couldn't resist some spring bulbs...

March to May



tulipa linifolia, tarda, eastern star,
turkestanica, saxatalis, clusiana chrysantha



puschkinia libanotica



tulipa red riding hood




daffodils and narcissi



tulipa green star



fritillaria meleagris

Phew!  Quite a list and it's drained by savings but I'm sure I'll be pleased that I made the commitment next year when these lovely bulbs come into bloom; on the plus side the Red Riding Hood tulips were free as were the daffodil and narcissi mix - that's how much I spent!  The bulbs were ordered from J Parker's and that's where most of the photos came from - I've had bulbs from them before, they seem to be reasonably priced and they've all done well.

Now I need to get back to the present day and get out and lift and store the potato harvest!

New Arrival

Hurrah!  The lilies mentioned in my previous post have burst into bloom, and they are fantastic - what a colour! 

lilium Dimension in bloom

Just waiting for Patricia's Pride and White Heaven to join the display.

In Anticipation

As I write I'm awaiting the arrival of lilies in bloom.  The white ones (name long forgotten) I've had in pots for about four years have just come into bloom and look and smell luscious; though I understand that not everyone is a fan of lilies and/or their scent, I'm smitten.

old favourites - name long forgotten

The anticipation is for the new lilies purchased at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year and as advised immediately planted with the hope of flowering this year.  As you can see it looks as though that flowering will happen any day now and I'm so excited!

lilium Dimension

lilium White Heaven

I'll publish more photos if and when the blooms open to reveal the beautiful colours and delicious scent that I recall - watch this space!

Pretty Perennials

I recently spent some time appreciating the pretty perennials around Holly Grove.  This being the third or fourth season for many of them, they are getting well established and some will need splitting and/or relocating next year.  For now let's just enjoy the display...

knautia macedonica Burgundy Buttons?

campanula and potentilla fruticosa

lythrum Fire Candle, linaria purpurea Canon Went, lavender Hidcote, allium sphaeroceplalon

campanula, potentilla, oregano, prunella vulgaris (self heal)

Malvern Spring Show Impressions (VFTA No 2)

First things first, my friend C and I had a lovely day out at the show, as usual we really enjoyed each other's company.  The weather was fine, no rain until I was driving back to Shropshire.  During the day it was cloudy with sunny intervals and very breezy, but pleasant enough for us to eat our lunch outdoors and to have a good wander around the show.

So impressions...well, lots of acers, lilies, hostas, acquilegia, grasses in the various nursery stands.  A mixed bag of a show with crafts and specialist foods alongside gardening tools, clothing, plants and show gardens.

Orange Marmalade on the left and Fragrant Bouquet on the right

I love hostas and the show had a number of stalls showing such a range of these plants from minatures to giants.  Needless to say I bagged a couple, Orange Marmalade and Fragrant Bouquet, well who could resist - not me!  C looks like becoming a hosta convert, it's the minature ones that have caught her interest.  I also picked up a envelope of hosta seeds.  According to the packet they seldom come true to the parent plant as, like acquilegias, they are very promiscuious, so it will be interesting to see what results I get.

I couldn't come back to Holly Grove without at least one new addition to the flower borders.  The chosen plant is Nemesia Vanilla Lady, chosen for its striking perfume and its dainty flowers.  I think it will go into the front of the swingseat walk border, right by the steps so that its perfume can be fully appreciated.

Dainty Lady

Highly perfumed

Lilies were my other purchase.  The displays in the Floral Marquee were amazingly beautiful and these are what tempted both C and I to buy some bulbs.  We came away with three types, all asiatic lilies I believe:

Dimension; the most dramatic of the three.  A very deep burgundy with texture like velvet.

Patricia's Pride; picking up the burgundy theme in the centre of the predominently white flower.

White Heaven - what can I say, irresistible!!!

White Heaven

Talking of show gardens I found these a bit disappointing; they were very small (not that big is necessarily better) and lacking in imagination and (for me anyway) lacking in inspiration.  The focus of the gardens seemed to be more on the hard landscaping than the plants - a pity as if the planting had been better the gardens would have risen in my estimation. I was really surprised to see that any of them had an RHS Gold Medal - but then this is only my view and I'm no RHS judge!

There were three gardens I found of interest:

A Garden for Life - very attractive garden building surrounded by dense planting and a lovely fountain water feature.  The colours in this garden really appealed to me; mostly blues and purples.

The Atomic Journey - strange theme for a garden but this was beautifully executed.  A very symmetrical garden with a small but effective range of plants - both C and I thought that this would make a lovely front garden.

The Rain Garden

The Rain Garden - my favourite, not for the planting but rather it has provided a couple of ideas for using water in the garden and may provide inspiration for a garden somewhere in Holly Grove - still considering it.  My photo doesn't really do it justice.  You can find descriptions of all the show gardens here.

I should also mention a stand that I have visited at a couple of shows and on-line: Plant Supports.  They stock very robust and attractive plant supports and there is always a bargain to be had on their show stands.  Add to this that it's a family firm and they are so friendly and helpful, it makes it a pleasure to do business with them.  This time I bought some spiral supports and some edging supports; I'm getting quite a collection and they are required on this exposed and often windy site.  My preference is for the rustic version as they fit in so well with the cottage garden planting, though by mid season they are hidden from view by foliage. They also supply green plastic coated supports.

We really had a lovely day out and I would recommend the show to anyone who enjoys their garden - lots to see and do in the lovely setting of the Malvern Hills.  We'll be going back for more in September at the Autumn Show.

Thoughts Turn To Spring Bulbs

It's early Autumn but with this late burst of sunshine and rising temperatures it still feels like Summer. Time to turn my thoughts to Spring flowers and particularly bulbs. It's the ideal time to buy bulbs whilst there are plenty in the shops to choose from - make sure that they are firm to the touch.

Last year I planted around 500 daffodil and narcissi bulbs outside the gates on the lane verges and in the woodland border. I also put in about 50 English bluebell bulbs - they are rather expensive and good naturalisers, so they should bulk up well over time.

This year I'll add more narcissi, bluebells and snowdrops...but which ones?

Narcissi Tete a Tete is a favourite of mine, so a few more wouldn't go amiss in the woodland border. As the steps rise up through this border it is a good site for minature narcissi.

We're going to continue to spread daffodils along the lane verges, they were so lovely last year. So time to get out the fork and spade, lift some turf, plant some bulbs, replace the turf and look forward to the Spring display - fingers crossed!

Luscious Lilies

Sceptic tanks...hmm, a necessary feature but not a pleasant image in a rural home, we've surrounded ours with scented plants.

A low hedge of lavender, white-flowered lilac for the Spring and now, at the height of Summer, lilies. Beautiful potfuls of white, deliciously scented lilies. If the weather was sunnier and warmer the scent would travel on the evening air, but even in this wet weather and less than optimum temperatures the scent is pervasive.

I think that lilies are best in pots. You can then sight them in a prominent position whilst they are in full flower and remove them to a less obvious spot in the garden when they are past their flowering best but need to be fed and watered to build the bulbs for next year.

I have some oriental lilies in a border that I plan to lift in the Autumn and transfer to pots for next year. I think I'll place them on the Party Patio that the Handyman is in the process of constructing...more on that in future posts...for the moment let's enjoy the lilies.