April in bloom..

I envy your hellebores...this one will not grow for me. I bought three and they have all died off. Its very strange. They grew in my first garden, but not here, or in the last place. Your border looks so full! I'm still looking at soil everywhere. Its hard to believe that by July there'll be hardly any soil on show at all! But its very cold here now. Not frosty, just bitter winds and leaden sky. Its lovely to see that spring is happening somewhere!

I have that hellebore Sandra and it also grows huge, isn't it funny how we differ in the various parts of the country, some of my flowers started to bloom very early and yet my Bleeding Hearts are only just showing tiny shoots, even my white one and thats in a pot, in fact I thought I'd lost my pink one so bought another last week, yours is so far ahead, I would have thought it would be so much colder where you live....
I remember you receiving your bulbs, I bet you smile when you're admiring them, love your Camellia..

All looking lovely - as ever - Sandra, nice to see your Cheerfulness I remember you receiving the bulbs, your Hellebore is such a lovely show in the border :o)

Those hellebores are great - so useful staying in flower for so long. My white dicentra is only just appearing above ground, but they are worth waiting for aren't they?
The Camellia flower is beautiful - I remember a photo of the whole shrub in flower last year - something to look forward to!

I imagined this Hellebore would grow almost anywhere,Karen.Looks like it doesn't..what a shame..That part of the border is full,but the rest of it isn't! It's like yours,waiting for the other plants to grow,but they are on their way :o) It was a lovely day here yesterday,,but cooler today,with rain forecast later :o(
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The White Dicentra was moved from a sunny position last year, Lincs,to a shadier north facing spot,in front of the Camellia,and it has done much better,and it stayed in flower much longer ..Apparently,that's what they prefer..I never had any luck with my pink one and it soon died off...
When do you remove the flowers from your Hellebores please,or do you just let them die off ? I do love them.so I hope they keep going..
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Thank you Neellan..I love the Daffodils,and it's nice they flower when most of the others are finished,which have now been dead headed..The Hellebores have done so well,haven't they? a nice splash of colour all winter. :o) x
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Thank you Stera..I can almost see the Dicentra growing on a daily basis..once they start,there's no stopping them ;o) I had to trim the top of the Camellia last year,therefore there weren't many flower buds...but the front of it,which I can see,is looking much more promising..lots of fat buds to open soon..This was a gift too,from my neighbour..He said he had too many,when we all moved here 14 years ago,as he brought some with him in pots....I didn't need asking twice,if I would like one Lol. I must say,it did much better when planted in the ground..

Looking lovely Sandra. You will now have H. feotidus for life . . . it seeds itself EVERYWHERE, which is hardly a problem of course. I never remove flowers from Hellebores - just the leaves!

Thank you Sheila..I remove the leaves from other Hellebores..well,my one and only,from Amy :o) These leaves are a totally different shape.,so should I remove them,and when,please? I hope I do get seeds,as I could fill a couple of gaps quite easily..and get rid of something else I have too much of...

Thanks Julia..even at night it seems to light up that border..I love it...:o)

Mother Nature needs a wake up call down here. Everything is a bit reluctant to really get moving - me included after the family visit!

Gosh, your camellia is a beauty Sandra and I am so pleased the Cheerfulness have grown nicely ( sorry they needed supporting, they do grow rather tall)

I really like Erysimum, must get one as we have a few gaps in the borders.

Now that you mention it, Sandra, this Hellebore is one that I DON'T remove the leaves of . . . sorry wasn't thinking straight (so what's new?!). And you're sure to see seedlings popping up, hopefully filling those gaps.

Spring seems to have sprung - at least in some parts of the country! Lovely to see so much growth in your garden, Bloomer! Those Cheerfulness Daffs are so lovely! I have some that are similar & are just opening but I'm not sure they are these ones.

Got lots on mini-Daffs or rockery Daffs flowering in my pots on the balcony railings at the moment! They brighten it up no end!

Thank you Chris,the other Camellia buds are opening up now..and yes,you must get a Bowles Mauve Erysimum,and cuttings are so easy to root ..that's why I now have six dotted about ! They are nice and bushy,and been in flower all winter.I got mine for £2 at Morrison's ,a few years ago :o)

Lol,Sheila,thank you for that ..I was wondering how to tackle it, ha ha..I shall keep an eye open for any unwanted little seedlings,or I could give my neighbours some..if they want some...:o)

Thank you Balcony,and yours might well be similar,or the same variety..All my other daffs are dead headed now,so it's nice to see this later variety..It's a long time since I had any taller ones,so it's a nice change :o)

Adore your Camelia Sandra your garden is flourishing wonderful

Thank you 3d..the mild winter seems to have helped,with plenty of rain..Even some Annual Osteospernums have survived this year.I just trimmed the tops back last week...

Lovely blog Sandra, I do wish Dicentras would thrive in my garden, but they always die off, no matter where I plant them! I bought two 'Bowles Mauve' for £1.99 each at a local greengrocers yesterday, labelled simply as Wallflower. I didn't like to say the GC have them priced at £8.99, shocking amount to pay! :o(

Not sure if you ve still got the mild weather today Sandra like some parts of the country having snow. A warning tv news said this morning for the next few days becareful of tender plants. I am pleased your garden and plant have not been affected so far.

I love that Foetidus, had it in my last garden where it popped up everywhere. Haven't tried it here yet. As for the Dicentra - where's mine? No sign of it so, like Lincslass I may have to go out and buy another because I like them so much.

Your garden looks interesting, Bloomer. I like your full borders. That's what I'm aiming for but it will take a while.

A shame you can't grow Dicentra,Shirley..I must be one of the luckier ones..not with pink ones though! I saw some 'Wallflowers ' at our GC yesterday too..about the same price,but some lovely colours..I asked if they were as hardy as' Bowles Mauve' and was told yes,but would go woody in time..:o) I already knew that,but just thanked him,and didn't get one..at that price? no way !..mine cost the same as yours :o)

It's been a lovely morning,but clouding over now,3d,as forecast,but no snow or frost overnight..That is due tonight /tomorrow...I don't have any tenders out ,so no problem..It will be mid May at least,before I do..

Thank you Arbuthnot...It's the first time it has flowered,so I'm pleased with how well it is doing..It would help to fill your border,if that's your aim.It all takes time...A shame about your Dicentra ,but don't give up on it just yet..it's still early days..

Sandra, seems we both bagged a bargain!

I bought two new Dicentra yesterday, one pink and one white. Of course, given Sod and his Law, mine will now make an appearance but that's fine by me. I've also added a yellow Erythronium, replaced my Thalictrum and a scented Erysimum. I am now about to go gardening as it's a lovely sunny day though quite cold.

Definitely,Shirley.and so easy to take cuttings ..I still have the original,which is about a foot in height and width,and another two of a similar size,which were the first cuttings..They have gone woody at the bottom now,but still a mass of top growth and colour,so you can't really see the woodier base..I shall leave them in situ as long as they still look good..three more smaller ones,are waiting on the sidelines,one of which is destined for a pot..Would you say I am going over the top ? Lol..I just love them..:o)

You have a nice selection there,Arbuthnot..I hope your Dicentra,and other plants grow well for you..the other one might make an appearance for you now..Sod's law indeed :o) It was so warm here yesterday,almost like a summers day..Ideal gardening weather,and lovely to be outside .I didn't do much,as we went walking instead...a nice change :o)

That little dicentra is ovely bloomer.i much prefer the white ones.....but, I had one n my last garden and it only lasted about three years in the clay so I won't try it here as the clay is even heavier.
Is the camellia a Williamsii (maybe?). It s a lovely colour, whichever one it is.

I've no idea what the Camellia is, don't even remember if there was a label on it at the raffle. Perhaps there was but a house move would certainly have removed that anyway. I wonder how many removal vans contain plant labels? It certainly likes it here though.

I had clay in my last garden and dicentras would bloom each year. Like you though, the clay is much heavier where I am now which is perhaps why those I brought with me didn't show. Unless they don't like disturbance. You can never tell with some plants.

Thanks Paul..I hope it lasts well,as my soil is pretty decent these days..I did wonder if my Camellia was a Williamsii,as it seems to be a popular variety..It starts off red,then softens to deep pink....whichever,I'm more than happy with it :o) .
I think Paul was referring to my Camellia,Arbuthnot,but no problem..neither of us have labels ! lol.,so your input was
welcome :o)

Not over the top at all Sandra ... I'm pretty sure one year mine flowered for 10 months of it ... fabulous plants. Sadly, I cannot get Dicentras to thrive in my garden ... :o(

I know what you mean,Shirley..I don't think I've ever had a plant in flower all the time..I wonder why a few members don't have any success with Dicentra's ? It seems to be quite common..I must be one of the lucky ones,so I'm really pleased..It's almost a foot tall already this year..Sorry,I still work and think in old money !:o)x

I am quite envious of some of the members with beautiful Dicentras. I don't think I'll ever think in metric either, Sandra. We had to buy some new bathroom scales last week and set it to stones and pounds, really should have left it on kilos and got with the times!

I must be something of an "oddity" then as some measurements particularly "stones" & "ºF" as well as the "mania" of putting measurements of length in "mm" just screw with my head!

Probably because I spent so many years in Spain with the metric system I can only make sense of ºC, kilos/grammes, cm, metres, kilometres, etc. The Imperial system we still insist on using in the UK is just so unfit for purpose!

The one thing that really gets "my goat" is the stupid use of "mm" for all things measured in length! It like trying to measure things in 1/8ths of an inch! At least a cm is approx 1/2 an inch! Unless you are doing a maths problem the exact amounts are of little importance in the sort of measurements we use in every day life!

My wife worked on the Deli counter of a big supermarket chain for 11 years before retiring, & the things she sometimes used to tell me made me have laughing fits! How people - thinking they were being "clever", would ask for 100gm of something & their faces would drop when they saw what 100gm looks like on the machine! :-D)) Perhaps 2 or 3 slices of something was all they would get & then they had to ask for more, with a red face!

By the way, I was born & lived in the UK 22 years before going to Spain & I've since lived here for the last 16 years but I still can't get used to the use of 2 different systems & when I'm asked by the doctor how much I weigh I have to tell them in kilos because "stones & pounds" make no sense to me any longer.

It's the same with temperature - I can tell you what temp we have today - in centigrades but I have absolutely no idea of what it would be in Fahrenheit! I can tell the hight of something with no problem in metres & centimetres but if I try the same with feet & inches I just get lost!

Oh dear, it must be quite trying for you, having lived in Spain for many years with the metric system. I can now equate centigrade temps but really don't think I shall ever 'get' the measuring/weight in metric!

I'll never be really happy with metric, especially for length. Feet and inches seem so much more useful somehow, and easier to visualise. An inch is roughly the length of the end joint of the thumb, a foot is roughly elbow to fingertip, a yard is a man's stride (mine is only two feet but never mind) or an arm's stretch from the tip of the nose to fingertip- men on open air markets used to use that measure for fabrics.
Tell me something's a metre and I have to think Oh yes, a yard plus three inches...Liquid measure is bearable as I have a jug with it marked on, but grammes are too small for cooking (fine for science though) I'll get thrown out of the 21st century...

Stera, I reckon the UK government should get kicked out of the 21st century!

I still remember when we lived here at the end of the 70s beginning of the 80s how stupid it seemed to me then that liner measurements should be made in mm! It's MUCH easier to use cm, but to convert form mm to cm you just knock off the last "0", you just move the comma one space to the right. 100mm for example would be 10cm. 1,000mm would then be 100cm or 1m!

Simples!!! :-))

Simples for you maybe,Balcony,but I'm with Shirley and Stera..especially in baking,and weighing ingredients..We know immediately when we say its a 4x4x4plus 2,what size cake it will be..in ounces ,with two eggs..I can cope with cms,but still convert it back by multiplying by four..eg 10 cms= 4 inches..etc..I have a chart on my kitchen pinboard with all the conversions,and still have to check.If I ever lose it,I'm done for ! Lol..and don't get me started on Kg..I would never know how much I weighed..maybe just as well ! I know it sounds much less in Stones and pounds.. :o)

LOL! :-))

Yes Sandra you've got it in one. Its fine and easy converting mm to cm, but what I want to do is convert cm to inches, which doesn't result in whole number. Even 10cm=4" isn't very accurate because it more like 4 1/4" so if you need to convert 40cm like that you'd be an inch out. Doesn't matter if you're planting potatoes but it does if you're making a skirt...

Half my recipes are imperial and half are metric - good job my scales have both...

And when plant heights are given in cm I always have to convert to inches before I know how tall they are. The government can control labels but they can't control what goes on in our heads. Yet.

Yes,I agree 4 inches isn't accurate,and all I can suggest ,is next time you make a skirt,you could allow more,or less. when turning it up for the hemline,to get the right length :o) I am only making a lighthearted comment,so don't take me seriously,Stera :o) We will continue to do it 'our' way,unless we are forced otherwise .I'm sure if 'they' got into my head,it would be Mission impossible :o)