Mid April in my garden

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It’s almost mid April and by comparison what a difference between last year and this! The garden was only just coming to life last April. This year it’s coming on leaps and bounds. There’s just no stopping it!

We are still lacking in the rain department. Not that I’m complaining but I do feel that the garden could do with good soak. Please beware though – the last time I said that it rained for almost the whole summer in 2012.

I’m on the home stretch in so far as winter/spring makeover(s) are concerned. Just a few more plants to get in the ground – tomorrow all things going well and seed the part of the garden that is being turned back into lawn. It’s been a long couple of months – one step forward, two or three back at times. Trying to get it all done in between the spring clean up and everything else life throws at me has made the first quarter of the year fly by.

Most of the shrubs are now putting on leaf and those that have been moved this last month or so all seem to have taken it in their stride. Even the mature Clematis I moved is romping away – I’m glad I took the risk now.

Most of the flowers are still at ground level so please join me as I crawl around the garden on my hands and knees! Once I’m down there, there is no getting me back up – so please be patient with me :)

Let’s start off with bulbs that are flowering now

It’s Fritillaria time! They like the moist conditions in my garden and are slowly spreading themselves around.

Most of the yellow dwarf daffs have gone over, or should that be blown over? They haven’t coped well with the strong winds. N. minnow is still to flower and should be out over the next day or two.

Narcissus triandrus Thalia – my favourite daffodil has started blooming. These are the first flowers to open – under Magnolia stellata. Scented too – what’s not to love?

I gave up trying to grow Tulips in the garden a few years ago – if, and that’s a big IF, they do come back they are a mere shadow of their former self! There are a few individual bulbs lurking around the garden but they just get left to their own devices. My conditions are just not suitable for them. Back in 2012 I discovered species Tulips here on GOY. I planted a few bulbs back in autumn 2012 – they flowered beautifully last year and right on cue – back for 2014!

In fact, so pleased, I added more this Spring and shall be on the lookout for more to plant in the Autumn.

Another plant I’ve struggled to get going in my garden has been Anemone blanda, they never come back a 2nd year but this year they have. I’ll let you into a secret – last year I inadvertently dumped a large stone directly on top of where I had planted them – a couple of weeks back I noticed a bit of foliage trying to poke itself out from underneath. Then I remembered – DOH! The Anemone and a wee group of the aforementioned failed tulips (which are well mangled from being under the rock) with a couple of buds. You can just make them out in the background both have picked up since they ‘saw the light’!

Another failure to success story – this time Leucojum aestivum. Planted in Autumn 2011 I forgot to mark where I planted them and this resulted in me unwittingly moving them around the garden. Last year, I managed to identify some foliage that I thought/hoped belonged to them, I dug out the 3 bulbs I found and put them in a pot. This year they have grown foliage and 1 flower but I also found this growing in one of the borders – I shall pop the others beside this one and hopefully next year shall have myself a little clump of Snowflakes.

I thought Corydalis malkensis had gone over – in fact lots of seed heads forming and was taken by surprise to find more flowers appear.

An ever so pretty Anemonella thalictroides flowers beneath the Physocarpus. This is described as a dark pink form and whilst the flowers open dark they do fade to the palest of pink as they mature.

Snowbells, Soldanella hungarica, have flowered for such a long time this spring the others I grow are way behind and no sign of flowers yet.

In my miniature garden – a pretty pink flowering Saxifraga is putting on a show.

I planted this trough up last spring and it’s done reasonably well. The Globularia and Alpine Aster are struggling and will need replacing. Other than that I’m happy with how things are growing. Miniature daffs (N. canalaticus) wait to take over when the Saxifrage is finished.

A spring flower for any position in the garden – Pulmonaria are flowering. Loved by the bees, so well worth growing.

Any blog from my garden would be incomplete without the obligatory Primula. I lost P. maximowiczii to the dreaded Vine Weevil larvae, I haven’t noticed of the others suffering, yet! My beady eye is on them!

There are one or two plants flowering that doesn’t require me on all fours but please excuse me whilst I hoist myself up and straighten up those stiff knees……ah, that’s better!

The next Camellia to flower in the garden is one you may have seen on an earlier picture – my attempts at growing an Espalier Camellia.

This Skimmia was rescued from a waterlogged section of the garden following the flooding in 2012. It’s come on leaps and bounds but refuses to darken it’s foliage. I’ve tried feeding with an appropriate feed and even Epsom salts, to no avail. Any suggestions as to what I can try next? I should add that it’s in Ericaceous compost too.

A new Clematis planted as part of Project Privacy. It’s still small but I’ve high hopes for it.

Euphorbia characias Silver Swan – looked really good until recently. I hate those awful bare stems. There is new growth further down and perhaps it will grow on me again once the old stems are cut back.

A Lemon cypress grows in a pot outside the back door – currently under planted with some blue pansies and Muscaria latifolium.

The blue pansies planted under the standard Euonymus have taken a bit of a beating. There is a Blue Tit that visits the garden that as taken a dislike to them. I’m not sure how much longer those that are left will last. Paired with a little pot of purple violas.

As you can see, the trellising is finished – I’m just waiting on a few of the Hostas to appear above the surface to lift them and create a new home for Lamium orvala – which will be better suited round there as it’s out growing it’s allotted spot in the side garden.

I hope you’ve all had a great weekend – an update on the weather here today (I started writing this blog last night) – it was rotten! I was full of high hopes for getting most things finished today but it was way too windy and at times wet to spend any decent length of time outdoors. However, it wasn’t such a wasted day – I had an afternoon at Binny Plants to cheer me up!!

• 13 Apr, 2014
• 14 likes

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