Tuesday 20 April 2010

GARDEN UPDATE.

Warm days, but the nights are chill. Most mornings there is a light frost. I thought I had lost this hellebore but she has managed a bloom. Harrington Double White is all I thought she would be.
Narcissus 'Thalia'.......I wish I had planted more.......she is slightly dazzling in this photograph. I could not get the light right. Can you see that tiny insect on the bloom?

This is Narcissus cheerfulness..........she certainly makes me feel cheerful.
I cannot believe how many Fritillary have survived this year. Rabbits love them. They are growing amongst red campion, perhaps that is the answer.
I am not sure where this Aquilegia came from. It looks like a double....cannot wait for it to open.
Aquilegia Chocolate Soldier is fully opened. The scent is truly lovely.
Pieris 'forest flame' is a pretty shrub. The perfume is very similar to lily of the valley.
Sambucus 'black lace' is another shrub that does very well here. I have added several new plants to fill gaps.........I do love the colour.
I have added five peonies to the borders. This one I cannot wait to see bloom....Paeonia lactiflora 'Shirly Temple' This perennial has pale pink, almost white, double flowers.
Marsh Marigolds have been added to the pond and are covered in buds.......
Epemedium x Versicolor is blooming well......tks to Mr P and the cloches. I love the hairy leaves.
Euphorbia Characias......a new addition, I am slowly falling in love with Euphorbias. I never realised what a statement they make.....
Euphorbia amygdaloides var robbiae.......I think that is right. I shall let these plants re-seed around the garden.
Arum Italicum....you may remember me planting these in the spring. They are doing well and looking lovely in the borders.
I had to cover Angelica at first....the rabbits seems to like the young growth. Each night I covered them with upturned flower pots.......and now they are gorgeous, green and lush. The island bed is full of them.....so exciting.
Ribbon grass.......I love the pink stripe in this one. I have been very selective with grasses.....I have lost many to rabbits.

Many small conifers did not survive the rabbit and winter damage. I have removed them. I wanted to put something back that was evergreen. I chose Phormium 'Apricot Queen'. This is a dwarf variety and has a weeping habit. The leaves on this plant have a lovely apricot flush......eventually they mature to yellow, margined with green and bronze. I was not too sure at first but they are fitting in perfectly with the planting scheme.

At last, a tulip in bloom. They are very late this year.....but this is hopefully the first of many.

All the silver birch that Poppi and I planted are in leaf. A wonderful addition to the garden.....

And finally.....what garden would be complete without a dandelion or two or maybe more....

The journey with the garden gets better each day....many new additions are waiting in the wings......blue lupins, blue and black iris, allium purple sensation, echinacea white swan and lots lots more. Can't wait to show you.......





23 comments:

Liz said...

Hi Cheryl,

Plenty going on in your garden, lots of growth and promise of wonderful things yet to come!

Not a fan of Euphorbias... I always pull them like weeds! lol, I really ought to change my ways!!!

My tulips are also opening now, 'pink impression' opened over the weekend and I have tulipa tennessee about to open (will probably open tomorrow)

Cheryl said...

Hi Liz....I must agree, I never liked Euphorbia......but I must say they are fitting in perfectly with the planting scheme. They are really growing on me. I think the bold colour in a large space works well....

I didnt plant the tulips, they were here when we bought the property. I have planted some Tulipa black parrot.....they would look great with your pink impressions?

Roses and Lilacs said...

I have two Shirley Temples that I got three years ago. Neither of mine has a rosy blush, both are white. I was a little disappointed, well, who can really be disappointed by a peony? I do love pink tho.

I only have one Euphorbia but they do look wonderful at certain times of the season.
Marnie

Marigold Jam said...

I am in awe of your garden - seems filled with lovely plants. I saw a sambucus niger at the weekend and wondered what it would be like - would the blossom and berries be the same as the common type for making into cordial and syrup?

Jane

Liz said...

Hi Cheryl,

Not a fan of tulips myself, the tennessee were free, and the pink impressions bought very cheap in December... Basically just because I'm obssessed... ha ha.

Tennessee are actually stunning in real life, photos never actually do them justice, I tried last year and never succeeded in catching them well.

Pink Impression is too garish for me, I'm not yet sure if I even like it, but I can imagine juxtaposed with black parrot will look very good.

marmee said...

i am happy for you...that the garden is starting to come back to life and that you are finding things that work despite the rabbits. i love the choices you are making.
happy april.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

My goodness Cheryl, your garden is blazing with blooms. How wonderful it must be to walk about finding these beautiful blooms here and there. This time of year even the dandelions are appreciated.

Cheryl said...

Hi Marnie......I now await with anticipation for my pink blush on 'Shirley Temple' blooms. That is the main reason I bought it. As you say the bloom is beautiful anyway....

As for the Euphorbia, with rabbits in the garden, I am just happy to see flowers...lol

Cheryl said...

Hi Jane....I only ever use the wild berries and blooms......I have many in the garden.
I have never thought about the cultivated species to be honest.

Cheryl said...

Hi Marmee....it is slow but I am getting there.....

beckie said...

Cheryl, each bloom was prettier than the last. There is no way to pick a favorite. But I do love the checkered flowers. Peonys are on plant I don't have but would like. I just can't find a spot I think they would like.

I imagine Poppi is delighted that the trees are leafing out. Soon they will tower over her.

So glad your days are warming and hopefully the nights will soon do the same. Is the vocanic ash causing any problems in your garden?

Have a geat time this week out there in your garden!

Ruth said...

Marsh Marigold are blooming here too this week. Our yard is far to dry and sandy to support them. What a lovely tour of your spring blooms.

Cheryl said...

Hi Beckie....I am beginning to like peonies. Last year I visited blogs and many featured the pale pink blooms. That sold them to me. Rabbits dislike them, so that is great.

Funny you should mention volcanic ash. Mum and Dad came for tea today and I took them around the garden. I noticed a covering on the evergreens....what it is I do not know but my first thought was volcanic ash.

Some of the silver birch are already above Poppi. Give them a summer season and some tlc and they will be way above her.


Hope you are enjoying your garden Beckie......

Cheryl said...

Tku Ruth.....Marsh marigolds are such bright and cheerful blooms. It always amazes me just how long the flowers last.....

Nellie from Beyond My Garden said...

Rabbits and deer. Love them and hate them, don't we?
http://beyondmygarden.blogspot.com/

Cheryl said...

We do indeed....most certainly a love hate relationship.....

Rose said...

Don't you just love this time of year, Cheryl? Every day brings something new in the garden. You certainly have lots of new beauties here, though I still like the old faithfuls like the narcissus and the aquilegia. I like your choices in grasses--I do hope the rabbits stay away from these. That's something my garden is lacking--grasses, not rabbits--because I have trouble choosing a variety and where to put it. But I do share one bloom with you--our yard is covered with dandelions:) I'll dig them out of the garden, but I actually like them scattered throughout the lawn. Can't wait to see all the other new bloomers you have through the coming weeks.

Kevin Murphy said...

Hi Cheryl,

I love your blog - what a heavenly garden! Some great pictures of the Orange Tip - they are pretty hard to pin down, always on the move.

Q said...

Dear Cheryl,
Your gardens are amazing...so many different plants. All so beautiful. I love the way you know each plant and what is the best spot for them to grow and how they like growing near one another.
You are truely Mother Nature's daughter.
It is an exciting time of year. We are having a much needed rain shower today. Slowly I am getting my seeds in the ground.
It is Earth Day in the US.
I know how much you love your soils and your Earth....
May we all be good stewards.
Sherry

Gail said...

Cheryl, Those rabbits have voracious appetites...You need a coyote they have kept them out of my garden! I love euphorbias...and am totally surprised at how much. Your photos show how delightfully charming they can be! The peonies have buds here, too~~it's still sweet spring here~gail

Pat said...

Love the Chocolate Soldier...so different.
Have some tulips here but not where they were planted.
Everything looks bright and cheery...happy garden.

Amy said...

Cheryl, Your garden is obviously thriving despite your furry fiends. I love that you included a dandelion amongst the civilized species! My husband and I have an ongoing argument about the definition of a weed. I think some of them are actually attractive and, in some instances, deserve to have a "place."

I just planted a 'robbiae' Euphorbia - it's small, but I'm excited to see how it adapts.

Beautiful photos as usual!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Love columbine in general and have never heard of Aquilegia Chocolate Soldier in particular, but I love chocolate-named or scented plants. Will have to try growing it! For some reason I don't have huge luck with Aquilegia as much as I love them. Same thing with larkspur. Pout!