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AN OPEN GARDENS PREVIEW

It's going to be a quick one this week.  I've been busy primping and preening ready for the village open gardens on Sunday and I've not left myself much time to write this post.  After weeks of trying to squeeze extra things into my allotted six, I'm now going to have to be brief.  Ironic, no? Numbers one to four are the Long Border.  I've written about it before, and how I based it on Gertrude Jekyll's design for her garden at Munstead Wood.  She trained as an artist before she turned to gardening and was au fait with the latest colour theories.  She designed these borders to start with white and blue.......... Snapdragon, Delphiniums, Rue and Aruncus moving from pale to deeper yellow... Coreopsis, Achillea and Monarda Then it's on to the reds and oranges... Lychnis, Nasturtiums, Lilies before returning to yellow and then blue. Agapanthus, Clematis, Anthemis My number five spot goes to these tomatoes.  I may have found the answer to our Six on Saturday comp
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NOVEMBER BONFIRES

 1. Did you 'Remember, remember the 5th of November'?  

There was no problem finding enough material to build a huge bonfire at Hortus Baileyana.  No matter how much I compost, shred or put stuff in the Green waste bins, the hedge cuttings, prunings and fallen branches keep building up.  



2. Golden leaves

The trees are dropping their leaves apace.  The Silver birch is holding on to its sprays of golden rain (apologies for the bad poetic analogy).  They light up the garden.








3. Winter Pansies

The Summer pots of Fushias and Pelargoniums have been moved into the greenhouse, and a more restrained display of pansies and primulas have replaced them.  Bulbs lie hidden beneath, waiting in the dark for Spring.


4. Or are they?  


The Muscari Cupido in this pot in the greenhouse, are making an early appearance.



5.Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve' 


This has been flowering all year, and because it is always there, it gets taken for granted overlooked.  I've also found it difficult to photograph.  I'm afraid this mostly in focus effort is the best I could manage.  But at least this little garden trouper has finally got a well deserved mention.




6. Final flourish


Look at this - Clematis Nelly Moser flowering now, out of season.  How interesting! Fancy that!  So I was rather surprised to find  The Propagator (the host of Six on Saturday) has exactly the same thing in his Six this week.  So maybe not so amazing, but still a lovely surprise.


That's all from my locked down garden for this week.  I hope you are finding plenty to keep you busy and warm in yours.  Until next week ...

Comments

  1. FRED7 November 2020 at 12:57

    My muscari are not yet there, but I have already noticed that the first daffodil leaves appear from the ground… Some signs of precocity!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hortus Baileyana7 November 2020 at 20:09

      It seems a bit early to me, but mine have the excuse that they are in the greenhouse not outside.

      Delete
  2. Gill Heavens7 November 2020 at 13:51

    Isn't it lovely when the first bulbs start to emerge?! Good old Nellie, she is a trouper, and the birch is a beautiful. Have a great week :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hortus Baileyana7 November 2020 at 20:10

      It is nice to know that the bulbs are on their way, even if it is still a few months until they flower.

      Delete
  3. Graeme7 November 2020 at 13:52

    I must get myself a Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve' or two next year. The Silver Birch leaves look a show.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hortus Baileyana7 November 2020 at 20:11

      They are easy to get going from cuttings, so you only need one to get started.

      Delete
  4. L7 November 2020 at 14:52

    Bowles Mauve is a good doer for most of the year as long as you take cuttings before it gets too woody. I'm after the orange coloured one now.

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    Replies
    1. Hortus Baileyana7 November 2020 at 20:13

      I've seen a lovely pale one which has a mixture of colours in each flower. Might have to treat myself one day!

      Delete
  5. Stasher7 November 2020 at 14:56

    Trees like the silver birch give so much pleasure all year round. Whoever came up with the name 'Cupido' desrves a prize. The person who selected that cultivar an even greater one. I miss our bonfires, the smell can be lovely too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hortus Baileyana7 November 2020 at 20:16

      It was lovely to have one in the evening, lighting up the night sky, and it kept us very warm.

      Delete
  6. Unknown7 November 2020 at 15:11

    My muscari put out their leaves in November every year. I think thats just how they roll...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hortus Baileyana7 November 2020 at 20:19

      I've not had much experience with them. I did plant some many years ago, but they never came back, so I'm having another go.

      Delete
  7. Lisa7 November 2020 at 17:24

    Birches are so beautiful. There a lot of them near me. I plan on getting their photos, then the leaves all drop at once before I get back!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Paddy Tobin7 November 2020 at 18:21

    That's a fine specimen of birch! And, it has excellent autumn colour, something lacking in many birches. I grow one, bred in Ireland, called 'White Light', a cross between B. utilis 'Jacquemontii' and B. costata and it has both good colour on the bark and good autumn colour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hortus Baileyana7 November 2020 at 20:29

      The colour seems particularly good this year. The trees have obviously been here for years and years (they are huge) so I've no idea as to variety.

      Delete
  9. Granny7 November 2020 at 21:00

    Two plants bringing back memories. As I wrote in my comment to Mr Propagator, Nelly Moser was the first clematis I ever bought and I grew the "perennial wallflower" for years. More to add to next year's list. 🤔🤨

    ReplyDelete
  10. Katharine - Tea Break Gardener8 November 2020 at 18:16

    Nice to see the Erysimum and it just so happens that I popped to the garden centre yesterday and bought a dwarf one for my rockery. I hope it flowers for as long as yours has - we all need garden troopers like that.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous9 November 2020 at 14:28

    Another year when I neglected to buy some muscari bulbs. What a roaring fire, that looks so warming and it does make a dent in the pruning pile! (N20 gardener here!)

    ReplyDelete

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