BLUEBELLS AND BLOSSOM

There's been plenty happening in the garden this week.  The leaves are beginning to unfurl on the hedges and trees and perennials are making rosettes of leaves too.  There are many things to do at this time of year and this prolonged dry spell, while in some ways unwelcome, has meant that those jobs have been done.


1. Enjoying the Garden

But before all that hard work, a morning stroll through the Arboretum (note the capital A) is required.  The Spring sunshine casts wonderful shadows.  A few Bluebells are beginning to open and a scattering of Forget-me-nots add touches of colour here and there. 



The last of the Narcissus and the Erythroniums add yellow highlights to the lime greens of the emerging foliage.


At the bottom of the Arboretum is a very large Cherry tree with sprays of double white blossom.  I think it is a Prunus avium 'Plena', a cultivar of the native wild Cherry.  






Lovely - but what about all the jobs you've got done? you may well ask.  But the photos are so dull, I reply.  

2. Dahlias

If you zoomed in on this picture you would see all the little plastic tags marking where the dahlia tubers have gone in.  For the last few years I've potted most of these up and grown them on in the greenhouse, so that by the end of May I'm not looking at bare soil.  But it's a lot of work so this year the tubers have just gone straight in. 

Also put straight in were the Nasturtium seeds to fill the space at the front.  If it works this should be another time saving as I've always sown them in pots before.





3. Crab Apple Blossom

More beautiful blossom has opened on the Crab Apple trees.  The combination of the deep pink buds opening to white flowers is quite lovely.


I hope you enjoyed that, because another dull one is coming up.

4. Onions!

Yes - I finally got round to putting in the onion sets.  My excuse was its been a bit on the chilly side, so they probably wouldn't get growing until it warmed up a little.  I'd slightly (!) over ordered, being enticed by the thought of three different varieties, so they've filled up a whole bed, meaning I won't have room to sow the carrots (which have never come up anyway).


Ready for another pretty one?

5. Narcissus Segovia


I've tried a few new (to me) miniature Narcissus this year.  This has been the last of them to flower and is called Segovia.





6. Myrrhis Odorata

It was a toss up between a picture of an overflowing greenhouse or Myrrhis Odorata for number six.  I figure that you probably have the first option at home anyway so I went for the Myrrhis.  Also known as Sweet Cicely (which is lovely or terribly twee depending on your taste), this ferny foliage looks like many of the white flowered umbellifers which are widely grown but is a perennial. I confess to having failed to grow this from seed, and had to buy the plant instead. 



That's all I have time for this week, but do check out the other posts on the Propagator who kindly hosts Six on Saturday.

Comments

  1. Re bluebells: I came on a sliver of old woodland, an awkward angle between fields and a railway track which was left untouched and came on some native bluebells there along with great patches of red campion and early purple orchids - a tiny treasure house

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  2. Hello, I left a comment earlier but something went a bit wonky on my phone. Along the lines of: lovely woodland walk - a great way to start the day; good idea when pressed to cut a few corners, I always find nasturtiums very reliable and they usually do show up where I sow them; and Sweet Cicely, I love the delicate ferny foliage but the one I planted last year disappeared over winter and hasn't come back sadly. Maybe too cold for it?

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    Replies
    1. It's a shame about your Sweet Cicely. It's been pretty cold here and they survived, but maybe you were just that little bit colder.

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  3. I think Narcissus Segovia may have to be added to my bulb list. Lovely, as are all the blossoms. Any seeds you can sow directly into the ground to save the faff of potting on sounds good. Which reminds me, I must sow my Alyssum.

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    1. I've got lots going on in the greenhouse this year particularly with all those mini plugs I mentioned a couple of weeks back, so I'm hoping the Nasturtiums and the Calendula I sowed today will come up ok.

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  4. Planting dahlias in the ground is my job for tomorrow. I still have a dozen to plant and another dozen are already in a pot, growing quietly in the greenhouse.
    I grew 'Rumba' onion last year and the result was satisfying. They are preserved properly

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    1. I've got a few more Dahlias to put in too. Thanks for the info about the Rumba onions.

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  5. The Arboretum looks great - a pleasant place to wile away a bit of time.

    I really like Sweet Cicely, it grows in a garden I work in but I wasn't sure what it was for a long time. It has an interesting smell to it.

    Segovia looks like a nice one. It's good to see a daffodil in good form so late in the season.

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  6. Yesterday I saw a few seedling nasturtiums coming up in the garden. Not having your own Arboretum puts you in the league of the fortunate.

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