GREEN SHOOTS

There's been no Hortus for the last couple of weeks because there's not been much going on out there and I've been quite content to put my feet up and enjoy the Winter break.  But nothing stands still in the garden for long, and so I'm back.

We had some great sunshine mid week, and nothing sets off cherry blossom like a deep cobalt sky.  This Winter Flowering Cherry comes into bloom every January and continues for weeks.  There are plenty of buds still to come too.


The early bulbs are making a showing too.  These are Iris Reticulata, but there are also one or two snowdrops appearing in the 'Arboretum' (which is rather a pretentious name for bit of woodland with motley collection of trees that I'm unaccountably fond of).


As you may well remember there are quite a lot of roses in the garden.  In the height of Summer it looks like this.  


But at the moment it looks like this.  Some serious rose pruning is required.


As I hack away  prune the Margaret Merril roses I feel like I might be too harsh.  Time will tell.


Another plant which reappears early each year is this red/dark pink Pulmonaria.  The flowers are a little small so perhaps they haven't got going fully yet.


The Primulas in the urns on the Terrace have been going non-stop since late last year when I planted them up with some crocus and tulips.  Not much sign of the crocus yet, although I'm sure the squirrels will have missed a few.  I did dust them with chilli powder as advised.


To finish with there are the Winter Aconites.  Each Spring, I eagerly anticipate the arrival of the snowdrops, and I forget all about the Aconites.  They surprise me every time.



That's all from my garden for this week.  If you want more garden related goings on, don't forget to check out the Propagator, who hosts Six on Saturday.

Comments

  1. Every blog I am reminded of things I MUST have in the new garden. Another two on the list. Pulmonaria and winter aconites. This SoS is a very expensive occupation. And lovely rose pruning, not too harsh in my book.

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    1. Those two were both in the garden when we arrived. There wasn't much here, due to the rabbits, but they were. Just as well since I'm not brill at planning for Winter colour.

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  2. Pruning roses is so therapeutic, and as you pruned them well the year before to give such a good display, you have demonstrably mastered the art.

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  3. Lots of lovely cheerful signs of life. After seeing that pretty Pulmonaria I went out in search of one I planted a few months ago but have been unable to find it (not that I can remember where I planted it). I'm hoping it has just died back temporarily and will return in the spring...

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    1. This one is earlier than the others in the garden, so perhaps its just taking its time.

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  4. Bravo for the rose pruning over the years... are you starting now? I was thinking of waiting another month to prune mine because of the night frosts... I always start in March but maybe I could do it now because the temperatures are mild and this for at least a week.?

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    1. David Austin roses do theirs this time of year, so I'm taking my cue from them.

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  5. I'm not brave with pruning roses yet, but I may have to tackle them one year. Love the yellow aconites, they look so cheerful.

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    1. I went on a David Austin rose pruning course a few years ago, and they cautioned against pruning them in the first year or two anyway.

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  6. I was just doing a bit of rose pruning myself earlier...looking at yours I think I should have been a bit bolder, I always feel anxious that I'm taking too much off. So rabbits don't eat aconites? How about squirrels? I'm only wondering because one year I tried planting a few and they all disappeared without a trace, I thought it was the squirrels - should have tried the chilli powder trick. Lovely to see the cherry blossom against the blue sky.

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    1. The squirrels don't seem interested either, although I suspect that both they and the rabbits will investigate anything new, so if its precious I sometimes protect new plantings with some chicken wire or similar.

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