power plant

A few days ago I showed a picture of a very blue Pulmonaria, along with some other Pulmonarias, as one of my Five Favourites for April. Well, I knew I wanted to use it in a vase, so I decided to collect some other blue flowers to go with it. There are a couple of different Pulmonarias actually – the very blue ‘Benediction’, then the pale blueish/mauve-white(!) Ocupol, and another unnamed one. Muscari in all variations joined the party, as did the very blue Omphalodes verna, commonly known as Blue-eyed Mary. And at the front I added a sprig of Catmint (Nepeta) that has not quite opened yet but does show a hint of blue. I love using Alchemilla mollis leaves as a kind of collar for vases, so was pleased to see they are now large enough to cut. They even had fresh raindrops on them when I went out this morning, and had I been earlier they would probably have had frost on them. Yes, it is still cold here at night, and the days have been mostly cool, so my spring flowers are lasting we...

Around the middle of each month I regularly share five favourites growing in my garden and would love you to join me! This month I found it hard to select only five, as I love ALL my plants and there is much to choose from; the garden is slowly coming to life and the gaps are gradually filling in. Last month I chose Primulas as one of my favourites, and they are still going strong this month, spreading even further (with a little extra help from the gardener and her trusty trowel!) So for my first favourite this month I have chosen Primulas again, except it is actually one very special Primula. She opened on a cold March day, with frost and snow flurries, and looked quite pale and chilly. But she has filled out and now has the faintest pink tinge to her petals. She is adorable! Primula denticulata She is meant to be lilac/blue, but remains this delicate shade of mauve. Number two for April is the dazzling troll flower (I have decided it is a Ranunculus asiaticus, sadly not hardy...

Every Spring these beautiful tulips return in the Herb Bed, which may be the hottest and driest bed in summer, catching the coldest winds in winter. Isn’t it magic how something so pretty can survive such harsh conditions? And since they are doing so well I have picked some for a vase, as I join Cathy at Rambling in the Garden and the rest of the crew with a Monday arrangement. I think they are ‘Apricot Emperor’. Gorgeous! And after being in the warm house for a couple of hours they opened up completely… Now isn’t that nice?! This might just be my favourite tulip of all time. Talking of favourites, I’ll be posting my Five Favourites for April in a day or two, so why not join me? It will be hard to whittle it down to five this month! In the meantime, have a good start to the week and Happy Gardening!

We have had some beautiful weather recently, albeit often very windy. So being in the greenhouse to pot up plants and seedlings has been a pure joy, compared with trying to find a sheltered spot outdoors! (We don’t seem to have any sheltered spots outdoors as our wind always seems to come from all directions at once! LOL!) Naturally I have sown far too many tomatoes again, as I always allow for some not doing well. But this year the process of pricking out and potting on was so easy without battling the wind, that I had no casualties at all. Anyone want a tomato seedling or six? At our local DIY store I came across this tiny set of tools for pricking out and considered it a cheap gimmick to try out. Well, the mini trowels were SO useful! I am also glad I invested in some long-lasting sturdy seedtrays with lids as my old ones are getting brittle. I just realized that most of them are over 20 years old. I kept this beautiful Savia ‘Neon Rose’ in the (unheated) greenhouse all winte...

Hellebores are such pretty flowers, but many of them are difficult to see properly in all their beauty while in the garden. I decided to risk picking a whole bunch again… they don’t always last well in a vase so it IS a risk. I also used my very delicate daffodil vase which my Mum sent me by post a couple of years ago – miraculously it survived the journey so it gets handled with great care. I added some delicate spiraea foliage just emerging from my ‘Magic Carpet’ spiraeas. The leaves are this gorgeous shade of red, or are they perhaps orange? With hints of pink? It feels like a luxury to have so many flowers to pick from the garden at last! And how did the hellebores last this time? Well, after 24 hours I have only had one casualty so far. It will be strung upside down in the cellar – oh no, not a punishment! But an attempt to dry it for dried flower arrangements next winter! I am joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden – click on the link to see her vase today, and those li...

As I join Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her Monday meme (click the link for more vases), I am using a new vase which I have filled with old late-winter favourites. The vase has lots of small holes at the top, which means various stems can be held upright at the same time with no frog or pebbles needed to keep them in place. The title may have got you wondering… so let me explain. The wolves . ‘Wolf’s milk’ is the common name for Euphorbia in German (Wolfsmilch) and here at the front of the vase is my Euphorbia myrsinites in full flower. Sometimes it flowers in the middle of winter, but it is a bit later this year. It’s a wonderful plant for dry spots, especially rock gardens or pots, and seeds itself around against the wall of the house here. The dogs : red dogwood, Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’.  I still haven’t pruned it back as it looks so pretty and hasn’t started leafing out yet. (And it’s too cold out there anyway!) Then we have the roses ; ‘Christrose’ is t...