What's blooming today?

I treated myself to a little walk around the garden today, to make a record of what is flowering this sunny first week in March - as it's the first time in a while I've actually been able to walk around!

The little bed by the front gate has been looking very pretty for a few weeks already, with the snowdrops I put in in the autumn being joined by masses of my favourite purple crocuses which grandma must have planted and then forgot to tell me about.  This combination of the purple with the orange middle is really one of my all time favourites.  

I have had to pull up a fair number of little speedwell seedlings from here - I expect they were in the leafmould compost which I spread over the bed after planting the hydrangea 'annabelle' and tidying up generally back in the autumn.  The bergenias are doing well, though I would like them to bulk up more during this season and form more of a defined 'edging'.  The leaves have coloured beautifully in the cold temperatures, even though I have no idea of the variety, I am happy with how they look.  

There are also a great deal of celandine leaves making their appearance - again probably due to my own fault in weeding and forking over the whole area in the autumn I must have broken up and disturbed all the little bulbils and helped them spread around even more!  Whilst leaning on my fork contemplating this, Hil passed on her way home from the doctors and having discussed the situation we came the the conclusion that they are fairly cheerful in flower in spring, and then disappear underground conveniently afterwards - out of sight, out of mind - so I decided not to make my life more difficult by any foolhardy attempt to eradicate them here. I'll just enjoy them and welcome them as one of the few things that seems to thrive is this inhospitable patch under the beech tree!

Front gate patch in early March

Close up of my favourite crocuses!

 This week the blossom has appeared on the ornamental flowering cherry trees which line the driveway.  Having done a bit of the old internet research it seems most likely that these are Prunus cerasifera nigra, known as the 'Black Cherry Plum' or Purple leaved plum.  Funny, I always thought of them as flowering cherries, and last year we did have cherry like fruits dropping onto the driveway.  Leo tried to eat one and regretted it - I would have thought it a bad sign that the birds didn't want them!

Prunus cerasifera nigra just starting to open their blossom

Close up! Very pretty single flowers, very oriental looking

 Every time I look out of the bathroom window and see the huge red hips on the arch I thank my lucky stars I am not a tidy gardener!  If I had followed grandma's instructions to deadhead this to within an inch of its life then we would not have enjoyed this perfect display all autumn and winter.  Against a cool blue winter sky they are stunning and make me happy.

Need to gird my loins though - I will need to prune this climber in the next few weeks so the hips will be gone.  I must admit I am surprised the birds haven't eaten them though.

This is what she looked like on 18th May 2014

This was the rose that grandma planted on this arch for our wedding,  especially to match the fabric of our bridesmaids' dresses - and for once she was on the nail!  A lot of the other pink roses in the garden are not to my taste (and shhhh...don't tell anyone but I have already taken several out and 'lost' them) often being too much lipstick pink or salmon-orange crimson.  This one however is just right, a velvety dusky deep rose.  I found a label in grandma's box for a rose called 'Climbing Galway Bay' but I don't know if this is the one or not.  But I do know that it surprised me and I like it.  It was flowering from May onwards all the way through to the autumn.

A fitting ornament for the 'entrance' archway into the back garden - lovely dusky pink climbing rose

 The primroses have only begun to peep out this last 2 or 3 days - these are the earliest by the garage side door and probably the most sheltered and warm.  There will be lots more appearing along the driveway bank underneath the flowering cherries in the coming weeks.

Dainty self sown primroses

 The Iris reticulata clumps have been popping up reliably for a few weeks now in the woodland border - I must must must make some proper markers for them so that I don't dig them up by mistake later!! (Adds to increasingly long to-do list...)

Pale blue Iris reticulata - possibly 'Harmony' or similar?

Stunning and mysterious looking dark purple Iris reticulata possibly 'Purple Gem' or similar?

 Hellebores in this garden definitely require a concerted effort to improve their performance - after all, the conditions in the woodland border are ideal, I just don't think they are being used to their full advantage.  The dark purple variety which i know can look gorgeous, as I had a clump of them from here in my old shady front garden - but here seem to be languishing.  I left my old clump behind thinking that there would be enough here already - regretting this now!  My pretty paler freckled pink hellebores I did dig up and bring, but they are still in there pots by the greenhouse, waiting for the 'grand plan' to be formulated before they are given their permanent positions...There are a couple of clumps of this old toughie, which I think it might be useful to bulk out and increase their sense of presence. Also they feel like they ought to be a useful bombproof candidate for edging the more difficult shady areas under the big trees like the walnut and horse chestnut.

Its not Helleborus foetidus as the leaves are not sharply divided enough...Looks more like the Corsican hellebore to me 'Helleborus argutifolius' which should flower February-April, three lobed grey green spiny leaves.  Apparently it should enjoy full sun or partial shade, is evergreen and ideal for making an architectural statement in a mixed or shrub border...sorted then, really! I just need to remember to cut out the flowered stem to the base once the flowering is over, and then it should send out lovely fresh evergreen regrowth to flower again next winter/spring.  I will also have a thorough hunt around for any seedlings to pot on and spread about as it is supposed to seed readily but not enjoy being divided.

Helleborus argutifolius in the woodland border

 Well, the winner of the Camellia race is definitely this not-so-shy-and-retiring-type!  This is the camellia that lives underneath the magnolia tree, which I have contemplated removing.  But my heart is gradually being softened by it's winning ways....It seems healthy with no chlorosis (unlike most of the other poor camellias grandma was so fond of shoe horning in everywhere...), glossy evergreen foliage which I must remind myself is really very useful  - I know I don't currently have enough evergreen stuff in the garden, especially the circle bed, which is after all, the main view from the lounge and kitchen windows in the winter.  My concern was that she is very crimson red (but at least with no hint of salmon or orange) and so might clash with the magnolia when it is out?  However, in spring I'm often grateful for any colour I can get after the winter.  She should also at least sit happily with the bright and brash scarlets, purples and oranges I tend to veer towards for my tulips and wallflowers...Can you hear me convincing myself???!  I worried that she was a dreadful partner next to my precious beloved Rose 'Gertrude Jekyll' who is right behind...and actually if truth be said it is Gertrude who is in the wrong place really.  But I'm terrified to try and move her in case I lose her.  Is it just me or do camellia just not belong with roses?  Hopefully though the camellia will no longer be in flower when Gertrude begins to warm up her operatic muscles...I can't remember back to last May-June if they were out at the same time.  We shall monitor closely...

As yet unidentified Camellia, under the magnolia tree

 Of course, I could not resist a quick stroke of the magnolia buds while I was in the vicinity...

Furry fat buds on the Magnolia just waiting for their moment!

 And look what has appeared after I cleared away all the dead crocosmia leaves by Gertrude's feet! (This crocosmia - not flowering so no idea what colour - is another target to be rehomed somewhere more appropriate).  Sunshine in a plant...

Magic clump of sunshine yellow crocus amidst the crocosmia clump

This feels like it has been quite a useful exercise for me to ponder on things and remind me to put markers in before these treasures disappear below ground again! I may try to have a similar wander around the veg patch if the weather stays friendly.

xxx