The weather’s been pretty good all week when I’ve been holed up in my home office in the back bedroom, spending my time staring out of the window longingly at the garden whilst on conference calls, and finally it’s Saturday so I can get out there …… but it’s raining!
Sigh! I did pop out to see if there was anything of interest to share today and I got drizzled on and came back in with frizzy hair (not that it matters – can’t go anywhere for anybody to see anyway!) I did snap a few damp pictures though.
The first thing to take my fancy was this Rhododendron which I (surprise surprise) liberated from a sale table last year. It’s got bluebells growing through it at the moment. No idea how I managed to plant it without disturbing the bulbs!
I had no idea what colour it would be or how well it would grow, but it’s done me proud.
Speaking of bluebells, I’ll include them as my second point.
They seem to be out earlier than usual. Or maybe not earlier, but the time between the leaves emerging and the flowers appearing seems shorter. I remember in previous years getting really impatient for them to bloom but this year all of a sudden they’re there! If anything, you’d think it would’ve felt longer this year since I’ve pretty much been sat at home, chin resting on heel of palm, waiting for something (anything) to happen!
I’m not sure if this is a new thing, or if I’ve forgotten that we’ve had them in previous years, but some of my ‘blue’ bells are pink and white!
I’ve seen other people posting pictures of Dicentra Bleeding Heart in full flower and I admit to a bit of envious disappointment that mine was just a mass of leaves, but, progress is being made!
Hopefully I’ll be able post it in it’s full glory soon.
My Erysimum is looking beautiful. Another sale table find that has come up trumps. It has at least one flower for most of the year, but this time of year and through the Summer is when it’s at its best.
Spot the Grape Hyacincth photobombing the Erysimum!
My penultimate point is one of my two Geums. This was from, yep, you guessed it, the sale table. I bought it in Summer 2018 and it wasn’t spectacular that year, but Summer 2019 really saw it impress. I’m hoping that this year will bring more of the same.
The first bud has already opened, and there are plenty more where that came from! I acquired a second Geum last year (no need to tell you where from) and I’m hoping it’ll follow suit and come into its own this Summer. It’s a beautiful bright yellow so the two complement each other well.
I’m going to finish with a pile of what can only be termed cr*p!
I’m putting this here in the hopes that it’ll give me motivation to get rid of it so I can post a cleared space later in the year. It grew and grew last year! There’s leaves, branches, weeds aplenty, slabs, pots and goodness knows what else under here and I need to get rid!
If anyone would like to take part, or read other Sixes this week, check out the Propagator’s blog. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the weekend. The weather’s looking more promising tomorrow.
Green Girl Gardener 
Hi Sarah, The difficulty with having a super tidy garden is that Hedwina the hedgehog has nowhere to hide and make her nest. I enjoyed your blog regards Ken
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Very true! A definite consideration. I’d like an insect hotel so maybe I can add a hedgehog house 😁.
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Dicentra is something I do not bother with in the landscapes. It never looks good. However, there is a native species that does quite well just a short distance from the landscapes. What is even worse is that the garden varieties that looked so badly in the garden tossed seed that, for a while, did great in drainage ditches outside of the main landscape!
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The Rhododendron is very pretty with those beautiful purple blooms. Such a lovely Erysimum, even if the grape Hyacinth is determined to get itself noticed!
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Thank you – it was a lovely surprise after not knowing what it would look like!! 😁
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bluebells are indestructible. I love them in a woodland setting, but they are an implacable foe in my garden. however carefully I dig the buggers up they always come back. maybe not the next year, but definitely the year after.
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Yep! We have millions of them and they multiply every year! They’re pretty when the bluebell is out, but I don’t really care for the leaves.
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The Erysimum is a lovely colour. I had Bowles Mauve but it had got exceptionally woody so I took it out. I’m waiting for the cuttings I took in the autumn to grow a bit. Good luck clearing that space
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