Coming into flower at last

Well here we are, nearly at the end of May and the garden is beginning to look like a garden.  Two years here and I am still not used to how late the season begins this far North.  I have a friend who sent me pictures of her Granny Bonnets (aquilegias) all in flower over a month ago and that garden is in Salford not the sunny south.

We have just finished Chelsea week - even though there wasn't a Chelsea thanks to Covid.  As a passionate follower of all things gardening on TV it was really quite odd not to see the buzz and prettiness of all that's new in plants and of course drool over all the gorgeous gardens we see - well almost all of them. 

Up here we had two days of strong winds whipping through the garden.  On inspection we found loads of flower buds just snapped off and strewn around with the leaves.  I can't remember ever seeing this before.  You expect the wind to snap the stems of soft new growth and even pummell plants flat but not to daintily nip round the garden snipping off buds.

 

As always the west facing border is filling up faster than the east one.  I have pruned the straggly lopsided (but wonderful) Early Sensation clematis back in hopes of getting some nice summer growth on it that I can tie in to where I want it to flower next spring.  

I think the mass of geum is Mrs Bradshaw and she is doing well.  

The rose - Wollerton Old Hall - is healthy and looking promising so far.  It, and its partner - Shropshire Lad - across the way, are twelve foot climbers but they proved to be a pain to have to keep tying in at the back of a five foot border so I contacted Peter Beales and asked if they could be pruned savagely this year and treated like a shrub rose.  The good news is that they are really a sort of overgrown shrub rose that Beales discovered made good climbers so I was told by all means bully them back into shrubs, which is what is happening this year.  I am expecting them to flop badly though when their large roses weigh the branches down.  Fingers crossed they don't.

The clematis was an Aldi buy the year we moved in and didn't have a label so is an unknown.  It is a bit of a strange one - very patchy and stripey.  I am wondering if it has a virus???

I have no idea why these delightful daisies cheer me so much but they do.  Mexican Fleabane (Erigeron).  I have them in broken patches along the edge of the gravel garden so they are pretty much always in sight when I am sitting down there.

In mt veg trugs the carrots (back row) and spring onions have germinated, so all the veg trug planting has been a success so far.

I can't believe how brilliantly the cheap little winter hanging baskets are still doing.  We do try to be thorough with watering and feeding them.  I am sure I got two of them for ten pounds from Dobbies late last autumn.

We have the first rose out, always a bit of a celebration - Shropshire Lad.  Quite a small version which I hope continues to be the case so the rose 'bush' stays tidy.

Luckily our gardener doesn't do the best job when it comes to weeding - though to be fair this time he may have thought I might want these self-seeded-whatever-they-ares.  I am hoping they are foxgloves but as of now I really have no idea.  I am going to give them another week and then remove carefully and put in pots to grown on and see what I have.  They might be big enough to go back in the border in the autumn - always assuming I am not cultivating a weed.

These two seedlings without a doubt are verbena bonariensis and are ready for their little pots - a job for the weekend.  Sadly I didn't plan any 'nursery' areas in this garden as I had no intention of gardening any more when we came to this house - lawn and two shrub borders and somewhere to sit was the idea behind the layout.  I am now struggling with what I would like to be doing/growing versus what the layout will let me do.

My granny bonnets are finally catching up with my Salford friend's.

I am sure I must say this every time but I have no idea how you capture a garden in a photo - it always looks decidedly boring and even a bit pathetic but when you are in it I assure you it isn't.

This is the rather odd clematis - doesn't look quite right to me.

I have four of these poppies - that should be preceded by 'unfortunately' - it is a colour I really don't like but, as they are bonny and healthy and flowering well I haven't the heart to bin them or even give them away.  I think it is a case of trying to appreciate them for their gusto and somewhere down the line replace them.  I do have two new ones added this year - Royal Wedding (white) - which I know I love.  I hope they manage to flower this year. 

Whilst on the subject of colour...........  my gardens have always, but always, been colour themed.  At the last house the back garden was all cool colours - pinks, blues, whites and blends of that and the front garden had all the hot colours, reds, yellows, oranges.  This one was thrown together in a hurry with the idea of swapping stuff out over the years until it was where I wanted it.  So I have ended up with combinations like this which in anyone's rule book is a no-no..... and you know what I love it.  Maybe I will become a fan of Great Dixter in the end.

Yet more plants going in

We got our fourth lot of plants from Dunbar Garden Centre today and I can't recommend them enough.  There have been a couple of minor issues with orders - one my fault entirely and one sort of theirs and both were sorted instantly and brilliantly, so their customer service is excellent.  The plants are as fresh as a daisy (😂) and prices are fair.

This is a collection for the two patio box planters that I thought I might leave as their winter planting is still looking OK.  A day later I realised that I wouldn't be happy with that in the summer and it would be too late then to get basket plants.

We have also picked up bird food from Dunbar so we topped up again today with some half coconuts as they get stripped in an day or two.

properly cleaned out

The plants that went in a week ago are doing well.

The dwarf runner beans don't look all that bonny but it is entirely my fault.  When we picked them up they really should have been given a week outside to harden off instead of which I wrenched them out of their cells and separated them from each other and stuffed them in a larger box just in time for a couple of very cool days and nights.  All in all it was a bit of a shock to the system.  That said I can see that they will toughen up and recover OK.

On one of the previous purchases I bought a box of purple sprouting broccoli for my new veg troughs and then found out they need a pretty big space to grow.  I gave them away but decided to grow two (one in each box) for curiosity value if nothing else.

All the border perennials transplanted well and are looking just fine - this is a couple of delphiniums

The lettuce has grown quite a lot in a week

....... and so has the rocket.

two rows of seeds are germinating OK.  This the land cress at the front of the box - they will need a huge amount of thinning out

The radishes are doing OK but are also a bit overcrowded



I made quite a few mistakes/miscalculations with this year's buying all I can claim is that it has been a bit of an issue (understatement) shopping around here there and everywhere and nowhere actually being touchy feely.  I did 'decide' in March that I would just give this year a miss but, once agardener always a gardener, the call to plant is irresistable.  

A previous order contained six lots of gypsophila - a regular favourite border fluffer upper.  When it arrived I realised that it was the small trailing variety for hanging baskets.  By then my baskets and pots were planted so now I have a pair of hanging baskets containing just gypsophila.   Mmmmmm, time will tell

One pretty big mistake was jumping on an offer of two jasmine for twenty pounds.  Long story follows.... when we moved in I planted two trachelospermum jasminoides for the trellis on the sheds, having intended to plant common jasmine bought I bought the wrong variety.  I realised when planting that the water table there was about six inches below the surface and they would pretty much have their feet in water and probably not thrive.  As predicted they just got sicker and sicker.  Out they came last summer and I planted another climber (forget what) in boxes and stood those on the spot.  They also hated it and were as dead as a dodo in March.  I went back to my first intention which was to plant a thug of a jasmine that can cope with most things -Jasminume officinale - common jasmine and then I did exactly as I had done before and bought the wrong one - how can you do this twice you might ask - easy - excited by a bargain online at ten o' clock at night both times!

So, like a twerp here they are again in a place which I know killed the last pair.  basically I don't have anywhere else to put them.  Will wear thinking cap for a week or two and see if I can come up with inspiration.  What I really need is ken to make me a raised bed there for them to go in.

Last, but not least, this is a bit of a sweetie -  a pre-planted basket for £8.99 from Dunbar which should look great in a couple of weeks.

The (Covid) Garden in May 2020

We are currently in week nine of lockdown thanks to Coronavirus-19 and it has had an effect on the garden this year for sure.  Having no access to garden centres and local shops etc I haven't been able to find bits and bobs to fill the odd gaps and am currently waiting on a few plants to help it out.  For example we have dug up eight verbena bonariensis (they were decidedly straggly after two years and the winter) and are STILL waiting for their replacements - heaven only knows when they will arrive or what they will be like.

I have managed, again with a struggle, to get some salad stuff and beans planted but not quite what I wanted or the standard I would like.

If you can stand to just look at thirty-three photos, this is where it is right now.

Front garden has finally got a tree.  One year without one,followed by one year with a dead one planted.  At last we seem to be OK.  It never had a flower on it as it is a winter flowering cherry but at least it has come into leaf now.  Prunus subhirtella.  The usual two olives and the pot by the door. 

The pot by the door is a bit sad looking as yet but it will flourish I am sure.  Lovely plants using click and collect from Dunbar Garden Centre.  Downside is I muddled up which plants were going where so it will be a bit of a muddle in terms of colours I think.

Our olive trees were loaded with olives this year.  I am wondering if I should remove them so any strength goes into the plant rather than the fruit.  Must check it out.  Seems a shame as they are rather decorative.

South east

South West

North West

North east.  Surrounded by houses for sure!  It would be lovely if everyone planted trees.  I want two more - maybe in the autumn as we need this flipping virus to be over to even get to the nursery.  I need decent size trees at 75😊 so need to go to R B for the best price and then pay to get them planted as we did with the amelanchiers. 

Fern looking pretty sad - needs to put on new growth and then be trimmed.  The pot is overstuffed.  It could do with dividing.

Patio seating area spends most of the day in shade.  Deliberating whether to order a set of furniture we like but have sat in to test drive it.  It is a metal frame.  Does anyone know if metal furniture gets silly hot in the sun and would be a bad buy?

Susan Williams-Ellis roses doing fantastically well again.  They have some greenfly though, so maybe need to spray them.  

Top third of  East facing border.  My poor old Buddha is lacking a pretty plant behind him and something by his feet.

The middle of the east facing border.  Actually saw a starling drink from the bird bath.... makes it all worthwhile 😂

The bottom of east facing border.  Each border is theoretically planed in three sections.  Each area has a focus - a rose or bird feeder (or both!) then symmetrical planting either side which s then repeated in the next third.  Not quite worked out that way of course.  We thought this year we would dig up and move around stuff and start again.  Maybe not.

Gravel/veg seating area.  Gets the sun most of the day.  The long planters on the front edge and the pots have runner bean plants in them from Dunbar - no variety name so who knows what I will get.  Right now i just have not very promising floppy seedlings.  Needless to say a day after planting those my hestia bean seeds arrived after a five week delay.  Grrrrrrr

Early sensation clematis in top of west facing border

middle of west facing border

The bottom third of the west facing border.  I finally got a clematis planted in the obelisk.... downside is, it is the wrong one.  I chose this, discovered it reaches fifteen feet so chose another with a six foot growth but forgot to alter the order.  😱

Very cheap winter hanging basket bought last year and still doing its thing

One of my all time favourites coming back into flower - Fleabane

One of many purple sprouting broccoli I bought before I found out they need a lot of room!

One of a pair of newly planted hanging baskets - plants from the Dunbar pick up

Lavender doing just fine by the seats

Strawberries looking strong

Love looking up through the amelanchier

Our posh new trugs.  They are called 'Veg trug' and should have their name emblazoned on the front but me, being me, didn't want that so it got turned to the back.  they take a ton of compost.

Each trug contains the same.  Right now they have lettuce and rocket plants and.......

 .............. carrots, spring onion, radish and American land cress seeds

close up of the 'early sensation' clematis.  I am tempted to fill the fences with them.  We have wire on all the fences but I am uncomfortable with my stuff poking its way through the fence.  The neighbours all say they are OK with it but it does seem intrusive.  I am used to having fence panels and hadn't thought about the implications of this sort of fence

lonely little bluebell struggling through

Another winter pot still flowering its socks off

Sea thrift edging the west facing border

Our new bird feeder in hopes we can actually attract some birds.  So far just the usual pigeon, magpie and starling thugs.

Take a last look at the herb bed.  I am waiting for three parahebes to arrive and when they do this rosemary, sage and thyme will be out and they will be in.

So if you have plodded through that lot drop me a line here or via email with any thoughts, suggestions etc.  I will do a high Summer set of photos for the record in a couple of months.  Hope we are back to something like a normal life by then.  Meanwhile, Stay home, stay safe, look after yourself.