The poor garden doesn’t know whether it’s coming or going at the moment. Scorching heat one minute, cold and wet the next. We have heavy rain forecast for Sunday and Monday but today there is just a lingering grey chill. Welcome to April in the UK.
Anyway, here are my six for this week, joining in with our lord and master The Propagator – check out the comments on his blog to see what his other subjects are up to this week.
1. Tulip fever…
…is continuing unabated in our garden. I honestly do not remember ordering the pink and green ones, but I am loving them. If anyone can enlighten me as to the variety I would be most grateful. The red ones are Ile de France and in the herbaceous border we have a mix of Bleu Aimable, Queen of the Night, Ballerina, Princess Irene and Curly Sue.
2. The Charleston Bleeding Heart
I was wandering around the garden last weekend when I suddenly noticed this rather impressive Lamprocampnos spectabilis, which I hadn’t been expecting. I realised that it must have come in as a small fragment with the Salvia ‘Amistad’ I was given this winter by head gardener Fiona, who didn’t feel it was in keeping with the 1930/40s garden she is aiming for. I have to say I am rather impressed by it’s determination.
3. Choisya ternata
A welcome side effect of cutting down the massive box which was dominating this part of the garden has been to open up this vista of the Mexican orange blossom, which has just come into flower this week.
4. Perfect peony
I thought this peony was lost as for weeks I could see no sign of it when others were posting pictures of theirs, but it has suddenly shot back into life. Its flowers when they emerge are a pretty pink, totally the wrong colour for this bed, which is meant to be bright jewel colours, but they are so lovely for a week or two that I cannot bear to move it.
5. Guilty purchases
We all do it – buy plants on a whim – and I couldn’t resist this Delphinium ‘Guinevere’ and Iris ‘Indian Chief’. I am now wondering whether to go back and buy two more of each on the principle that three of any plant makes a garden design?
6. Granny’s bonnet
This rather fetching purple aquilegia has self-seeded in front of the raised bed, in which you can just see carrot and calendula seedlings poking through (the plastic mesh is to stop next doors’ cats trampling/ pooing on the plants).
That’s all until next weekend, when we are forecast slightly better weather for the bank holiday! (Which for Britain means 15C and a mix of sunshine and cloud.)
Those pink / green tulips look really unusual. They look like the flowers should catch the sunlight really well (assuming we get more sunshine, that is!)
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Get more plants, get more plants….
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Yes definitely get two more of each! But then I love delphiniums and Irises. I made a decision when planting the new garden to stop buying singles of anything unless it is for a spot feature. It’s made me sow more things from seed – delphiniums – and think more about what I really want to buy! Really like that tulip – hope someone comes up with a name!
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Nice photo’s of the tulips. I agree definitely get 2 more of each…..there is no such things as to many plants!!!
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You’ve got some very welcomed squatters in your garden at the moment. Fancy getting a stealth bleeding heart w/your salvia. And I love a Mexican orange blossom. So much spicy aroma. As to guilty purchases, I’m w/the others – buy buy buy. Love that iris. Hope to see a photo when it blooms.
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The green/pink tulip could be Greenland (Viridflora) a semi-fluted variety. It is absolutely gorgeous! And your bleeding heart is way ahead of mine.
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You should definitely go back and get more!
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That’s a really lovely aquilegia! And stunning tulips. Is your tulip ‘China Town’?
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No, too narrow and ‘China Town’ isn’t nearly as nice (just googled). Yours is stunning.
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Thanks – I think I must have been sent a (very lovely) rogue packet of bulbs!
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The pink and yellow tulip is really interesting in shape and twistiness of petals. I usually only buy one of things, thinking I’ll do cuttings, or divisions, then I don’t do them and regret my decision, so I say buy more delphiniums and irises!
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Yes I will – that seems to be the consensus!
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Everyone has tulip fever now. All the SOS posts have tulips!
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There ought to be a law against posting photos of gorgeous plants for which the poster does not have a name. My best guess is that your unidentified tulip is a viridiflora variety Groenland (Greenland). Can’t be sure as I’ve seen photos identified as this variety but with different petal shapes. Look at https://www.thompson-morgan.com/p/tulip-greenland/t55713bTM for a rounded petal shape and then look at http://blog.gardenloversclub.com/ornamental/different-types-tulips/ and scroll down to the viridiflora section to see something more like yours.
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I love the little Aqulilegia!
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Lord and master! Ha. On to more serious business. Repeat after me. There is no such thing as too many plants. Get 4 more of each!
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Just been back and they have run out of Delphinium ‘Guinevere’… makes mental note to always buy 3 (or 5?) of each.
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Lovely!
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