In a Vase on Monday: Oh so Totally…..!

by

I planted some long-sought-after Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ two years ago and this year they have really taken off. They are a gorgeous orange colour,  and the name is perfect. It was the natural choice for this week’s arrangement for Cathy’s In a Vase on Monday meme (Rambling in the Garden), and allowed me to use one of my favourite vases too.

I added another Geum, which may be Red Wings, but some of my labels have disappeared again! And some Spiraea ‘Magic Carpet’ which is looking stunning this year after all the rain we have had.

It has been a busy couple of weeks, with work on the new bed progressing. Here is a sneak preview, with my vase standing on the freshly spread woodchip mulch which will soon turn grey in the sun but is dazzling at the moment! (The plants still look so small!)

The complete bed will be revealed at a later date as there is still much to do. 😉

We have had some great gardening weather which has allowed me to catch up with chores… the runner beans are sown, tomatoes almost ready to go into their final containers, annual geraniums potted up. It’s beginning to look like summer here with no sign of any more frost, so fingers crossed. I have also finally got some weeding done today, just in time as some of the weeds were getting the overhand!

 

Now do go and visit Cathy to see what she and others are sharing from their gardens today.  And have a great week.

Happy Gardening!

Wild and Weedy Wednesday: Saxifraga granulata

by

I am resuming my weekly posts about wild flowers and ‘weeds’ – ‘Wild and Weedy Wednesday’ – that I started last year. I thought I would run out of plants last summer, after several months of posts, but found I was making lists of flowers to include this year! Anyway, if anyone wishes to join in with me and look at some of the wild flowers (or are they weeds?!) growing in our gardens, please do!

Last summer we did not mow the vast majority of our meadows at all, and have thus already noticed a difference in the wildflowers we are seeing. Today’s flower is a good example – we don’t recall having seen it here at all in 2023; Saxifraga granulata, or meadow saxifrage.

The creamy white flowers with striking yellow stamens have been bobbing around in the wind for over a week now, standing out on their dark stems at a height of around 40 cm. The flowers are perhaps 2 cm in diameter and have a kind of ‘vintage’ look to them.

They are found on hillsides of sandy dry grassland, where the soil is poor in nutrients and slightly acidic. I am very happy this native plant has made its way to our plot, as it is on the red list of endangered plants in Bavaria.

I wonder if you have ever seen this flower? Do share if it seems familiar, as I have no idea how widespread or rare it actually is.

Have a great Wednesday!

 

In a Vase on Monday: Lilac

by

At last one of my Lilac trees has produced so many flowers that I had no qualms at all cutting a few for a vase!

After some heavy rain yesterday the scent has dissipated already, but the flowers are still beautiful.

I decided to add just foliage to them, and trimmed the Salix integra ‘Hakuro Nishiki’, otherwise known as Flamingo Willow. Look at the new shoots – don’t they resemble Flamingo feathers? Many people grow them in the form of standards, tightly clipped, which I am not keen on. Mine is allowed to go a bit wild and spread its wings, but it does need a trim now and then.

I am joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for ‘In a Vase on Monday’ and if you aren’t already familiar with this meme, why not visit her and see what she and others from around the world are putting in their vases this week.

Happy Gardening!

In a Vase on Monday: The Return of Spring

by

Earlier this month I thought we were skipping towards summer, with everything turning green and growing like mad at such an incredible speed. But then April decided to take us back to winter for a couple of weeks! Well, now we are thankfully back to warm and sunny and the plants have resumed growth… they did actually slow down when it turned cold. And so at the end of the month things are flowering at the more or less ‘normal’ time and the Aquilegia are coming out. Perfect for this week’s vase, as I join Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for ‘In a Vase on Monday’.

I have some lovely pink ones as well as the common dark purple/blue. The shapes vary so much, and seeing them close up in a vase is enlightening.

Thia large bold pink one stands out well in the garden.

I added blue Nepeta and some Pulsatilla seedheads. You can see the pollen from the fir trees that has collected in this one…

The whole lot was more or less plonked into the nearest vessel suitable which happened to be my duck jug, one of the (almost-kitschy-but-not-quite) Wrendale collection. 😃

The Nepeta has since perked up – such an amazing plant that will flower on and off all summer if I cut it back now and then.

Hope you all have a great week.

Happy Gardening!

Viburnum ‘Aurora’ and ?

by

About two weeks ago, while we were still enjoying a warm spell, my Viburnum carlesii ‘Aurora’ in the Oval Bed came into flower.

I love this shrub and have another one at the front gate. I also grew it very successfully in my old garden. It has a wonderful fragrance, pretty pale pink flowers and shiny leaves.

As you may notice on these photos there is a bud next to the flower, tightly closed. I thought this was odd and had already noticed the foliage of part of the shrub was slightly different. But, I am embarrassed to admit, I never really took much notice of it.

A few days ago the second lot of buds opened, and some ugly white flowers, with no scent, appeared. Now, I took a closer look! All of the thicker and more textured foliage – which was a similar shape to Aurora – and the white flowers were on a second stem at the base of the shrub. This is the first time this part of the shrub has flowered.

I looked online for clues, but found nothing. I then remembered that the other Aurora shrub I have here also had another alien stem growing at its base which I lopped early on last year. On checking it, lo and behold! That lopped stem is also sprouting new leaves that look unmistakably like the native wild Viburnum opulus that grows in our hedges here.

So, my conclusion is that the rootstock of this hybrid decided – for whatever reason – to shoot and try and take over! I did not consider that this could happen. Did I perhaps plant them too deep, as can happen with grafted fruit trees?

I have removed the offending part of the shrub now (great material for starting off my new compost beds) and Aurora has been given breathing space again. The whole Oval Bed looks so much better! I hope she will now put on new growth and form buds for next year.

This will not deter me from planting another ‘Aurora’ in my new bed, which will focus on scented plants. I will, however, be more vigilant from now on. (By the way, work is resuming on the new bed this week as our rain has stopped and the wind is drying the garden up nicely. 😃)

I wonder if any of you gardeners have experienced the same with cultivated shrubs? I would love to hear if this is common or if it only occurs on particular plants.

Have a great Sunday

and

Happy Gardening!

 

 

In a Vase on Monday: Tantrums and Geums

by

The tantrums in my title refer to the April weather, not me. Although, as you can see in the photo below, yesterday did almost push me to the brink of tantrum-throwing!

Fortunately the snow didn’t settle properly but it is still very cold.

You may be wondering what that pile of soil is, slap bang in the middle of my garden…. let me explain. In the middle of winter I had the brilliant idea of making a new bed… most likely the final one in the flower garden. It will be right in the middle of the garden, between the Moon Bed and The ‘Edge.

So all that green expanse in the photos above will be filled. There will be a seating area in the centre of it, and the bed will contain only (or almost only) scented plants.

So after a couple of weeks of dry weather, and temperatures in the mid twenties (Yes, Celsius!) my Man of Many Talents set to work peeling off the grass with the tractor…

And at the end of the day this is what remained, ready to be hauled off the following day.

But then it rained. And it rained and rained all of the following week. And then to crown it all, yesterday it snowed, hailed, sleeted and rained. So removing all that heavy soil/grass sods will have to wait until the ground hardens up a bit, or we will have tire tracks all over the garden! The next stage will be tilling over the area and spreading mulch. Then some plants can go in and the seating area will be constructed.

So I must try and remain calm, pot on all the new plants I had bought that are waiting to go in the ground, and be patient… The weather forecast is not brilliant…

Joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her In a Vase on Monday meme will certainly help distract me.

A few early Geum flowers which were braving the elements have been snipped and put in my Etsy vase, along with some of the lovely Spiraea ‘Magic Carpet’ and a few Pulsatilla seedheads.

The Geums do have labels, but the wind was so icy that I didn’t linger to read them! 😝

I do hope your weather is nicer than ours this week and your gardening plans for 2024 can move forward! In the meantime, do visit Cathy to see her pretty vase  today.

Happy gardening!