Angie's Garden Diaries

The weather here is still very mild and temperatures forecast are well above what we would normally be experiencing here in Scotland. I took the opportunity to get out mid week and move the Firethorn. It's a job I've been dreading to do for sometime. I never really liked the spot I chose for it. I had hoped to be able to train it along wires attached to the fence on the shadier side of the garden. Although it wasn't unhappy, it generally was healthy enough and was putting on growth but keeping it in check with pruning meant I was loosing flowers and ultimately the berries or pomes as they are correctly called.

June 2013

In this image you can see my attempts at trying to keep it contained and tied up to wires evenly spaced at around 1ft apart. My attempt at Espaliering (is that a word - it doesn't look right) was never going to work not with having to contend with all the surrounding plants either. Still, it has shown me how easily it can be done given the right amount of space to work and better knowledge of the pruning requirements.

I was really quite surprised at how
easy it lifted from the ground. I managed a decent sized root ball considering it's surrounded by other plants. The snowdrops that grow around it's base were carefully lifted with as much soil as I could get - they were barely above the soil, time will tell if I've ruined their chance of flowering.

The receiving hole had been dug and it was given a good watering earlier in the day. The soil in this part of the garden is good. Over the years I kept the weeds down with a bark mulch - this in turn has rotted down into the soil. Bonemeal was forked into the base of the hole and the back fill to provide some slow release fertiliser.

January 2014

A good mulch to protect the roots if the weather takes a sudden turn. A redundant broken length of trellis was mended and added to the fence to provide a support for the framework of branches.  The branches were surprisingly quite pliable and didn't take much persuading, much to my relief.  On this back fence the Pyracantha will get sun for most of the day, it will prefer this spot. It's been liberated! The bees of course will benefit as it will be more prolific in it's flowering and berry production for the birds. You can just make out a tiny cluster of the only berries it has produced this year.  The Aucuba still needs moving - it was happy enough in the shade that was once provided by the shed but I fear it will suffer in the sun.  The Griselinia littoralis is still doing nothing for me but I am loathe to discard it as it's made some good height this last couple of years. All I know is that it can't stay there!

Messing around with Firethorn in the garden can be quite hazardous. Those huge thorns are lethal - I speak from experience but this time not a a single drop of blood was shed, I kid you not.

When I was finished - I stood back, took stock and congratulated myself for getting this done.  My hands caked in mud and very, very dirty fingernails. It's all good!

I've been eager to take part in the End of Month View meme hosted by Helen over at The Patient Gardener's Weblog for sometime but could never quite make up my mind on a suitable subject.

Now that I'm carrying out a wee bit of a rejig at the top of the garden - I think I'd find it useful to record the progress I make and of course I hope you'll enjoy reading about it too!

The area in question, as you can see in the picture below, previously housed the garden shed. It faces south west and should get sun for most of the day. I say 'should' because as yet, I'm not quite sure how much shade will be cast by moving the shed to the other side of the garden. Judging by the amount of sun it's getting at the moment, I suspect there will be little shade come late spring.

Before the move December 2013

The shed was moved mid December and here's a shot of the area, warts and all! As you can see a bit of clearing up was needed, as well as new trellising. It was at this point I decided that the trellising that runs the entire length of the garden would be better off raised. The trellis was an after thought when the fence was replaced and it was easily enough done over a couple of afternoons. It now gives a good height but at the same time doesn't block the sun from the neighbour's greenhouse - something they were keen not to have happen when I started replacing the fencing a couple of years back.

Shed gone!

Mid January 2014

There is a distinct drop in height between the 2 areas. I've used log edging as a retainer for the top section. Best to work with what I've got - rather than to try level out the difference between them.

Part one of this makeover will be to choose shrubs that will eventually hide the fencing. There are other areas in the garden that are currently a tad over subscribed in terms of planting. I find I'm never able to judge just how much room a plant needs and therefore end up having to move them way too soon. I know that I'm not alone in that respect. I've currently a Buddleia, a Physocarpus and a Hydrangea paniculata that could do with a new home. I do though want to fill that corner (where the Aucuba currently resides) with the Sambucus nigra Black Lace and Cotinus Golden Spirit struggling away in a pot that really would benefit with it's feet in the ground.

This next shot - taken from a slightly wider angle, gives an idea on where the border will continue from. I've humphed all those slabs round to the side of the house this afternoon, hence the divits you can just make out in the lawn. Next job will be too mark out a better shape for the border, move the edging stones and try to figure out how to soften the corner of the deck/steps.

End of Month View January 2014

It's a long way off being the finished product but I'm excited to just be this far on so early in the year - I really didn't expect to get started on this until March but as the weather has been kind, I'm well ahead of schedule.

I know many of you have far better vision than I have - Can any of you suggest how I might be able to work a tree into my plans. I've a Coral Bark Maple - Acer palmatum Eddisbury to be exact that copes with full sun, the area I think/hope should be sheltered enough from the winds by the shed. It has a mature height of 4m (according to label) so should be short enough not to interfere with the telephone lines. Of course, if you have suggestions for an alternative tree, I'd love to hear them. Providing you don't think I'm imposing that is!

Thanks for reading and I hope that by this time next month - I will have made a bit more progress. Have a good weekend! Oops, I almost forgot to thank Helen for hosting - so thank you Helen.

p.s. The first snowdrops are just about out. Well over a month earlier than last year. It's all good thus far this winter!

The post I'm about to put together really is a rushed job.  Two reasons for that, the first is that I'm having a little away day tomorrow with a couple of gardening friends and since it will be dark when I get up and dark when I get home - there will be little chance of getting some pictures together. The second, here's me in a hurry to get some shots of what's in flower and realise the battery in the camera is as dead as a dodo! Just as a watched pot never boils - uncharged batteries don't replenish themselves as quickly as you'd like. With light fading fast, cloud coming in, rain threatening and wind battering almost everything around - I stood little chance of getting decent pictures.

Unlike most of you putting together some wonderfully written blogs this Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, mines is rather short and sweet - a bit like myself, eh, maybe not! Short, certainly but sweet, I doubt that would be an adjective used to describe me, EVER!  However, all is not lost, there's lots more to see over at May Dream Gardens where Carol hosts the Garden Blogger's Bloom Day meme on the 15th of every month.  I'm just a few hours early and I will get round to linking and reading on Sunday.

It was nigh on impossible to get a decent picture of snowdrops today.  I have no named varieties growing in the garden. All are plain old Galanthus nivalis - with a few doubles thrown in for good measure.   Every snowdrop growing in my garden was rescued last year from a garden that was about to be covered in concrete - the elderly lady who lives there needed her path widened and an access ramp put in.  These little beauties would have otherwise been ripped out. I jumped at the chance to rehome them.  I divided up the large sized clumps and planted the smaller clumps around the garden in the hope that they will naturalise and spread around.

Everyday is a school day isn't it. A common name for Snowdrops I had never heard before was Fair Maids of February - they are indeed this February. I found this verse which really does sum up the weather here right now.

FEBRUARY fair maids,
  All along the lane,
Dancing with the breezes,
  Nodding to the rain,
Whispering tales of Springtime
  Through the snow and sleet,
February fair maids,
  Brave and bright and sweet.

February fair maids,
  Soon you'll disappear,
Soon the swallow's twitter
  Tells that Spring is here.
Soon the rose and lily
   Laugh 'neath skies of blue
February fair maids,
  None so brave as you.

February fair maids,
  Dancing down the lane,
Bowing to the breezes,
  Smiling at the rain,
Lifting laughing faces
  Through the snow and sleet–
February fair maids,
  Brave and bright and sweet.

by Norah M Holland (1876-1925)

The hellebores are just about coming into their own - a few will be the first time they have flowered in the garden. Plugs plants bought back in 2011. They have now reached flowering size but are as yet still tightly budded. They were a mix of White Spotted and Red oriental type hybrids.

My favourite Hellebore - Helleborus x ericsmithii Winter Moonbeam is rather fickle. Turning it's first flowers away. Still, lots more to come over the next few weeks. Mental note to self - do not cut out old foliage, it doesn't look nearly as spectacular as it did when it was new last year. Gardening is a learning curve isn't it? That's one mistake I won't make again.

Another Oriental Hybrid, which should have a name but was purchased a while before I realised how useful it would be to keep labels.

Winter flowering Violas and Pansies still doing their bit. I am fair pleased with these Violas and Pansies but boy does it give me concern as to where those pesky slugs have gone. I have visions of them gathering in their masses just beyond the fence waiting to do reek havoc. In years gone by the war against those slimey garden critters always began on Valentine's Day. I am now coming into the 3rd year of using no chemicals in the garden. Perhaps the garden has reached a natural balance and is now taking care of itself. I really would like to think so, time will tell.

Many of the Primula are budding up and starting to look good again, they took a right knocking in the long dry summer. Primula bracteosa is the first to open it's flowers. I almost missed these - Heuchera Obsidian has all but collapsed round about it.

Primula bracteosa

Just in case any of you are interested - here's what Kevock Garden, a reputable nursery and garden to the south of Edinburgh say about it.

The petiolarid primulas (section Petiolares) are classic Himalayan (and Chinese) plants, thriving in cool, damp places (where there is humidity in the air as well as moisture at the roots), and complaining when it is hot and dry. But they are worth every effort to please, including some of the most beautiful and sought-after of all primulas. Many of them produce little seed in cultivation here, and so these ones are propagated by division, which they love, as they flourish in rich soil. Some kinds are evergreen, and make small mats of rosettes, with the mass of flowers at the centres, and others spend the winter as large resting buds, flowers and leaves appearing amazingly early in the year.

The large dutch Crocus are still barely above the soil but the smaller Crocus chrysanthus have been stuck in limbo for what seems like weeks now - they might just flatten before they get a chance to open which would be a shame. They too are naturalising, albeit slowly, around the garden. This little clump will soon be joined by Corydalis, Narcissus and Muscari.

My regular readers will know that here in my garden I've often got the odd plant flowering out of season - back in January it was Lupins, Geums and Heuchera. Those are still holding on and for this month - I was most surprised to find this Eryngium, albeit a bit wintery looking, flowering.

Eryngium bourgatii Graham Stuart Thomas

Now I know many of you will be wondering just where me and my gardening friends are off to tomorrow - we are having a day out for the Early Bulb Show organised and held by the SRGC in Dunblane. I'm hoping there will be plenty of time to get some photos (yes, batteries are now fully charged) to put together a blog and more importantly a chance to purchase some lovely new plants for my garden. My first port of call will be the Snowdrop stalls, I really do fancy a few named varieties and then who knows what will come home with me.

I'd like to end this post to extend my thoughts to all those who are right now experiencing such freaky weather. The situation, particularly in the South of England, is particularly awful right now. Those terrible scenes in news reports is heart breaking and I could not begin to imagine what those poor folks are going through. I do hope there is some respite soon.

What ever you are up to this weekend, stay safe and stay warm!

As testament to how unseasonal our weather has been this winter - I was startled as he/she flew past me.

Peacock butterfly
Aglais io

I ran back indoors like a madwoman hoping not too miss a photo opportunity. I sat around for a good while before it reappeared and settled here basking in the sun.

Of course it had to choose to settle beside a big dollop of bird pooh!

Off into the undergrowth next door it crawled!

These butterflies are widely distributed around the UK and will awake from hibernation in warm weather. However, it was rather cold, miserable and wet today. I do hope it found somewhere safe to go.

It was a bit of an early start, well for me any hows! I didn't finish work until a little after 3am and I was getting picked up at 8.15 for the journey to Dunblane. Ordinarily it would have been a real struggle to get out of bed after only 3 and a half hours sleep - but not today. I was really looking forward to our outing to the SRGC's early bulb show in Dunblane, Scotland.

The journey to Dunblane is around 40 minutes from my house and as I was being picked up last, it was directly onto the motorway from here. The reason for the early start was that both my companions had pots of spring bulbs to take to the show and plants to sell at the member's table. The Early Bulb Show in Dunblane is not run on the same format as other shows and although there appeared to be some sort of judging going on, it was not on the same level as other shows I have been too. SRGC members had been asked to take along pots of bulbs and spring flowering plants to put on a good display as a crew from the BBC's Beechgrove Garden (a popular TV gardening show here in Scotland) was filming an article on the show. Luckily we managed to get parked very near to the door and thus didn't have far to haul those boxes of plants.

For me, a complete newbie to this show, it was great to get in so early. After helping Sheila and Susan put their pots out, I took the opportunity whilst the room was relatively empty of bodies, to have a wee nosy. It didn't take long for the benches to fill up.

One couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the aroma from this bench. It was the first bench coming through the door. A Galanthophile's dream! Until that very moment, too me, a snowdrop was a snowdrop, was a snowdrop! It was a spring flowering bulb that produced a tiny white flower, with blotches of green on it's petals. I mean the snowdrop no disrespect believe me. I could clearly see the different markings and shapes of all those named varieties many of you grow but until that very moment I just didn't get it! It was a kind of eureka moment.

The sheer difference between the species and the varieties had been something that had escaped me until now. Size, height, leaf and flower form - I truly had no idea!

Those white sheets covering the tables and used as a backdrop provided far too much of a glare to get decent pictures - I took hundreds to share with you all as I know many of you have a snowdrop thing! The best of the bunch and it's not a terribly big bunch I'm afraid.

Galanthus Fred's Giant

Galanthus Brenda Troyle

Galanthus plicatus

To the rear Galanthus Lavinia

Galanthus Augustus

Galanthus Wasp

Labelled as Galanthus Rozella
I can't find any other reference to it online

I did not expect to be so impressed with the special Snowdrops but had G. plicatus Diggory on my want list. I immediately fell for G. plicatus Augustus, sadly neither was available on either the trade or the members tables for sale. I had more of a drawing towards the plicatus type of Snowdrop, I suspect it's because they look like sturdier plants. Which one/ones did I buy? I'm keeping you in suspense just a wee bit longer - I've a bit of a story to tell about my choice and I know you'll all want to read about it.

It wasn't all about the Snowdrops - there was lots more to see. Please join me for a wander around the room.

Primulas are a favourite here in my garden - they grow well here and no matter where I go I'm always attracted to them. This show was perhaps a bit too early in the year to have a lavish display of Primula but those that were there were lovely healthy plants.

Primula on display

I like how these has been displayed - this I think, could easily be replicated in a larger trough and make a lovely display on a patio. I've no doubt I'll give it a try sometime.

Primula allionii
A selection of wild collected specimens displayed
to show the natural variations in the plant

Cyclamen are easily recognised - in varying shades of pink and even more variable markings on their leaves, a very pretty display indeed.

Cyclamen display

I liked this delicate pink coloured one but I forgot to take a note of it's name and can't make it out on the label.

As we moved around the room, it was by this time getting a wee tad busier. It was getting harder to get up close and personal to admire the plants. The Crocus display was vibrant to say the least. It's not until you see them all grouped like this can you appreciate just how different the species are, just like the snowdrops.

Crocus display

One of my favourites was Crocus cvijicii, a native of Serbia, Albania and Macedonia according to the Alpine Garden Society.

Crocus cvijicii

and one of my not so favourites - Crocus angustifolius. To me they look rather plastic and resembled those foil bows you buy at Christmas time. Each to their own I suppose - beauty is in the eye and all that!

The Narcissus on display were not in their masses either. In fact when I was taking pictures early in the day there was only 3 or 4 pots on display. Luckily I popped back in at the end of the day. Until a couple of years ago a daffodil would never have seen the light of day in my garden. White and dwarf Narcissus now grow in the garden as I have learned to appreciate their value in the spring garden. These species Narcissus are little treasures - I haven't really done much research on these yet but think one or two would make a lovely addition to the miniature garden I grow in a trough.

Narcissus display

I was particularly drawn to this Narcissus cantabricus - a white hooped petticoat daffodil, so called because of the characteristics of it's flower. It's delicate and very pretty.

Another I like but didn't get it's name, of course if you know do tell. The scent around this table was every bit as pleasant as the snowdrops. I took a wee fit of sneezing soon after I bent down to take a closer sniff!

Suggestions of ID of plant to the rear please?

No early bulb show would be complete without the Iris would they? They were out in their masses on Bloom Day Posts this month and as many of us grow them, I thought you'd like to see more.

It was love at first sight - you could not fail to be bowled over by this beauty. There is very little information out there on this particular Iris but according to the American Iris Society it is a cultivar of Iris histrioides, there after it all gets far too technical for my beginners brain. If added a link here for the American Iris Society should you like more information.

Iris Reine Immaculee

Iris Reine Immaculee
close up

Iris Sheila Ann Germaney

Iris Pauline

Iris Display

The pot of Yellow flowering Iris in the middle was gorgeous - of course guess who forgot to get a close up and a note of it's name. It could be I. danfordiae - if you know and can tell from this picture I'd be grateful.

A few individual plants that really caught my eye - as they do!

Eranthis schwefelglanz, the camera did not pick up just how apricot coloured these were. Apparently the name schwefelglanz means sulphur gloss in German. This would make a lovely change to the yellow ones we are used to.

Eranthis schwefelglanz

Another plant on my shopping today was a pink flowering Corydalis - I immediately fell for this little beauty. I aleardy grow C. Beth Evans in the garden but wanted something a little different. Sadly, the only Corydalis I could find was the yellow flowering variety or C. malkensis - which I also grow. Corydalis shanginii is quite rare therefore I doubt I'll be sourcing those sometime soon! I love dark tips on the flowers.

Corydalis shanginii

This next plant was a complete new one on me - from a distance it actually looked like a wallflower - however as I got closer the resemblance got less and less! I do hope I haven't hurt it's feelings! I found information on the Alpine Garden Society website if you want to know more. These are herbaceous members of the Berberidaceae family and native to what was once the Soviet Central Asia area.

Gymnospermium albertii

Last and certainly not least Ipheion dialystemon were beautiful. It would however require an alpine house or cold frame if it were to survive here in my garden.

Ipheion dialystemon

Once we had finished oohing and aahing at the members plants - it was onwards and upwards! There was just enough time to give the trade stands a first pass before the first talk commenced at 11am.

The talk, Make your own Narcissus (and snowdrops) by Anne Wright. I was looking forward to this. I had seen images of how to propagate from bulbs and read articles on the subject but just couldn't get my head around it. Again, my fear of tiny little things always gets the better of me. There will be more about the talk(s), what I learned and of course what came home with me in part 2.

Thanks to all my readers who commented on my previous blog SRGC Early Spring Bulb Show 2014 Part 1. Ending where I left off - making my way to the trade stands. I don't know about you but I'm always keen to buy 'just a wee thing' as a momento of the day. Hah, I wish! - I'm far too easily tempted. I get round this by leaving all bank cards at home and only take the cash I'm willing spend.

I had my eye on one special plant but that in itself has a rather nice story attached to it - therefore it deserves a post all to itself. More suspense but it will be worth the wait, I hope.

Before the first talk started we had around 30 minutes to make the first pass of the tables. There was 8 trade stands and as is normal at these shows, a table with plants offer for sale by members. On my wish list for today had been a pretty pink/mauve flowering Corydalis but as I made my way around the room, each vendor gave me a shake of their head, offered me a yellow flowering varieties or C.malkensis and C. Beth Evens, both I already grow. As much as it pained me to do so - I offered a simple no thanks reply. What now, the money was burning a whole in my pocket!

I returned to Kevock Garden's tables, they are an award winning specialist nursery - there is always some nice plants, in particular, Primula on offer. Of course, being this early in the year - choice was limited. They had a few little pretties but I already had some of them.

My first purchase was P. Calderiana. A petiolares type Primula. Apparently it is supposed to smell of fish. I've had it up close to my nose and fortunately, can't smell it! It needs a cool shady damp postion - lots of those in my garden! P. forrestii was my second purchase, this one needs a gritty lime soil - therefore will need to be grown in a container if I'm to keep this going. Lastly, P. juliana Garryarde Guinevere. Guinevere is an old variety dating back to the 1920/30 and I had been after her for a while. I'm pleased to welcome her to my garden.

It was time now to take our seats - we had already decided that sitting up on the balcony would be better. The main hall by now was filling up. Sheila was keeping her eyes peeled for the doors to the balcony opening so we could get front row seats.

In this picture, you can just make out the Beechgrove Garden crew directly in front of the stage (right hand side). Someone else I recognise in this shot is Billy Carruthers (red lumber jacket bottom left) he is the owner of my local nursery Binny Plants. They didn't have a stand at todays show but mental note to grab him later and enquire about the elusive Corydalis. Sadly, I couldn't find him, I suspect he didn't hang around for long.

Both speakers today were women. Which, from what I could gather, was quite rare at these events. There was a huge German contingent in the audience and their translator stood up and introduced the first talker. I thought this was a rather nice touch.

The first talk - the picture says it all!

Make your own Daffodils (and Snowdrops) by Anne Wright

I had never heard the words Chipping and Twin Scaling until recently. A gardening friend shared pictures on how to propagate Galanthus bulbs in this manner. Whilst in theory, I could kind of understand just what he was talking about - slicing those teeny weeny bulbs scared the proverbial out out of me!

Anne Wright made a very useful comparison in her slide show. She showed us how to chip and twin scale onions, who knew - certainly not me!    What a clever comparison that was, I may not be familiar with the internals of a snowdrop bulb but the insides of an onion is no stranger!  Each of her slides was detailed and along with her narration I found I had a better grasp on this method of propagating. Whether or not I'd actually give it a go would be another thing. Mind you, if at anytime there is a spare onion kicking around the kitchen, it had better watch out. I'll have it chipped as quick as look at it!  My immediate thought was just how much would all the equipment and sundries cost me? Depending on the bulb, it would likely be more cost effective to buy more bulbs. On a commercial scale though - probably far more cost effective her way.  I'll leave you to do the math!

She then touched on the subject of Hybridizing, how to prepare the flowers and carry our artificial pollination. For a complete novice like me, I found it useful in terms of learning about the sex organs of a plant.  Again, whether or not I'd give it a go - I doubt it. I'm far too lazy a gardener!  Maybe one day in my retirement, when I get the greenhouse of my dreams and have much more time on my hands, a girl can dream can't she?   Never say never though!

We were then treated to a slide show of the various plants she had produced through Hybridizing - some nice, some not so nice but as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I thoroughly enjoyed this talk, the room was then opened for questions before we broke for lunch.

Anne Wright's sale table
full to bursting with her Hybridized Narcissus

Lunch consisted of a packed lunch we brought with us, saves time queuing in the canteen or spending money, that could be spent on plants. After our sandwiches, we went for a wee stroll around Dunblane. Had we more time, it would have been nice to have wee stroll around the Cathedral and it's grounds. I could not resist a cheeky little shot of Andy Murray's gold painted Pillar Box. Most of you are probably familiar with our bright red pillar boxes here in the UK but to commemorate medal British gold medal winners in the 2012 Olympics - pillar boxes in their home towns were permanently painted gold by Royal Mail. I've provided a link here if you want to read more about it.

We made a quick dash back to reclaim our seats for the second talk.  Diane Clement - Hepaticas, a growing obsession, began with an introduction to Hepaticas and their species.  We were then give an explanation on their taxonomy - these little woodland wonders used to attributed to the Anemone but were separated from them due to the green sepal like bract that appears just below the petals. It's not only the flowers that are interesting, their foliage can be just as eye catching. In Japan, Hepaticas are extremely popular, obsessive even and like Snowdrops, can command extremely high prices.
It's at this point, I'm utterly ashamed to say I nodded off! Those who read my previous post know that I had attended the show after only 3 hours sleep, I just couldn't help myself - I did ask my companion if I had snored, she then had to admit that she too had fallen asleep. How embarrassing?
In my defence the hall was hot and stuffy. Just in case I have whetted your appetite - I found a very similar article here. In fact the more I read of this article, the more familiar it became, perhaps I wasn't asleep for as long as I thought!  Thank goodness I don't make a living as a journalist! You know, it would have been just as easy to say I hadn't made the 2nd talk but that would have been dishonest and not quite so funny. Anyhow, I'll bet Sheila and I are not the only ones to have fallen asleep in such circumstances.

There was just enough time to make a final pass of the trade stalls, of course, by this time they were somewhat depleted of their stock. I picked up a rather pretty Hellebore - not something I would have expected to buy at such a show. Here's a preview of it's foliage.  As you can see it has some lovely fat buds on it and I'll let it have it's blog debut when those are out.

Helleborus x sternii Silver Dollar

Ashwood nurseries describe it as 'Quite outstanding with bright silver serrated leaves and small green cup shaped flowers flushed with pink'. I also took a punt on a couple of Narcissus seedlings - they are very tiny at present - N. jacetanus and N. cyclamineus x asturiensus. They may well find their way into my miniature garden sometime soon.

I hope you have enjoy a look at this show through a newbies eyes - the last part in this series will be about a rather special plant I bought. I hope I haven't bored you too much already and you will come back to read it. Coincidentally, the pink Corydalis I was seeking, has since been purchased - Corydalis solida First Kiss not quite pink but beautiful just the same. Click on the link for a wee sneaky peep.

When we buy a plant do we ever give consideration to it's name? We may well do if we want a plant to remember a loved one or to commemorate a babies birth - in fact there are lots of reasons we would chose a plant with a specific name.  The breeder will have as many reasons for choosing the specific cultivar name, a family member, a friend, acquaintance, someone that had inspired him/her or indeed been paid to do so by A.N.Other, to name a few.

I want to share a story with you and introduce a new comer to my garden. You may well have heard this story before, I certainly hadn't come across it before now.

I'd like to begin by setting the scene. I was carefully studying the selection of Snowdrops that were being showed by members of the SRGC - there was a varied selection and as I already stated in an earlier blog - it was a eureka moment in so far as Galanthus appreciation was concerned. I had long admired G. Diggory.  This lovely snowdrop with it's seersucker petals was top of my shopping list. I really wanted to see it in the flesh, so to speak. Alas, Diggory was absent that day.  I began studying the exhibits for an alternative. All the time I was doing so, exhibits were being laid on the table. It was getting difficult to keep up.   There was a decent sized pot of a snowdrop, I now know as G. plicatus Sophie North - she was sturdy, lush green foliage and the flower shape really stood out.  That was me, smitten!

Just before I stepped away from the table, an elderly lady asked to be excused. She wanted to place her exhibit on the table. Certainly, I said. She then asked me if I was admiring the pot of G. Sophie North, I told her it was difficult not to. She then went on to say, her exhibit was also G. plicatus Sophie North. She was quite disheartened that the other pot looked so much bigger and better than hers. I told her they were equally beautiful in my eyes. She asked me if I knew the story of how she got her name. Obviously my answer was no!

The lady introduced herself as Evelyn, I now know her to be Dr. Evelyn Stevens. She had found a new snowdrop growing in her garden near Dunblane many years ago. When it came time for naming, it coincided with a tragic event, we here in the UK, know as the Dunblane Massacre. For those who don't know the story - 16 young school children (most were 5 years old) and their teacher were gunned down in a 3 minute carnage that took place in their primary school gym in March 1996. I've added a link here to the BBC 'On this Day' website if you want to read more.

Dr Stevens decided that she wanted to name the plant after one of the children that suffered that terrible day. She had been talking to Dr. Mike North, father of Sophie, about the events that awful day. He also told her that Sophie had lost her mother to cancer just 2 years previous. It was then she decided to name her special snowdrop in honour of Sophie North. She told me that all the proceeds she made from subsequent plants sales were donated to the Sophie North Trust.

To say I was moved is a bit of an understatement. It was hard to contain the lump in my throat - memories came flooding back.  The events of the day are still vivid in my memory almost 20 years later. My own son had been the same age.  Myself and many of the mothers at the school gates that day were in disbelief. As we watched our youngsters coming through the gates without a care in the world, words were not needed. The mothers and fathers, in fact the whole community, in Dunblane would never look at those school gates the same way again, ever.  That tragic day was one of Scotland's saddest moments.

I knew then, I just have to have this beautiful snowdrop in my garden. When I relayed this compelling story to my friend - she knew too.  Come hell or high water - Sophie was coming home with each of us.

Both of us purchased a single bulb (they were quite expensive) that morning. My snowdrop budget had been blown completely for a single bulb. Not that I mind, each spring, it will be nice to have this reminder.

As I look down my plant list, there are umpteen that have a cultivar name referencing someone or other - it does make you wonder just what their story is.

Do you know of a plant with a special story - I'm sure we'd all love to read about it. Have you chose a plant because you heard the story behind its name? Maybe you've bought a plant with a specific name and to grow on as a memory plant.

Since doing my research, it appears that Dr Stevens opens here garden under the Scotland's Gardens Scheme - it sounds like a wonderful place to visit. I'm going to try free up one of her open days so I can visit. Here's a link if you'd like to read about her garden.

The Snowdrop Campaign (Wikipedia link) was founded by friends of the bereaved families and was so called as March is the time of year that snowdrops are in flower here in Scotland. The campaign called for a total ban on privately owned hand guns here in the UK.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed sharing it with you all.

My end of month view this February, still as it was last month, is pretty much a work in progress. Although we were lucky here to have escaped the horrific weather other parts of the UK have experienced, when it has rained it's been pretty heavy. Weather not conducive to me traipsing my muckle welly boots around the garden.

End of Jan 2014

It may not look like I've done much but I'm pretty please with what I've achieved so far. Just for comparison - here's how the area looked at the end of January. One thing that did surprise me was just how good the soil is up here. Despite the fact it has been under the cover of the shed for the last 7 year - it was relatively easy to dig, when it wasn't to wet that is! I'm digging over and adding bags of soil improver as I go along. It may not be the correct way to do things but it's making it far less a chore to do it in smaller sections like this.

On the tier to the back - Sambucus Black Lace takes centre stage and Cotinus coggygria Golden Spirit will make a lovely contrast in the corner. Planted as fence cover is Viburnum sargentii Onondaga, Deutzia Strawberry Fields and Hydrangea paniculata Pinky Winky. When I look back on last month's post - I had hoped to have the border marked out and at the very least, manouvered the stones for the edge into place. I failed in that respect. I'm on annual leave next week and should be able to get lots done, weather permitting that is. The trouble with having such good weather, it leads us into a false sense of security, I keep having to remind myself we are still in Winter and things could take a turn for the worse anytime between now and May. Please note, I am not starving the birds - the feeders are indoors having their weekly wash.

End of February 2014

As a centre piece (or what ever real gardeners call it) I've gone down the ornamental conifer route, rather than fill it out with herbaceous perennials and such likes. My plant of choice - Abies koreana Silberlocke. As described on one website it's "a stunning small evergreen with amazing year-long color; distinctive red cones are eye-catching in spring; needles are held in whorls which displays the prominent silver bands" This will be taking centre stage in my next End of Month post.

I've underplanted the Cotinus with Iris reticulata Pauline and the Sambucus with some yellow Crocus - Crocus chrysanthus Romance - pale yellow on the outside and a darker golden colour on the inside. I've a few dwarf flowering Narcissus else where in the garden that will be moved up here at an appropriate time.

While my work at the top end of the garden may be slow, I've been extremely busy elsewhere and although not part of my End of Month View for 2014, work on the trellis (aka Project Privacy) that will divide the entire garden is well underway. Hampered only by the number of trellis etc. I can carry in the car at the one time! You can see the view through the trellis - there's still lots to do!

This may well be only my second End of Month View post, already I am feeling encouraged to stick to my plans. There really is nothing like knowing that others are looking in to keep you on track. My promise to break the habit of planting first - think second has not been broken yet! Thus far I've resisted the urge to 'plonk'. So if you feel you need a prod in the right direction - join in with this meme, kindly hosted by Helen over at The Patient Gardeners Weblog. It's up to you how you interpret 'End of Month View' - the idea is to cover the same subject matter on the last day of each month - simples!

As usual a great big thanks for reading, your thoughts and comments truly are appreciated.

Work on the garden renovations and Project Privacy continues. I've encountered a wee bit of a problem sinking one of the posts for the last two sections of trellis. An absolutely humungous lump of concrete! Buried about 6 inches below the surface and it's bang spank in the middle of where I need to dig! These things are sent to try us - I will not be beaten! I will find a solution - I just need to sleep on it! Digging it out will certainly not be practical - the solution will involve a trip to the timber merchant at some point no doubt.

Meanwhile, the garden is slowly coming to life. The Crocus and Snowdrops will be gone before the Bloom Day post. I got the camera out to distract me - I just needed to take my mind off that lump of concrete.

Two of the three clumps of snowdrops flowering in the side garden have turned out to be doubles. This was not intentional. The Snowdrops I rescued last year were split and divided and planted around the garden. I'll move the clump of singles and keep the doubles in the same spot.

Snowdrops in the side garden

The snowdrops behind the pond cope well in so much shade. The get no direct sunlight whatsoever. I also note that a crown of a Drumstick Primula has appreared. Although they are said to prefer a sunny site - I have tried a white one in this shady spot as a bit of an experiment.

Snowdrops behind the pond

We are still experiencing some windy days (and nights) but rainfall has still been at a minimum. We had a couple of hail showers and about 2 minutes of snow fall this afternoon. Luckily I managed to get a couple of shots of the Crocus yesterday - they've been fairly battered by the hail. As plants have been moved around the garden - I am inadvertently taking bulbs with them This is obvious from the fact that I'm finding little clumps in various spots - of course, creatures could also be doing this!

Crocus

Old faithful, The Kilmarnock Willow, hasn't flinched one iota being moved! It was still dormant at time of moving. It's just putting out Catkins now. Tough as old boots these plants and so long as I keep drenching it - it will be fine. The Cherry Laurels at the back are being taken off my hands by a neighbour. They are one of those plants I just should never have bought!

Camellia japonica Brushfield's Yellow and Skimmia japonica Snow White are gearing up to do their stuff!

No winter garden would be complete without a selection of Hellebores - I bought a selection of Hellebore plugs when I first started planting out this garden. They were red and white spotted. They are now decent sized and are now making a bit of an impact in the garden.

Some of my Hellebores

The Crocus and Iris Reticulata growing beneath my Silver Pagoda Dogwood may be over, Corydalis wait to take their place. I love these tiny spring beauties. I just wish they'd spread themselves around more!

Corydalis solida Beth Evans

Corydalis Malkensis

This pot of Ophiopogon is underplanted with Iris reticulata Harmony and will be followed in a few weeks with Chionodoxa forbesii Pink Giant. This pot was a bit of an experiment 3 years ago - it seems to have worked and adds a bit of colour in springtime when the Ophiopogon can look a bit flat.

As I walk around the garden, I can see that the majority of the spring flowering Primula are budding up nicely. Last spring, March 2013 - I bought myself a tiny little 7cm pot of Primula Marjory Banks, it's grown really well this last 12 months. It now makes a clump with a diameter of more than 30cm. It must be happy! There is little information available on this plant other than mentioned on Kevock Garden's website as a Juliana hybrid and the RHS have described it as 'tentatively accepted name on RHS Horticultural Database'.....what ever that means! It's not difficult too see where this plant now needs dividing as no flowers are forming in the central area.

Primula Mrs Marjory Banks

In the cold frame Primula Elizabeth Killeylay is just about to do her thing. This poor plant was divide to within an inch of it's life last year. Not recommended, and is only just now coming back into full health. She'll be planted back out into the garden soon.

Primula Elizabeth Killeylay

Two more Primula currently residing in the cold frame and like Elizabeth are destined for the garden are new additions. Bought at the show in Dunblane. The first is a rather curious Petiolarid Primula that is reportedly supposed to smell of fish (yuk!) - thankfully I can't smell it! A native of Bhutan, P. calderiana - I fell for it's colour. The flowers are just about to go over but there is another crown emerging from the base.

Primula calderiana subsp calderiana

To add to my collection of dark leaved Primula vulgaris - Primula garryarde Guinivere - is from the Garryarde collection dating back to the 1920/30s. It has the benefit of being awarded an AGM by the RHS. It is hardy down to -20 and will remain semi evergreen in a mild winter.

Primula garryarde Guinivere

Of course, I've saved the best till last, you'd expect no less I'm sure. This tiny little plant is producing an amazing amount of flowers for it's size. A mere 2 inches in diameter it has around 30 buds just waiting to open. This white flowers will rise from the base of the plant on red stems. Saxifraga burseriana Gloria grows in my miniature garden. It was added to my collection winter 2012/13. It maybe tiny but of all the plants flowering today, this is by far my favourite.

Saxifraga burseriana Gloria

All that leaves me to do now is to wish you all a great weekend. Gardeners World starts back on TV tonight, it's time to get a drink of something cold - sit down and relax. Enjoy you weekend, whatever you have planned. I'm back to Dunblane to visit Dr Stewart's garden The Linns for the Snowdrop festival! I did say I was going to get there come hell or high water! I suspect I'll have lots of photos to share too.

THE never ending question. Right? From what I have picked up over the short time I have been blogging is that gardeners all have their own gardening regime - What works for some will not work for others. When is the best time to move and when is the wrong time to move? Can or should it be moved? Some times the answer is with the gods!

As a general rule, I tend not too read too many gardening books, in fact very few. I've often taken to the web for a wee bit of advice and find some of the terminology way too technical - I just can't get my head around it. I'm more of a do first, ask question later kind girl! I find I learn better that way. It's all trial and error in my garden.

Here's a classic example of how I do things - imagine taking stock of the garden and how things have changed over the last 3 months. Lots of my sun lovers are now stuck behind the shed getting no sun at all. I took it in hand to remedy this in so far as one of my Clematis was concerned. I had already move my Coral Bark Maple, a Sambucus Black Lace and one or two others. None seemed to have suffered and are all budding up nicely, this gave me the confidence I needed. Anyway, back to the Clematis - Clematis Ville de Lyon as far as I can remember. It was planted way before I took an interest in the garden, 6 years ago this summer, therefore, label lost!

Old picture Clematis Ville de Lyon

Armed with 2 spades and 1 fork - I worked around the whole plant attempting to take as big a root ball as I could possibly manage. What I didn't consider was just how big the root ball would turn out to be. Had I had to foresight to take the camera up the garden with me - you'd have a similar idea. You'll just have to trust me......it was huge! Much time was spent head scratching as no one else, especially Big Strong Boy, was at home. I needed to figure out this all on my own. I have learned enough to know I couldn't afford to leave it out of the ground too long if it was to stand even the remotest chance of survival.  Luckily I had thought a wee bit ahead and dug the hole into which I was too offer, this is always best practice it but I did have to go back to make adjustments, serious adjustments. I had way underestimated just how big it would be. I also dug in lots of soil improver and some added bonemeal to help encourage the roots. Once manoeuvred onto a large sheet of plastic, I began to haul it from one end of the garden to the other. Stopping many times to catch my breath.

The receiving hole was a good bit deeper by this time and once I struggled to hoist and drop the plant into the hole - it was by that time a good 5 or 6 inches deeper that it had previously been. Isn't that always the planting instructions when planting Clematis when bought from a nursery/GC? Not that it mattered. There was no way I was getting it back out, so it had to stay there. The root ball was moist enough, all those orangey noodle like roots were remained in a complete ball. It had held together well despite all the huffing and heaving. All was good, I said with my fingers crossed.  Back filled and given a thorough soaking - I finished of it's spring prune. Did I mention it had just started breaking bud?

Once this task was over, it was time to shower. I had an appointment with the nurse, bloods etc - just as the doc ordered. I think I'm reaching that age!  I hadn't long to wait until I was seen. She had a selection of vials sitting on her desk - I don't mind having blood taken, especially if it's going to get to the root of my problem. Enough said, no need in going into details here!

I'll just check your blood pressure she said - Have you ever had problems with it? No, I replied. I need perfect blood pressure to be able to drive airside at my work - it's checked yearly for our medical.  In so far as I can remember there has never been an issue. Until now that is!! My blood pressure was way too high! I knew what was coming - take more exercise, loose weight, stop smoking (yes, I do smoke - don't give me that look, please).   I gave her the look after she told me about the ceasation classes - informed her that I do enjoy my cigarettes. It was then she told me she wasn't going to lecture me. I happened to mention what I had been doing just prior to me attending - she said she hoped I had just over exerted myself but I'd need to go back in a month to be rechecked and too lay of the heavy work before I go!

There you have it - the answer to my question. When not to move a Clematis? Certainly not 1 hour before you are due to attend a Doctor's appointment, knowing full well your blood pressure will be checked!  Both myself and the Clematis need to wait now for signs of recovery!

A friend has since sent me this from her Raymond Evison book Clematis for Everyone:

The replanting of an established garden clematis is always a challenge but with care and a bit of luck it may be achieved. The only time when success can reasonably be expected is during the months of very early Spring before bud break when the plant is in its dormant period, or at least just coming out of dormancy.
The plant should be planted 5cm deeper than in its previous position. The large-flowered cultivars are the safest plants to re-establish, the fibrous-rooted species the most difficult as their very fine roots drop away as they are being moved and with very little root being retained re-establishment is generally not possible.

I'm hoping luck is on my side.

I know technically this is really not a Garden Lessons Learned - but it's a lesson learned in the garden this winter none the less. Therefore I hope Beth over at PlantPostings forgives me my take on gardening lessons learned this season.

By comparison the garden this year is of to a flying start! This time last year saw the entire garden stuck in limbo and the only plants that were blooming here last March was Hellebores, Snowdrops and Iris reticulata. Not forgetting the couple of inches of snow we had just prior to my Bloom Day Post.

Bloom Day March 2013

What a difference a mild winter really makes. I'm a tad apprehensive about acknowledging Spring's arrival. I generally don't mark spring until we change the clocks at the end of the month knowing full well things can always take a turn for the worse at the drop of a hat!

Join me for a wee walk around and admire what's flowering today

Those same Iris reticulata flowering right on cue minus the snow! These were from a packet of multi coloured bulbs bought from a budget store a few years ago. I've tried comparing other's I've seen for an id but had no luck doing so yet.

Unknown Iris reticulata

A couple of tiny pots with left over viola plugs. Bought in autumn, the ones in larger pots have thrived and multiplied, they have filled out the little pots just nicely. A cheap and cheerful way to add some colour.

Violas

Also growing in a container - Ophiopogon. Is under planted with Iris reticulata Harmony, which has now gone over. Making way for Chionodoxa forbesii Pink Giant. After 3 years in this container, I think it's time they found a permanent home in the ground - time for another experiment!

Ophiopogon and Chionodoxa forbesii Pink Giant

Hellebores continue to nod their heads gracefully when the wind gets up. Most of my Hellebores are now of a reasonable size - they make quite a statement where ever you are standing in the garden.

This, I think is Helleborus lividus, purchased Spring 2013, I then found out they are possibly not hardy enough to grow here. I was so confident it wouldn't make it through a normal winter, I tossed the label!

The oriental hybrids have been flowering for a few weeks now.

The next group of Hellebores are all new to the garden 2014.

Gearing up with it's first couple of flowers is a new addition to the garden this spring, a momento of my trip to Dunblane - Helleborus x sternii Silver Dollar, don't you just love those serrated leaves? It might be tiny but it won't stay like that forever!

Helleborus x sternii Silver Dollar

I've finally chosen a spot to plant Helleborus x ericsmithii Pirouette. I bought this charming Hellebore weeks ago - it's found a home in the new woodland bed. I hope it likes it there!

Helleborus x ericsmithii Pirouette

I commented to Helene over at Graphicality UK only last week that I did not have any white Hellebores in my garden and asked her to put my name on any seedlings she has with white flowers. I could not believe my luck when I visited a garden centre on my day out last weekend. I found this beauty marked down by 50%!

Helleborus White Beauty

A little spring colour under the variegated pagoda dogwood - we've got Corydalis and Crocus. Dwarf white narcissus and blue muscari will take over in a few weeks.

Corydalis malkensis and Corydalis Solida Beth Evans

The yellow of Narcissus Tete a Tete picked up in the eye of Primula vulgaris Drumcliffe - an Irish bred Primula blooming for St. Patrick's weekend!

Narcissus Tete a Tete
Primula vulgaris Drumcliffe

Just out of shot - Crocus x cultorum Jeanne D'arc, or what's left of them that is! The cats seem to have taken a dislike to these and keep trampling them to the ground!

Crocus x cultorum Jeanne D'arc

More Tete a Tete in the little spring bed outside the kitchen door - partnered in this bed with a very pretty unnamed Primula and more of the same edging the side path.

Narcissus Tete a Tete

Primula Don Keefe and Primula Mrs Marjory Banks

Even in the miniature garden things are coming along nicely. I got the first glimpse of Saxifraga burseriana Gloria full of buds last week, what a difference a few days make. Joined now by Crocus chrysanthus Blue Pearl and over the next few days Saxifraga x boydilacina Pink Star (top right) will be in full bloom.

Last and most certainly not least, Camellia x williamsii Jury's Yellow producing the first flowers of the year. At least 4 weeks ahead of a normal year. This plant has been a really battler in my garden. I suffered greatly when builders spilt cement over it 7 years ago. I've nurtured it back to health and this year it has produced the most amount of buds it ever has since that event!

Camellia x williamsii Jury's Yellow

Wishing you all a wonderful Bloom Day - I've grabbed a comfortable chair, cold drink and a bag of Jelly Babies and I'm popping over to May Dream Gardens to see what the rest of you have going on in your gardens. You are more than welcome to join many garden bloggers who join in on the 15th of every month and share with the world what's blooming in their garden.

It was Helene over at Graphicality-UK that first brought Green Plant Swap website to my attention when she posted about it last year. In theory, it is a great idea.  Its a gardening website where you can buy, sell or swap plants. Open to both professionals and amateurs, it could I suppose, be a great resource for new plants. I say 'could' but not for negative reasons. Currently there are very few members in my area that have plants listed, therefore had to look a bit further afield. I've no doubt this will change given time, I'll just have to wait a bit longer. There are also quite a few nurseries listing their plants, I don't do my plant shopping online though, therefore doubt I'd use their services unless it was for something really special.

We've all exchanged plants with friends and family - I know I have. Green Plant Swap is really just an extension of this practice.  Swapping plants with members needn't be done on a local level either, as Helene and I have just proved.  Whether you live in John O'Groats or Land's End - there are no rules to say you can't swap plants! Providing you and the person you've arranged to swap with come to an understanding/arrangement, nothing could be simpler.

Our long distance swap began when Helene expressed an interest in starting a new Heuchera collection. I knew I had some cuttings and others that were in need of splitting. A quick message via the site and the ball was rolling, so to speak! Helene kindly offered me a couple of cuttings from her beloved climbing rose - Rosa Crimson Cascade. We decided to wait until springtime to arrange delivery.

The package was posted in London by Helene on the Monday and I received it here in Edinburgh on the Thursday morning. It had arrived safe and sound.  The Hermes courier delivers to my house regularly enough to know I have a safe place for him to pop the parcels in if I'm not yet up!

Here it is, exactly as it was when it left London 3 days previous. Helene's labels had done their job!

Helene had used sacking to pack right to the top of the box, good idea. This would ensure no movement of the contents.

Remove the sacking and as you can see everything is tightly packed. I couldn't wait to get my mitts in there. Especially as 2 of the plants were completely new to me.

The Roses came out first, just look at the healthy roots! Once I had a better idea of the size, I was able to organise appropriate pots. I was not quite ready to plant these out, had I been there would have been no issue with putting them direct into the ground. The weather forecast was good, therefore I had no need to worry if they'd be affected by the drop in temperature between here and London. In a normal year, this may not have been the case!

The others all came in their own pots, complete with labels. All I had to do was unwrap. Of course taking care not to damage the plants in my excitement.

So what did I get:

2 x bare root Rosa ‘Crimson Cascade’

2 x Arisaema amurense (babies)

2 x Arisarum proboscideum, several plants in each pot

1 x Lamium galeobdolon ‘Hermann's Pride’

Here they all are - Their first introduction to Scotland was by way of a good long drink of our exceptionally good water! As you can see they are all extremely health and unlike Helene, I did not find any stowaways.

They've yet to get a permanent home in the garden. They'll be perfectly happy in the pots until I'm ready for them. The packaging was saved and would be reused when I send Helene her plants the following Monday. It suits Helene that packages are mailed on a Monday, that way you are almost guaranteed that they will be delivered the following few days, regardless of the carrier.

I did not take some shots of the plants as I was packing them to send south. Most of the plants were sent bare root.  Using damp kitchen paper to keep the roots moist and wrapped in freezer bags to keep the water in. I then cut open cardboard cylinders (aka loo roll holders) and wrap around the root system for a bit of protection. You can see here on Helene's blog just what I mean.  Sending plants bare root reduced weight and therefore shipping costs. Of course not all plants would be suitable for sending that way but the majority of perennials will survive just fine.

I did not use the same carrier as Helene, I used Royal Mail.  They were posted at work on Monday night and received by Helene the following day.

Swapping plants is a cost effective way of adding to the plants you grow in your garden. It could also be a way of getting that elusive plant you are after for a while.  It could also be a way to try plants you ordinarily wouldn't think to try or had not heard of before.  Both the Arisaema and Arisaram are new plants to me, in fact, I knew nothing about them other than what I had read on Helene's blogs previously and would probably passed them by in a GC, mind you, I don't think I've ever seen these plants for sale here locally.  It could also be a great way to get rid of those impulse buys, you know the ones I mean!  You've bought a plant, got it home and after weeks of deliberating on just where you are going to grow it you find out it's just not suitable or not what you really wanted. I know I've one or two candidates that fall into that category. It needn't be limited to plants either - I've seen many growers offer seeds for swapping. I know many of you grow from seed. It might be worth a wee look just for something different!

I needn't tell you just how exciting it is to receive new plants, even better for the fact it has cost very little. The Roses alone would have cost me in excess of £20. It's a win/win situation in so far as I can see!

All that is left for me to say is thank you Helene for the plants and introducing me to Green Plant Swap. I will be looking forward to seeing my plants and yours growing in our respective gardens.

Where on earth has the past 4 weeks gone? I blinked and missed almost the whole of March. I had really hoped to be on top of renovations by the time I got round to posting this month.

Wrong! It's been a case of one step forward, two back some days. I can't get one job done without doing another and I've often felt like I'm going round in circles. Taking on this and Project Privacy simultaneously was perhaps just a wee bit too optimistic! It feels like I've bitten of more than I can chew at times. Still, I plod on regardless.

The hardest work thus far was moving and sorting out all the rocks I had planned to edge the border with. I needed to bury them deep enough and flush with what will be lawn. When I say lawn, what I really mean is grass. I'm not too fussy for the perfect lawn - providing it is green, I'm happy. It was a bit like a jigsaw puzzle at times and although I had a rough border marked out with sticks, the flow had to be dictated by the shape of the rocks. I think I've achieved not too bad a shape but that won't really be obvious until the grass is growing.

Planting is almost finished, with just a few gaps left to fill. I know I said I was NOT going to plant perennials in this area. I had too much time to think about it - I opted to go down the perennial route after all. Being that this area is in fact the sunniest in the garden, it would be a shame not to make full use of it. However, being that I have never gardened in this area before and not 100% sure of what the conditions will be, I don't want to waste too much money (at the moment) on plants. I have made use of a few plants that were already growing nearby and in need of dividing. With any luck will cope the conditions. I have dug in plenty of soil improver and for a couple of the plants, added plenty of grit to their planting holes.

Rain has stopped play this last two day - I took a quick run up the garden to grab a shot this lunch time, it's all looking rather wet! However, by the time dinner was served, the ground was clear of the water on the surface. I hope I am right in assuming that because I've been working in this area, the ground has got a bit compacted, Between the dip in the levels and compaction, the water is taking a while to drain.

End of March 2014

Previous end of month views

Of all the plants that have been moved into this area, it appears only one has suffered. The Knifophia at the right hand side of the raised area is not at all happy! The Cardoon, centre at the back was a bit of a struggle. It's root ball was huge. Ideally I should have taken the opportunity to divide it but it's size is what makes it such a spectacular plant. It was the first plant to move into it's new home almost a month ago, with continual watering it has settled right it. Other plants at the back for height are Helianthus Lemon Queen, some Verbena bonariensis and a tall dark pink Phlox.

I will focus on the other plants in my next end of month post - by which time they should have put on enough growth that I actually have something to talk about. I don't like the Photinia where it is - I don't know if it's the red or the plant I am disliking. A plant on my wish list is Buddleia x weyeriana Sungold but I'm not sure if it's one late summer bloomer too many! I might hold off a few weeks before making a final decision, you never know, I might find something that flowers early that really grabs my attention!

Priorities this coming weeks will be to work on the area that will be turned back to lawn, once its levelled, I will top it off with some fresh top soil and seed. This will be easier than trying to take the level down and laying turves.

I'm thoroughly enjoying taking part in this meme. End of Month View is hosted by Helen over at
The Patient Gardeners Weblog. It's turning out to be quite useful, if for nothing else but getting my thoughts down and enabling me to concentrate on what I want too do. Of course, it needn't be a work in progress, your focus could be on many things - it could just as easily be an individual plant, a view from a window, your entire garden. How you interpret is a personal choice - so if you want to join in just write your post and mention on Helen's blog for us all too read.

My family and friends tend to give me gift vouchers for Christmas. The kind of vouchers I can spend in Garden Centres are my favourites. I don't have a big family therefore it didn't take long for word to get around that I'd far appreciate them than a gift that will sit in a cupboard gathering dust for the foreseeable! In years past, power tools were my favourite gift but since I've got all the tools a girl could possibly use, they needed another option.

The first year I started doing the garden (2011) - I gave everyone fair warning of what to buy me. To some of you that may sound incredibly self centred but I am what I am! I hate surprises and much prefer a gift that is practical. A trait I inherited from my mother.

Christmas 2011 was the year I treated myself to a couple of new Camellias. One was growing as a shrub, the other was trained as a climber. After identifying a spot for them, I decided to have a go at training the climber as an sort of Espalier/Fan against the fence in the side garden. The border here is really quite narrow and has no scope to be widened. Growing it against the fence would take up the least amount of precious garden space.

It flowered beautifully it's first year, as the always do and when flowering was over, I planted it in it's new home. It settled in well and the following spring it had plenty of leaf buds. A sure sign it was happy. I knew not to expect flowers Spring 2012. Plants will often take 3 years to settle into a garden.

January 2013 - plenty of leaf buds forming, alas no flowers this year!

This year however, it's a different story. With Camellias is often difficult to tell immediately if new buds are a leaf or a flower. As the weeks went by those buds fattened rather than unfurled. I knew I was going to have flowers this year. Admittedly, there wasn't many of them but they were there nonetheless. It's a start, right?

A few more weeks went by but the buds seemed to be stuck in limbo. It had been warm, I couldn't understand why they remained tight. Then I thought about bud drop - I had all my fingers crossed that the plant would not suffer such loss. The summer may have been hot and dry but I did not forget to keep this plant well watered. I've learned enough to know that lack of water when the plant is forming it's flower buds is the main cause of bud drop. On a large mature plant it would not be an issue - they can afford to loose a few blooms here and there. Please, please, please Camellia God - don't make me wait this long only to watch in horror when the buds fall flat to the ground. Temperatures dropped this last week, low cloud, drizzle and mist for the last 5 days. I had spent little time out in the garden this week. As I walked up the path this afternoon, something caught my attention. Just as a watched pot never boils, it appears that a watched Camellia never blooms! There may not be many flowers but I'm well pleased that it has produced some this year.

Flowers are described as Formal semi double - pale blush pink or white

When flowering is finished, I'll take the opportunity to tighten up the stems on the wires whilst they are still a bit flexible. I'm very pleased with my efforts - not bad for a beginner, I keep telling myself! Incidentally, I'm also having a go at Espalier with a rambling rose - more on the success of that later in the year.

A mistake I made at the beginning was to have the wires spaced too far apart. I originally spaced them 1ft apart but found that was a bit too wide - I introduced wires midway as a bit of an after thought. It seems to work a bit better, although there are a couple of wire that has no stems to grow along them. I don't know how to address this or if the chance to rectify this has passed. Have you any idea? I'm not unhappy with the shape and doubt my ability in producing one of those floral masterpieces I've seen. I don't think the formality as such would suit my style of gardening anyhow.

Have you ever attempted Espalier? I'd love to hear about it, it's a topic I've not come across on many blogs and most of the information out there tends to be of a technical nature and some or most of the terms are lost on me!

Once again, thank you all for reading and all that's left for me to say is I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend out in the garden. I'm hoping for good weather this week. The forecast tells me to expect it - time will tell!

I find myself in the position of being prepared for my Bloom Day post this month. Which really does make a change! Rather than rush around the garden at the last minute, as I would normally would, it's been great to gather pictures at a more leisurely pace. Each day there is something new in bloom and I'm pleased that there are so many plants blooming. I do hope others are in a similar situation, especially our friends over the pond who have had a rather tough time of it this winter. Please join me and other garden bloggers over at May Dream Gardens and find out how their gardens are fairing this April. Carol kindly hosts the Bloom Day post on the 15th of every month. If you don't join already, please do - it's a useful tool for referencing your garden at specific times in the month.

Looking back on last year, it was about now that the early bulbs were just putting on a show. This year, it's a different story - the early bulbs and hellebores have now gone over and spring has really taken hold in my wee garden.

Narcissus cyclamineus Jetfire has been the only daffodil to hold up to the winds we've been experiencing. The others were flat on their face within days of opening!

N. Rip van Winkle supported by the branches of a Physocarpus otherwise they'd have been down in the muck getting dirty faces.

New to the garden this spring - I've planted Narcissus Minnow in various spots around the garden. I'm pleased I did! The flowers are minute - I love them!

Large yellow daffodils just don't float my boat but white ones on the other hand, I find them irresistible! The first of many are also weeks ahead compared to last year. I'm glad they've missed the high winds of the last week or so. N. Thalia's beautiful scent makes them all the more irresistible.

Species tulips may not have the grandeur (depending on your taste that is) of their hybridized cousins, but for me, their hardiness and ability to perennialize makes them a must for my garden. I will be adding more species tulips in the Autumn.

I first planted T. humilis Persian Pearly in autumn 2011 - they have not let me down. I love when they are tight in bud.

A newer addition to the garden - I wasn't sure I'd be too keen on the colour of these were but I am glad I picked them up now. I found these in a local DIY stores - they may be small, no taller than 15cm (that's 6 inches in old money) but I like the punch they pack under the Pyracantha.

Clumps of Fritillaria meleagris are dotted around the garden. Single stems too - they appear to have moved around the garden as I take a few bulbs with me if I move a plant growing nearby. I don't mind this, the more the merrier in fact!

Another plant that suffered from my moving things around is Leucojum aestivum - this will be the first time I've had a flower since planting in 2011. I've think, she says optimistically, that I identified others growing as single bulbs elsewhere in the garden last year. I lifted them just as they were going over and potted them up. I have plenty of foliage but no flowers this year - they will be planted together with this one when it stops flowering. I'm loathe to disturb it right at this moment in time. So with any luck, I'll have a wee clump of Snowflakes next year.

Moving on from Snowflakes to Snowbells - a spring favourite of mine. Soldanella. I grow 3 different varieties and these are the first to flower. In fact they've been in flower for a little under a month. In the wild these beauties open their flower just as the snow is melting - can you imagine just how beautiful they are surrounded by crisp white snow?

Corydalis malkensis flowered beautifully back in March and is now making a decent sized patch beneath my pagoda dogwood. It's thrown up a few more blooms just as the others are going to seed. It was a nice surprise.

Pulmonarias are going stong now - another plant that is dotted around the garden. I only grow one named variety - Blue ensign. Now in it's second year here, I'm pleased to see it's kept it's colour thus far. I've read that they often don't and revert to the run of the mill pink/blue type.

Another versatile plant that grows in any aspect in my garden, even full sun - Siberian bugloss. Later in the year those leaves will just bet bigger and bigger. A useful substitute for Hosta I find - the slugs, although they will seek shelter under the plant - they leave the foliage well alone.

After years of trying to bring Anemone blanda back for a 2nd year, I've succeeded - woo hoo!!! I'm not quite sure what I've been doing wrong in years gone by - I don't think it's a frost thing. My understanding is that they are fully hardy. It could of course be a winter wet issue, time will tell and we shall see what happens next year.

Still having to crawl around on my hands and knees to capture this little beauty - Anemonella thalictroides. Rue anemone is more common in white or a pale pink colour. This is a dark pink form but I've noticed it's only dark pink just as the flowers open and they eventually fade to pale pink. Not that I mind, it's a pretty little thing and now in it's 2nd year in my garden. I hope it eventally becomes happy and spreads itself around.

A little alpine next - this time growing in my miniature garden, Saxifraga x boydilacina Pink Star is just about to go over. The whole plant is around 3 inches in diameter. So many flowers for such a small plant.

More in containers - Muscaria latifolium and some blue pansies flowering outside the back door.

Blue Pansies and purple Violas. There is a little blue tit visiting the garden that has taken an utter dislike to the pansies - he continually pecks at them all day long. What's his game? Who knows - he hasn't bothered about any of the others.

The early flowering Primulas are looking great, I do have a bit of thing for Primula as regular readers will know. I do quite well in having at least 1 Primula in flower no matter what time of the year it is. This month we have:

P. denticulate, veris and vulgaris
beneath Physocarpus opulifolius Golden Nugget

I've had enough of crawling around on all fours, so please excuse me whilst I hoist myself up. It's time to see what's flowering a bit nearer eye level!.....Ah, that's better - knees a bit stiff though!

A new Clematis in the garden this spring. Growing on part of the new trellis - it's settled in nicely. Later in the year the seed heads will add just as much interest as the flowers.

Euphorbia characias Silver Swan - I had been considering ripping this out. Whilst it look great all last year, the winter took it's toll on the foliage and it looked awful. Now that the surrounding plants are coming up, it's looking a bit better. The heads will be cut off when they've gone over to make way for the new growth at the base. It's been told that it needs to improve it's look or it's a gonner!

The scent that is given off by Skimmia japonica Snow White is gorgeous but only if you get up close and personal. This Skimmia is quite a low grower - reaching a height of no more that 60cm. Ideal for a spot near the front of the border - providing you can offer it the conditions that it likes.

Regular readers already had a sneak preview of the Camellia flowering this week. 2 Camellias down - 3 to go! I look forward to a time when my Camellias mature and have an abundance of blooms rather than the odd one or two!

Last and certainly not least - Lamium orvala. There aren't many well behaved Lamiums out there and thus far it seems to be keeping itself under control.

It's time for me to pop over and see what you've all got blooming - I hope the weather is kind to you wherever you are this week!

My mood of late as been a bit down, I've been stuck in the doldrums - I found that I had been a wee bit scunnered with the garden. For days on end I struggled to get myself motivated to do any sort of garden related activity. So apologies for not being quite up to date with what's been happening in your gardens. I'm not entirely sure of what caused my mood but knowing I had to put a post together for my End of Month View at some point this week really encouraged me to get out and take stock of what's been happening. Do join me and other garden bloggers over at The Patient Gardeners Weblog, where I'm sure there's been a lot more activity going on in other garden bloggers' gardens than there has been in mine!

The last couple of days this month was pretty much identical to the end of March - wet, windy and a chill in the air. Temperatures this April have been way above normal and indeed what would be expected for springtime here in Scotland. Although we've had rainfall - a couple of days heavy rain here and there certainly does not constitute an East of Scotland Spring!

End of March view

I stated at the end of March that it was my intentions to work on the area that was being returned to lawn. The area, having been compacted by me walking back and forth for the last couple of months, was somewhat waterlogged and I had to wait for it to dry out thus setting my plans back a few more days. I was faced with two choices here - first choice drop the level and grass using turves, alternatively work over the remaining soil, removing as many of the stones had had appeared as I could, level with fresh top soil and seed. I opted for the later, it seemed that this would be the easiest option, labour wise. Indeed it was, it took about half a dozen bags of top soil to level it over and raise a few remaining dips. Grass seed down and the area has been strung and tied with torn plastic bags to discourage the birds, however, my cats were not discouraged and found it an extremely useful spot to hone their hurdling and hunting skills! Hunting each other that is. Thankfully, the novelty wore off after a few days and not too much damage was caused. I've remedied the damage they caused and now hopefully the seed can germinate.

End of April view

As you can see from this month's End of View shot - planting has finished - I'm not entirely happy with the layout. I feel my inexperience always get the better of me when planting out such a large area. That can be improved on and will find my end of month shots a great help in the coming months. Of course, I will have to source bulbs in the autumn for early colour. I mentioned last month the Photinia, which was already growing here when work started - it's purpose was, eventually, to disguise the front section of my shed - although it's still not 'doing it' for me. The Hydrangea paniculata growing next to it has taken an absolute age to put on some growth. Now that May is here, it's distinct lack of leaf is not the look I am trying to achieve! I might need to find a replacement. The taller shrub is Deutzia Strawberry Fields - a favourite of mine and has transplanted well, whether or not it will flower this year is another matter.

I took a bit of a chance back in March by lifting and moving a couple of Peonies - an early flowering lactiflora and an Itoh hybrid. An early flowering variety was a good size and was full of buds - it doesn't appear to have flinched. Time will tell soon enough if those fat buds mature enough to flower, I'm keeping my fingers crossed I get a few flowers. The Itoh is doing well and was only just putting on growth, it's only got one flower bud though. I brought with them huge rootballs, this may well be why they are doing so well.

A new plant to my garden and one I've never tried in any garden before is Bergenia - the variety is Overture. Admittedly it was a bit of an impulse buy - I just wanted something that flowered around now. I've chosen Geum Bell Bank as a neighbour - the colour of the flowers is picked up in the stems of the Bergenia. I shall see how this combo works out.

Bergenia Overture

As well as the Peony for early flowers, a plant that had been on my wish list for a heck of a long time but was proving difficult to source Papaper Orientalis Patty's Plum, I couldn't believe my luck when I came across it at a nursery local to me. I've chosen some Allium Purple Senstation to partner it.

Papaver orientalis Patties Plum, Allium Purple Sensation, Helenium and Daylily foliage

Further round just out of shot, more Alliums are happily growing - I've left a gap in the planting as I want to buy a new Peony - which one, I'm not quite sure. The trouble is my local nursery is an award winning Peony grower and there's just too many to choose from! I will wait until Peony flowering time and make my final selection then.

Well, that's about all for my End of Month View post this month except to share with you all the good news that as of this afternoon - the grass seed has finally started to germinate! We shall have grass! Wishing you all a super weekend, with some lovely weather to boot!

Despite me loosing my gardening mojo of late - the garden carried on regardless! The early bloomers are long gone, most of the bulbs have now gone over and the vast majority of the shrubs are now fully clothed in their summer finery.

Since my bloom day post the remainder of the Camellias have bloomed. All bar one, which is not featured, was new in the garden 2011. Their stature maybe small, their blooms sparse but they are all gorgeous nonetheless!

Clematis cartmanii Pixie is not fully hardy here in Scotland and generally takes a bit of a knock in winter. Not this year, her almost Chartreuse colour flowers cascades over the edge of this large container. The elderberry scent is just wonderful! Pots of pansies and violas add some contrast.

In the side garden, Acers and Magnolia stellata are doing their thing right now. The colour of the Acer is picked up in the flowers of the Primula, Dicenta and Lamium.

A complete 180° and we see Acer shirasawanum Aureum - fresh lime green leaves look equally good (I think) with the white of the Magnolia, Drumstick Primula and Narcissus Thalia.

Acer palmatum Orange Dream might still be tiny but packs a bit of a punch and really shows off Brunnera macrophylla Jack Frost's blue flowers. Just out of shot a pink pulmonaria totally clashes and might need a bit of a rethink - I shall see what happens when both finish flowering. The foliage might just work!

There's a bit of a sad tale that goes along with my Coral bark Maple, Acer palmatum Eddisbury. In 2011 it was a gorgeous 5ft specimen that cost me quite a few pennies! Come spring 2012 it had a severe infestation of black aphids on the young growth. I religiously cleared and squished as many as I possibly could. It lost almost all it's foliage, then just as it was making a come back the wet summer of 2012 haunted me! From Black Aphids to severe waterlogging in a matter of weeks - wouldn't you feel rather beat? One by one the stems began turning black and drooping horribly. I promptly lifted it from the ground and potted it into a 50/50 mix of Ericaceous compost and JI No.3. I made the decision to cut off all bar one stem. An experienced gardening friend did the 'gum suck' when I told her what I'd done and told me there was no hope of survival! Ha! proved wrong she has been. It may not be the beautiful specimen it once was but it's recovered and all new growth has been above the graft, which is good. Moved from it's nursery bed when it was dormant, it has settled in well.

A new addition to my garden this spring - Abies koreana Silverlocke has produced some cones. These will turn blue as they age (I hope) - I hope to pair it with some blue Hostas. I've a few already in the garden, they will be moved in autumn. It feels good to be thinking so far ahead - I hope this means my mood is well and truly lifted.

Another conifer, completely on a different, much smaller scale - Bird's nest spruce, is a low growing spreader, I do love it's bright new growth. It's rare for this shrub to produce cones - not that it matters, the new growth makes up for it. The shocking pink Azalea behind just coming into flower.

My 'In your face' inherited Red Dwarf Rhododendron is blooming right on cue! This one thrives on pure neglect. It's never watered nor fed and really only catches your attention for a short couple of weeks in May. It's almost three times as wide as it is tall but you can't tell from this picture - I can't get a head on shot due to narrowness of the path between plant and the house wall.

New to the garden last year, the fist time it has flowered - Berberis thunbergii Rose Glow. I hadn't realised just how pretty the flowers are.

Mexican orange - Choisya x dewitteana White Dazzler, is a bit of mouthfull don't you think? Getting a bit cramped in there now - it's being smothered by it's neighbours. This is a 'very' slow growing shrub and since I bought it in 2011 it's hardly grown at all. I had expected it to be a bit taller by now - this may have to be rehomed in Autumn.

When it's balmy and warm in the early evening - the scent of Daffodils still hand in the air. It won't be long until the Honeysuckle takes over but for now we make do with the few remaining daffs.

We need to get right down for a worms eye view of these pretty little woodlanders - Dicentra, Anemonella, Corydalis and Epimediums are putting on a fine show, if you can be bothered getting down for a closer look that is! The fresh pastel shades are a lovely change to the 'in your face' yellows of early spring.

No longer known as Dicentra - let's be happy calling them Bleeding heart, Dicentra flows much easier from the tongue than Lamprocapnos in my opinion.

I'm not keen on this combo - that might change when the Aruncus aethusfolius flowers. The creamy white flowers should pick up the edging of the Ajuga leaf.

The blue flower of the Ajuga might make the perfect partner for Primula denticulata Cashmieriena - they are currently planted a few feet apart and it wouldn't be too much bother to grow them together, something worth considering. The drumstick Primula will go over just as the Polemonium Purple Rain flowers.

Remember my day out at the SRGC Dunblane Early Bulb show back in February, one of the gorgeous Primula I bought that day was already in flower - low and behold it has flowered again. This one you may remember is supposed to smell of fish - the scent escapes me, phew! I wish I had bought more!

My otherwise large clump of Solomon's Seal is somewhat depleted this year - why? When I transplanted the Firethorn elsewhere in the garden, I inadvertently took some of this plant with me. That will teach me for taking such a large rootball with it! This is the parent plant - the other is now flowering in full sun position - it will be interesting to compare the difference and how they cope.

It's been a Bank Holiday this weekend here in the UK but where ever in the world you are, I hope you had a great weekend. I was out in the garden but only to water and do a wee bit here and there but it's a step in the right direction. There will be more of what's blooming in my garden on Bloom Day - I felt that this post would bridge the gap between the end of April and the middle of May. Thank you for reading!

It's May and that time of year has arrived! What time? I hear you ask. The time of year when I can get myself downstairs in the morning and sit on the back step and wake up to the sound of the garden. That's usually not really practical here until around Mid May. It's the time when the sun is high enough in the sky to make the step comfortably warm to sit and contemplate the day's plan of action.

It's not only the sound of the birds frantically feeding and gathering food for their chicks or the distant sounds of lawn mowers and the general village activity going on round about me - I swear I can hear the Garden Fairies running around the undergrowth giving the plants one final pre flowering pep talk. The garden is quite literally ready to burst and yet at the same time there is a calm feeling to it.

Right now, the side garden - which is generally looking best at this time of the year, is home to inherited Rhododendrons. They were moved here when I first moved in in 2007 to allow for building work, they've stayed there ever since. This part of the garden gets minimal amount of sun in winter and in summer for a few hours mid/late afternoon. The border is quite narrow and has no scope for widening. I had to put in a high fence as part of my planning consent, which seems to provide some protection from the frost but it does make the area a bit of a wind tunnel. Still, the plants seem to cope and those that don't are generally quite quick at letting me know!

If I stand in the middle - let's look left. There's a bit of a 'pink' theme going on right now. Dicentra eximia King of Hearts - now in full flower and should remain so until well into October - will soon be joined by Aquilegia and Dicentra spectabalis. Lamium orvala, sadly had to be chopped right back. It fell fowl of the cats having a bit of ding dong over something or other! My cat's are often a 3 cat wrecking ball, occasionally bringing the sturdiest of plants crashing to the ground! The Dicentra spectabalis is merely hanging on by a thread, a few strategically placed plant supports keeping it upright. It's still putting on buds but whether there is enough life left in it is anyone's guess.

Turning to the right - you get a better view of the Rhododendron. Those pink blooms will eventually fade to a pale creamy apricot shade.

Further down you can just make out the Aconitum and Peony Sarah Bernhardt gearing up for a super show - tucked down between them is a deep red Rhododendron. This plant is a rather ugly looking thing - it has a couple of oddly shaped branches and that's about it! I'm happy for it to be hidden most of the year but if wee peek in a wee bit closer we can see it's blooms.

Just before we exit out into the front garden another Red Rhododendron and a self sown Aquilegia are busying themselves this week. I really need to find a better spot for the Aquilegia, I don't particularly like the delicate pink next to the harsh red of the Rhododendron.

Another self sown pink Aquilegia sits along side a new addition to the garden last Autumn Brunnera macrophylla Hadspen Cream.

Let's go out into the front garden, until recently my front garden tended to serve as a bit of a nursery for plants. Only this spring I've moved a few shrubs round there to add some structure. I've been threatening to do something with the front garden for a couple of years now but always seem to get distracted. I feel an autumn project coming on!

By the front gate Brunnera macrophylla Jack Frost is right at home, it tends to be billed as a shade lover - here in my front garden it copes perfectly well in a full sun position.

Further down the path, Alchemilla conjuncta - Silver leafed Lady's Mantle. Just a wee bit different to the one we are more familiar with.

A couple of pots of Pansies outside the front door are still doing extremely well, so well in fact they are swamping out the Azaleas growing in there with them. I've not found the heart to tear them out just yet!

The last of the blooms in the front garden this May bloom day, a self seeded lavender has never really stopped flowering all winter - another sign of the mild conditions here.

Round in the shady border behind the kitchen extension, slowly making it's way up the fence and onto the trellis I intend to train if over is Leucothoe fontanesiana Whitewater has produced a few flowers. Oddly, none of the Leucothoe and Pieris have produced many flowers this year. As well as being mild here, it's been ridiculously dry for a Scottish winter. I wonder if that might be the cause.

At the base of the Leucothoe a shocking pink Azalea is thoroughly happy getting a minimal amount of light. The shade is cast onto a tiny corner of this border, as this plant matures, it will fill the corner completely.

Nearby Geranium Ingwersen's variety with it's aromatic leaves, which I'm none too fond of, required major surgery this spring, otherwise we'd have never got round the path to this side of the house. It's spread was huge!

Drooping red Enkianthus - another plant that prefers acidic conditions, is also flowering. Moved to a new home, as part of Project Privacy, back in early spring - flowers are not abundant but they are there nonetheless!

Iris pumila Cherry Garden and Semi Aquilegia Sugar Plum Fairy - looking great in the border outside the back door. Clematis, geraniums and friends are waiting in the wings.

Also in this bed, Choisya detwitteana White Dazzler, does exactly as it says on the tin! It's kind of getting swamped in there as I hadn't expected it to be such a slow grower, this might do better round the front too.

In my miniature garden - a wallflower with a bit of a difference. A native of turkey this tiny wee thing has a gorgeous scent too boot. Being in the large terracotta pot means I don't have too far to bend down to sniff it out!

Growing happily in my alpine trough, the Saxifrage are now producing their inflorescences (is that the correct way to use that term?). The wind is making it difficult to get a shot of the plants as a whole, their stems are so delicate it doesn't take much of a breeze to make them difficult to photograph.

As you can see flowers are very similar but S. Southside Seedling, has darker maroon markings and is not quite as scented as S. Monarch.

Rather pleased with my first attempt at tuberous Begonias. Sunning themselves in the gravel bed 2 out of 3 tubers have sprouted and brought on on the kitchen windowsill. I will pot these up into one large pot for their summer display but am really surprised to see them flowering so early. They should have been red but too me, I'd say they are orange. They are brought in at night for the time being, I'm erring on the side of caution. There has been a few nights where it's been quite cold.

Still in and around the gravel bed - Muscari armeniacum Peppermint, is rather late to come to the spring party this year. My fault really, I had stored pots of plants around it and was being completely shaded out through the winter. Now it's got some light, a few flowers have appeared.

The first of the creeping Phlox is putting on a show - Phlox subulata Kimono, thankfully didn't need to be moved for the trellis earlier in the year. Others, however, did and they are just a wee bit behind schedule! The star shaped flowers are move defined than others I grow.

More pastel shades, this time in the form of mossy Saxifrage. This plant does well in the gravel bed. It has flowered for a few weeks now, the flowers are just beginning to fade - it's another plant that has benefitted from the dry conditions.

Over on the shadier side of the gravel area - aka, the pond bed, which will be dominated by Astrantia Snow Star for the majority of the summer but right now, Polemonium yezonense Purple Rain and Ajuga reptans Burgundy Glow are the predominant plants with Polygonatum multiflorum tucked in the back corner. After 3 years, this bed is now what I would considered cramped! I'll be thinning this out come autumn, if not sooner. I can't for the life of me think what's missing from the gap at the front of this border, mmmm - odd! I'll need to do a bit of detective work there, I think. The fresh new growth on Cotinus coggygria Dusky Maiden looks as good as any bloom can at this time of the year.

Before we pop through the arch into the back garden proper (more on that in my EOMV later in the month), a pot of lavender sits comfortably in the sun. This was self seeded the front garden - swamped last year, I've brought it on in a pot and had no idea it would be white. I can't remember ever buying a white Lavender, therefore I must assume they don't come true from seed. Of course if you know different, please let me know.

"Through the arch and into the back garden proper" - I kind of like the sound of that! I suspect you'll hear me say that again!

One the sunnier side - whilst the climbers (roses, honeysuckle and clematis) are slowly, yet surely beginning to soften the look of the trellis and of course readying themselves for flowering, everything that has been moved here since spring is thoroughly enjoying their new home. Right now, Dicentra spectabalis is putting on a marvellous show. I've never seen it so big! It is usually recommended to grow this plant in part shade, but I find in my garden, the soil is moist enough that they cope with a bit more sun than they would in the south.

Tucked in at the back, you can just make out the golden foliage of Aquilegia vulgaris Purple Emperor but it's deep purple flowers are kind of lost in amongst the green foliage of the surrounding plants. It used to be partnered with the cardoon (which was moved from here) and looked amazing against the silver foliage - note too self, needs moving!

Most plants over on the shady side are grown mainly for their foliage, with the odd flower at various times throughout the year. Presently Tiarella Spring Symphony has just started blooming. I've added some strawberry foxgloves nearby which will flower later in the year.

I've added this next shot for Helene over at Graphicality UK - it's one of the plants she sent me in our plant swap, it will be the first for those plants to flower - if only it would hurry up! I do, though, love the foliage and hope it's very happy here in my garden.

Now spreading around just as I had planned - Viola soraria Albiflora is just coming out. I like when a plan comes together, don't you?

In the new border at the top of the garden, the plants have settled in and the first of those new plants are just about to come into bloom. I could not have ended this blog without sharing it with you all - Geum Flames of Passion, just threw itself into my basket on a recent trip to the GC. How lucky was I just to be there to catch it! It would have been such a shame to see it fall to the ground, right?

It's taken me 2 days to get this post together, life just got in the way. As it does! So apologies to Carol over at May Dream Gardens for joining late. Better late than never right? Pop over if you fancy seeing what's going on in other gardens around the globe.

I'm off now to see what you've all been up to - or rather, what your garden has been up to. Thanks for reading and apologies it was so long.

Here we are at the end of May and how time flies when you are having fun! The doldrums I found myself in at this time last month seems to have shifted and I am now feeling a bit more positive. I've accepted the fact that I can't split myself in 3 and at times somethings just needs to take a back seat. Taking the back seat of late has been blogging and reading blogs. Having said that, I am determined to continue with my committal to my End of Month View postings. It will be great to see what I've missed in your gardens, I'm willing to bet I'll notice a huge difference.

End of Month View April 2014

The month of May continued to be exceptionally dry here, we've had a few showers but no where near as bad as it's been in the rest of the country. The grass seed that had only just germinated in April's post is now looking good. It's been mown twice - one thing we do well here in Scotland is lush fast growing lawn. The natural stone edging is doing exactly as I had planned. Just level enough for the mower to skim over without the need of edging each and every time. The stones are still a bit grubby but will get a good going over with the power washer later in the year - some of the grass seed has also managed to germinate in amongst the plants. I just need to be vigilant and remove it when I find it. It seems I've unleashed a demon too! Mares tails have started appearing. That's one weed I don't want to take hold. Again, vigilance will be needed to keep on top of it.

Not so red Lupin!

The border is now filling out - some things I'm happy with and others are annoying me. My discontent is 4 fold. Oriental Poppies (Pattie's Plum), don't seem at all happy. The cause of their unhappiness has me baffled - Oriental Poppies tend to do well here. Next on the list of discontent - Helianthus Lemon Queen, I've used this to fill out the back section (until Viburnum sargentii Onondaga matures) between the Deutzia and the Cardoon. Of 3 plants only 2 are thriving. I'm not sure if I need worry about that though. At the rate they are growing, it seems I have seriously misjudged how quickly they will fill out! Filling the gaps between the alliums to the right of the cardoon. Planting in that area is rather patchy - again, due to my misjudgement on how their neighbours would perform. I've temporarily used some Candelabra Primula I had growing elsewhere. I had bought a peony (P. Fragrant Pink Imp) to do the job of filling in, then promptly changed my mind. Another day, another purchase, Verbascum Clemantine (now planted at very back of top border) didn't do it for me either. I think I'll leave it be for now. My final disappointment is the red Lupins. They have all settled in and are producing flower buds and the first bud to colour up just happens to be purple! It will be interesting to see what the other 2 produce.

End of Month View May 2014
Just before the sun goes down behind the house for the night

It's not all negative, I do have to keep reminding myself of that. I find it difficult to focus on the positives rather than the negatives, I doubt I am alone in that respect. Let's see what's pleasing me.

Viburnum sargentii Onondaga
The leathery foliage is as impressive as the bronze coloured buds before they open

Geum Bell Bank and Primula beesiana

Aquilegia vulgaris William Guinness

If we stand to the back of the border looking back down towards the house, the yellow of the Euphorbia polychroma contrasts nicely with the purple of the Allium and Aquilegia.

Allium Purple Sensation, Aquilegia William Guinnes and Euphoriba polychroma

I took a huge risk in moving a couple of peonies into this border back in March, one was already well into growth and had buds, the other had just come out of dormancy.

Peony buds fattening up

3 buds on Itoh hybrid Border Charm

Up on the back tier the Cotinus I planted to contrast with the Sambucus nigra Black Lace is positively glowing! I've added a Clematis montana Marjorie to the back corner. I had previously ordered this at my local nursery. I can't remember where I had intended to plant it but it's found a home here. I've had to use some plastic netting to protect it from the cats, they will insist on climbing the fence in this corner.

Cotinus coggygria Golden Spirit and floppy Verbascum Clemantine

To the right of the Sambucus is where I've chosen to grow my coral bark Maple - I've filled in round about with a selection of perennials, all growing elsewhere in the garden except Geum Flames of Passion. Primula aurantiaca are just about to come into flower, Himalayan cowslips, Knifophia, Ligularia and Astrantia will flower later. The rambling rose (R.'Félicité Perpétue') growing on wires (espalier) was originally meant to be fence cover and although doing a great job, I think is now out of place. The jury is out until it flowers. By which time I'll have a better idea of the impact it will make. I fear that I may have too many white flowering shrubs in this area.

Acer palmatum Eddisbury

Last and certainly not least for this End of Month View, although technically not part of my End of Month View, it is contained within the same border, therefore I've allowed myself to include it and will continue to do so for the remainder of the year.

I've longed for what I call a proper tree in my garden for a long time. Space and telephone lines always put me off, scared me I suppose you could say. I was having a wee wander around a local nursery, not really looking for anything specific, just browsing, as you do! I came across Sobrus Autumn Spire, tolerant of a windy site, columnar in growth habit, good autumn colour and suitable for wet situations (this area has on occasion flooded) - it ticked all the boxes. I grabbed it with both hands and proceeded to the check out. The Rowan was coming home with me come hell or high water! There was quite a bit of juggling around in the car. We finally got it in in one piece, phew! Mum's options were to jam herself in a tight corner in the back of the car or have a cup of tea and wait for me to come back for her. She chose the former and thankfully both mum and the tree got home unscathed!

I'm fair chuffed with this and what a difference it makes, the height it adds really does 'finish' the area off - surrounded by Philadelphus Belle Etoile, Ligularia the Rocket and Astilbe Deutschland amongst others. I hope it likes my garden.

That wraps up my EOMV post for May, all that's left is for me to do is to thank you all for reading, wish you all a good weekend and if you want to join other garden bloggers who post their End of Month Views, please join us over at The Patient Gardener's Weblog, where Helen kindly hosts this meme on the last day (or there abouts) of every month.

Firethorn and Fingernails

End of Month View January 2014

Wordless Wednesday - She's always first!

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day February 2014

Peacock Butterfly

SRGC Early Spring Bulb Show 2014 (part 1) - Snowdrop and other bulbs

SRGC Early Spring Bulb Show 2014 (Part 2)

What's in a name?

End of Month View February 2014

Just a few flowers

When not to move?

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day March 2014

Plant swapping - long distance

Doesn't time fly? - End of Month View March 2014

Attempting Espalier

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day April 2014

End of Month View April 2014

Carried on regardless - the garden that is!

Garden Blogger Bloom Day May 2014

End of Month View May 2014