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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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!