In just a few days since G.B.Foliage Day, the Rogersia which was just showing a couple of tiny leaves, has grown so much already.
Rogersia.
And it has put out so many new leaves. I think the colouring and the texture is so beautiful, I wish they could stay like this for the summer, but they will all turn green.
Skip the next bit if you don’t like beetles! Lately I have been hunting red Lily Beetles, I am finding so many each day on my lilies and squashing them underfoot. However I found so many on my snakes head fritillary seed heads, as well as on the lilies.
Just a few of the red lily beetles.
They are known to attack the snakeshead fritillaries, so hoping to reduce the numbers next year, I collected them in a pot. This should hopefully reduce their numbers, I’m afraid at least 30 were all squashed under my welly boot! At least the ones that were copulating died happy!
Rhododendron with ponticum shoot.
If any of you have rhododendrons with two different coloured flowers on the same bush, then it is time to take action. Obviously this rhododendron has been grafted onto the root stock of Rhododendron ponticum, the wild rhododendron, which will eventually take over if not stopped. It is spreading far and wide in this country and doesn’t allow anything else to grow in the vicinity . I usually follow the stem back to the trunk and pull downwards, removing the purple flower stem. If you cut it, it can sprout again, pulling it is usually the only way to get rid of it. I had 3 stems to pull away on this bush, hopefully they won’t return.
First rose.
My first rose which is flowering on the pergola. The roses on the pergola didn’t get pruned this year, as we just ran out of time with being out every day at the hospital. By the time we could prune them, they were already covered in buds. This has made them flower earlier this year than normal, I think we will just have to enjoy them and make sure we prune them, probably in November this year.
Clematis Lasurstern
Climbing up the side of the conservatory is a clematis which we inherited with the house. I think it is Clematis Lasurstern. The opening buds are quite beautiful.
Clematis Lasurstern
And the open flowers are just as beautiful. This is the first flower on my large flowered clematis and this tells me that spring is rapidly giving way to summer!
Baby blackbird
Having food out all the time on the bird table means that there is always lots of movement outside the back door. We knew the blackbirds had hatched their chicks when Mr.Blackbird started filling his beak with mealworms and flying to a spot in the border with dense cover from the shrubs. The other day this baby blackbird came with its father, obviously hoping it would feed him, but no, he had to feed himself as father flew away, back to the shrubs with his mouthful. Maybe another chick in the border or has Mrs. laid more eggs already? Moving round the garden , we can hear hundreds of chicks begging for food from their parents, soon they will all be coming to the bird table, I’d better get more food in so that I’m ready for the influx!
Acer Osakazuki seeds.
Acer palmatum Osakazuki seeds are very evident on my little tree. I planted a few a couple of years ago and now have two little trees in pots.
Seedlings of Acer Osakazuki
One has new growth which is very red to start with, the other has new growth which is just plain green. As we have so many seeds this year, I think I will plant some more and see what we get.
Seedling of Acer Osakazuki
This seedling shows the most promise, it just depends on how much colour it gets in the autumn.
Rhododendron Fantastica.
Rhododendron Fantastica, in the woodland, is looking better this year than any other year since it was planted. There are so many flower heads this year, we must have remembered to water it during periods of drought last summer!
White Aquilegia in the woodland.
Just into the woodland is a lovely clump of white Aquilegia which I must save seed from, to spread around in there. There is lots of red campion and cow parsley here at the moment, that have jumped in from the road the other side of the hedge. These will be allowed to flower, but not go to seed as I don’t need any more!
The pond.
Serious work is needed in the pond, I wonder if I’ll be given any waders for my birthday?! I need them as I don’t relish getting in, in a pair of shorts and some old shoes any more!!
Chives.
I don’t know how my chives are surviving. They started off up in the bed where the forget me nots now are, but a few years ago they seeded down below into the cracks in the paving. Each winter that area is quite often flooded, for days at a time, how can they survive under water, when we are told to plant them in well drained soil?! The original bulbs in the flowerbed have all died!
Polystichum setiferum Divisilobum
The new growth on this fern, Polystichum setiferum Divisilobum, looks just like an octopus , well I think so anyway!
English Iris and Buff tailed bumble bee.
The group of English Iris are in flower in the front border. This Buff tailed Bumble bee was certainly enjoying itself, visiting every flower.
Buff tailed Bumble bee.
Eventually it’s tail was even more buff coloured, as each flower it visited deposited its pale coloured pollen on it’s bottom!
View across the circular lawn.
This is my favourite view of the garden at the moment, with me standing by the border next to the field, looking across the bed round the dead oak with the Stipa gigantea, just starting to push up it’s beautiful flower panicles. Beyond is the circular lawn with the bog garden in the distance. The clematis cascading down out of the oak tree will soon come to the end of its flowering for this year, I’ll just have to wait 11 months for it to put on a repeat performance!
That is the end of my photographic oddments, a thoroughly mixed bag I think you will agree.
Your mixed bag of beauties is wonderful! I often do the same thing on Friday and call it Random Friday. Too bad those beetles are so destructive as the orange color is kind of pretty. The rhododendron problem is new to me. Thanks for the heads up! Your garden is looking magnificent and I love the image of Polystichum setiferum Divisilobum; it does look like an octopus! Happy gardening!
Thanks Peter. The lily beetles are an absolute pain, so many people over here have given up growing lilies, which is such a shame as they have the most beautiful flowers and wonderful perfume.
With Hart’s tongue ferns looking like cobras when they first start growing, and now octopus for the Polystichum, I wonder how many other plants are going to have their fresh growth looking like animals!
Hah! My first impression of the Polystichum was that you had included a photo of an octopus on your blog for some strange reason, it totally looks like one. Definitely a mixed bag kind of post, but a good, informative one with some lovely photos. Love the closeup of the Clematis. I hope you manage to make a good dent in your lily beetle population. Horrible creatures.
It does look like an octopus doesn’t it Alison! More clematis are nearly open on the pergola, but these are in group 3 which were cut back in March, they shouldn’t be flowering yet, but I think just another few days will see their buds opening, May is really far too early for them.
I’m hoping that by killing the adult lily beetles, we won’t have many of the horrible, revolting larvae which do the most damage. They also cover themselves in their own poo to look like bird droppings!!
and what a lovely mixed bag it is Pauline, apart from the Lily Beetles that is! I’m not sure they are up here yet, I must do my homework.
Such a pretty blue Clematis and the wide view is I think perfect! Have a lovely gardening weekend 🙂
Thank you Angie. You are certainly lucky if the dreaded lily beetle hasn’t reached you yet, they are an absolute pain, spoiling the foliage of the lilies, which I suppose weakens them.
I’m so glad you like the wide view, my favourite at the moment, we are both busy tackling all the weeds which have popped up while we were at the hospital each day, they have all grown so huge!
Love that last shot.
When do you sow the acer seeds Pauline? And do they need anything doing with them or straight into the pot? I’ve quite a few too, I’d like to have a go with them this year.
I put my Acer seeds straight in the pot Jessica, just as if they had fallen in the garden. I’m trying to think when I planted the last ones, probably in the autumn, or when they start coming off the tree naturally. I must try the seed of my other two trees, I hope you are successful with yours.
A lovely mixture Pauline. I think your first rose is perfect.
A few more roses have now opened Susie, the garden is really beginning to feel like summer has arrived.
Lots of lovely plants as usual Pauline. The last shot shows how immaculate your garden is. I don’ t know how you have managed to keep it looking so good when you had daily hospital visits.
Lily beetles just get squashed with my bare hands these days. I have gone beyond being squeamish when it comes to these horrible creatures.
I have some Acer seedlings which I sowed in the Autumn. I am looking forward to seeing if they resemble their parents.
Chloris, I’m sorry to say the garden is far from immaculate!!, The weeds have grown so tall, the last shot was taken from the other side of the garden, so the weeds don’t show up very much, but believe me, they are there! We are tackling them all, one bed at a time, hopefully in a month they should soon be gone.
I used to catch the lily beetles on a tissue so that I could see where they are, but now it is straight into my hand, no I don’t think I could squash them in my hand, but my foot is a good substitute!
I’m going to try some more Acer seeds from my other two trees, we’ll have to wait to see what comes up.
The garden is looking spectacular! I am so glad we don’t have the red lily beetle here in Australia – we have a native version that munches on the lily family, but it takes only the daintiest little bites so that even an ‘infestation’ is scarcely noticeable. The red rogerisa looks brilliant – I love the new growth!
Thank you Matt. How lucky that your beetle is so dainty, I could cope with that I think!
I really like this Rogersia, and wish that the foliage stayed that way, but soon it will be green and will lose the pleated texture, I just have to enjoy it in the spring!
A lovely look at your garden again – love the Acer seeds and that fern really does look like some sort of aquatic creature! The R. Fantastica makes a lovely splash of pink in the woodland.
The Rhododendron Fantastica flowers have now faded to white Cathy, but they show up even better now that the woodland is getting so dark with all the leaves coming on the old trees. Most of my Rhododendron flowers seem to fade to white, a point which I didn’t take into account when I bought them many years ago.
After that photo of beetles making babies, I must admit I found it hard to concentrate on the flowers! That fern is spectacular.
The Lily beetle babies are even more revolting Catmint, covering themselves in their excretia to look like bird droppings! I hope to stop them getting to that stage! I like this fern in all its stages of growth, it is quite different in texture to the other ferns in the garden.
Nice views in your beautiful garden, Pauline. I do not like this Lillybeatles, but I have no Lilys in this year.
Sigrun
Thank you Sigrun, I’m glad you like them. A lot of people over here have stopped growing lilies because of the beetle, but I will try for a few more years.
What a wonderful time of year in the garden!
I don’t know how you found the time to keep up with it all so well, but it looks great… except of course for the lily beetles. A photo of a crushed one might have been a nicer view!
Have a happy birthday and I hope you get your waders -although the thought of you stepping down into a cold, weed filled pond in shorts and old shoes is an entertaining image!
No, no Frank, not a pretty sight, there comes a time when you reach a certain age and shorts should never be worn!
It is a wonderful time of year in the garden, but the weeds are growing just as much as all the plants. Eventually we will get it all weeded, for now though I just show the areas that aren’t too bad!
Hi Pauline,
Your garden is amazing, as usual. Whenever you post I know I’m in for a treat!….I love your Rogersia too, and wish it would stay that color all summer.
As for the lily bugs…..death to them all!! Haha….they died happy….as long as they died! They ate my lilies down to the nub last year. I was sure they were gone but, two of them came back. No sooner did they break the ground than those little red monsters found them! I’m squashing them with pleasure….
Clematis’ make my heart skip a beat. Yours is beautiful when it’s opening….I came very close to mail ordering Clematis montana but, decided I want to purchase one locally…..
Your fern does look like an octopus! As long as it doesn’t get a strangle hold on any other plants!
Happy Gardening!
Thanks for your lovely comments Sally. I hadn’t realised that the red lily beetle was as much a pest over with you, as it is with us. I wonder where they came from originally, then we could send them all back!
Most of my clematis are the viticella variety which have smaller flowers, but a lot more of them. This is the only large flowered clematis that I have now, I have bought others but they all got clematis wilt and died. The viticella variety don’t get wilt, thank goodness.
Have a good weekend!
I love your mixed bag, so many beauties as usual. Rogersia is such a lovely colour, if only it stayed like that, how lucky you are to have your first rose, again, a lovely colour. Lasurstern is a beauty for sure!!!
What a good idea to plant Acer seeds, I shall gi.
Your chive story had me laughing……good luck with the pond, hope you get your waders.xxx
More roses are opening each day Dina, once the roses start flowering , I feel it must be summer! I think I’m hoping for something different from my Acer seeds, they shouldn’t come the same as the parent plant. I’ve noticed some tiny seeds on the large Acer that turns orange in the winter, it’s strange that the largest tree has the smallest seeds!
Nature knows best where plants should be, we just have to go with the flow!
I always seem to find lily beetles in twos – never as many as 30 though!
I’m still on the hunt for the lily beetles and unfortunately still finding far too many Cathy, I think this is the worst year for them. I keep hoping that by getting rid of the adults I can stop their life cycle, but so far I’m not winning!