G.B.F.D. Yet more rain.

Once again the country is either covered in snow or flooded, sounds as if last year is carrying on where it left off! We are in the southern part of the country which is flooded once more. I daren’t walk on the garden to take photos for GBFD so have had to make do with what I could get from round the house, the drive and the greenhouse. First I have the tin bath that I planted up last year with tulips, if I had put them in the ground they would certainly have rotted away by now. The leaves are telling me that all is well underneath and I can look forward to a nice display in maybe a months time.

Tulips in the bath

Buddleja globosa

Down at the end of the drive is Buddleja globosa which will flower soon. Unlike the other buddlejas that have already been pruned back, this one flowers on wood produced the previous year, so gets cut back as soon as it has finished flowering.

Arum italicum marmoratum

I think this clump of Arum italicum marmoratum gets photographed more than any other, I pass it every day going to the greenhouse and it always looks so lovely.

Carex oshimensis Evergold

Carex oshimensis Evergold might only be small but it packs a punch all year round. We have it here edging the path behind the greenhouse.

Hedera helix Glacier

Growing over the lower part of the greenhouse (wood) is Hedera helix glacier, I hope it adds extra insulation to the greenhouse which isn’t heated in the winter.

Hemerocallis

Everywhere all over the garden the day lilies, Hemerocallis, are shooting up, promise of things to come in the summer. At the moment the foliage is such a lovely fresh green.

Rosa Shropshire Lad

The fresh new foliage of Rosa Shropshire Lad is such a wonderful colour at the moment, along with all the other rose foliage in the front garden.

Spirea

A Spirea on the drive will soon be in flower.

Molly the Witch

You will see more and more of Paeonia Mlokosewitschii as time goes by, she is wonderful at all stages of her development.

Geranium procurrens

All the different Geraniums are popping up all over the garden at the moment, this one is in the Bee and Butterfly border by the drive.

Oriental Poppy

Also in the Bee and Butterfly border are a few Oriental Poppies.

Hydrangea

Under the kitchen window, the hydrangea is putting out new shoots, as are all the others in the garden. Behind the hydrangea is a Cotoneaster horizontalis which is also putting out lots of leaves at the moment.

Campanula

This little golden leaved Campanula is on the alpine scree, looking like a bit of sunshine which we need at the moment! How long is it since we saw any, it must be weeks now!!

Fatshedera lizei Variegata

Fatshedera lizei Variegata is tucked away round the back of the house, in a shady spot. This doesn’t climb like an ivy, it just forms a loose shrub.

General view

A general view of the side border at the back which forms the boundary with our next door neighbour. This is all foliage at the moment but most of the shrubs flower at different times during the summer.

Meconopsis seeds

Seedlings of Meconopsis Lingholm, in the greenhouse, growing from seed saved from my plants last year. I’m just waiting for my next pair of leaves to appear, then they will be pricked out into plug trays.

Primula seedlings

Also in the greenhouse are some Primula seedlings, again saved from my plants last year. These are further on than the meconopsis because they were sown straight away when still green, as per Carol Klein’s instructions, and it works, you get a larger plant much quicker. When it eventually stops raining, these can go straight into the garden.

That’s all the foliage I can show you this time, not too bad considering I couldn’t get onto the grass, it is like a swamp! It was a case of a waterproof hat and coat, along with the wellies, to venture into the garden to take these photos, all the plants look dripping wet just as I was!  All the fields near Exeter are flooded once more and last night, coming home, the road between us and the airport was just like a river again. Many thanks to Christina at My Hesperides Garden for hosting GBFD once more, do go to her site to see interesting foliage from around the world.

 

 

 

 

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20 Responses to G.B.F.D. Yet more rain.

  1. Anna says:

    Hope that the rain in your part of the world eases off soon Pauline – there seems no end to these biblical deluges in the south west 🙁 Here we have had almost non stop snow since late last night and gusty winds. All foliage is covered. Your arum italicum marmoratum is a beauty and oh what glorious colour ‘Molly the Witch’ wears.

    • Pauline says:

      Biblical is the word for it Anna, when will it all end! Molly is such a lovely colour, I love it at all stages, right into autumn when it has bright pink seeds. The Arum is super for flower arranging, new leaves are just right for snowdrops. Hope you don’t get more snow, fingers crossed!

  2. Cathy says:

    Despite the rain you still managed to get more foliage shots than I did – lots of the old stalwarts too. I am really regretting getting rid of the zinc baths we had picked up at a car boot years ago – they were stuck in the shed waiting for a use and now I have the time to think about planting them they are there no more 🙁 Yours will look lovely with the tulips. These arums do look stunning at this time of year, and mine is just outside the kitchen so I see it every day. Your seedlings look great too.

    • Pauline says:

      I was surprised at how many I found Cathy, just from the path round the house, there would have been a lot more if I could have gone further up the garden. I will certainly be using the tin bath again for tulips and other bulbs, it gets round the problem of them rotting away in my very wet clay!

  3. Christina says:

    Thanks for joining in again this month Pauline. It is very courageous of you to venture out in such horrid conditions! As always you have some nice foliage in the garden. I’m so sorry the weather is so bad again at the moment maybe it means it will be a good summer in the end, hope so anyway you all deserve it in England after latter year. Christina

    • Pauline says:

      There was more than I thought to photograph Christina, but yes, we are hoping that maybe we will get a good summer after this. Last March we had temperatures up in the 80’s, what a difference this year. The plus point is that the bulb flowers are lasting a lot longer than last year when they were over almost as soon as they opened.

  4. pbmgarden says:

    Pauline your foliage tour is wonderful fun with an amazing amount of variety. Do hope the weather gives you and your garden a break soon but glad you have so many interesting plants to monitor close by the house for now. Susie

    • Pauline says:

      It was just as well that I found these close to the house Susie, I would almost have had to wade to the others further down the garden! No sign of our rain stopping or the snow further north, we never usually have such awful weather in March, hope it stops soon.

  5. Liz says:

    Hi Pauline,

    I’m unsure which is better; floods or snow… I think I prefer snow if I’m completely honest. At least it protects the garden and is pretty to look at… That’s not to say I’m not completely fed up of it though!

    It’s a shame you didn’t manage to get around the garden this time, although it looks like you still have plenty to see around the house. And ooooh! Look at all those mecanopsis! I’m hoping mine will actually bloom this year, after all that lovely rain last year…………. Beginning to give up hope on them. I’m about to go on a primula hunt – candelabras mainly as my mum loves them, dad ripped out her last one when we was ‘weeding’, so I’ll get some, divide them and hopefully have babies to pass onto her in the coming years 🙂

    • Pauline says:

      I’m with you on this one Liz, I prefer snow to all this rain which is just sitting on all the borders. Seeds of Meconopsis sown last year made 72 little plants, but only 30 survived the winter. I must move them to their permanent position as soon as I can get back on the soil so that they hopefully will flower this year. I have found it is so easy to increase the primulas by seed following Carol Klein’s instructions, the problem will be finding a place for them all, the bog garden is going to be full!

  6. We are also having the coldest spring that I can remember since I started my plant nursery 21 years ago. We spend most of our time moving plants into the garage so they won’t freeze. I find arum very photogenic too. All it’s various cultivars are wonderful.

    • Pauline says:

      Something has gone wrong with the weather for all of us I think Carolyn, we have never had such extremes before, maybe this will mean we might get a decent summer for a change! The birds are very good at depositing the Arum seeds round the garden, with their own packet of fertiliser! They pop up in the most unexpected places and always look just right, no matter where they are.

  7. kininvie says:

    What are the primula seedlings?

    • Pauline says:

      These are seeds of Primula japonica Postford White Kininvie. I seem to have gone mad with my seed sowing last year, I have them sprouting all over the place, the sooner I get them into the bog, the better!

  8. I love your photos. My peony is just about the same stage, can’t wait for the blooms.

    • Pauline says:

      Thanks Charlie, The peony might only flower for a short time, but the build up is something to enjoy for months beforehand. Will look forward to photos of yours!

  9. debsgarden says:

    I was about to complain about our own wet weather, but I looked up and saw the sun! I hope you soon get a chance to get out to enjoy the garden. I enjoyed the views of your dripping foliage and the wider view of your side border. Your Fatshedera lizei Variegata is beautiful, and it does look like ivy!

    • Pauline says:

      I don’t think we have any sun in the near future Deb unfortunately, but at least today it has stopped raining! I believe the Fatshedera is a cross between an ivy (hedera) and a Fatsia japonica, its good for cutting for flower arranging.

  10. wellywoman says:

    If I’m honest the cold biting wind has made me retreat indoors. A quick nip to the greenhouse to check on plants and water is as much as I have managed. It’s a pity because I know there are some pretty flowers and the first signs of plants appearing that I should be appreciating. At least we didn’t get much snow but we’ve had lots of rain too. Is this ever going to end or is this what climate change means? The thought that our weather could be like this from now on is really rather worrying.

    • Pauline says:

      The endless rain has stopped now WW, but the east wind is freezing! Yes, the greenhouse is nice and warm, but you can only do so much in there can’t you? I thought climate change would creep up on us slowly, not be a complete opposite to what we are used to. I really hope it gets back to normal soon. At least one good point about it being so cold is that bulb flowers are lasting a lot longer than usual, probably because the bees are hiding away staying warm so flowers aren’t getting pollinated. If this carries on I must remember to pollinate my fruit trees with a paint brush!!

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