At the risk of sounding very boring, we have had another week of non stop rain, parts of the garden have been under water for months now and are looking rather sorry for themselves, other parts are relishing it all and performing beautifully. I am still able to go for my daily wander in the back garden, the woodland and round the rockery and am still finding something new flowering nearly every day. To start this weeks six though, I’m showing my little tulip from last week which hadn’t opened and some of you asked what the inside was like……
no 1
Last week it was like a balloon, now it is well and truly open, showing the blue on the inside. I think this is Tulip Little Beauty.
No 2.
Prunus Kojo no mai is now in full flower on the rockery. This is a sucker that came from a root left behind when the original got too large and had to be removed. It will be kept to more or less this size from now on.
The flowers are so delicate, hanging there like little bells, such a beautiful shrub.
No 3.
While in the woodland I noticed that the Acers are starting to come back to life. This is Acer Sango Kaku, the first to get its leaves and flowers here. As well as the lovely coloured young bark, the tiny flowers are such a beautiful red colour.
No 4.
Still in the woodland is Cyclamen repandum by the path near the entrance. More flowers this year, but it isn’t increasing like the other cyclamen varieties. I will have to sow some seed myself as the ants are obviously not doing it for me!
No 5.
Also on the woodland floor is a little drift of wood anemones, Anemone nemorosa. They seem to like the same conditions as the snakeshead fritillaries.
No 6.
Looking a bit bedraggled on the scree is my Pulsatilla vulgaris, this has lots more flowers on it than usual, hopefully from being baked last year.
+1
This is just a preview for midweek next week. It is Snakeshead fritillary time again and they deserve a post to themselves! At the moment that end of the woodland is under water but they seem to be really enjoying it. I now have more popping up in various other parts of the woodland and even in the back border in the garden, not planted there by me! I think rusty pheasant is doing his work protecting my flowers, although one day this week I did see a rabbit going hoppity hop over the little bridge and then found a couple of flowers lying on the path!
That is my offering for this week, I think we might have a few dry days next week, I do hope so, I need to be out there tidying without churning up the lawn.Thanks again to our organiser Jim at Garden Ruminations making this possible, who knows what you will see in other gardens around the world if you pay him a visit.
Lovely photos <3 Your pulsata are superb and that little tulip is darling!
Thanks Sarah, very kind! The pulsatilla has opened more flowers this morning and it doesn’t look quite so drowned!
Wow! So many fritillary! Love ’em.
Thanks Rosie! Pure luck when I planted just a few bulbs 30 yrs ago in the damp end of the woodland, they love it and ever since I have just sprinkled the seed.
I see your wood anemones are also in your garden. One thing about your Kojo, you could prune the lower stems maybe? Those on the left in the photo and the branches in the center to aerate it , while limiting its vertical growth.
The wood anemones are certainly making themselves at home in the woodland Fred, they are increasing nicely, all without any help from me. I will be removing a few of the older branches when flowering is over on my Prunus and yes, I think the branch on the left can go, it is sticking out rather a long way!
Your Prunus Kojo no mai is looking great!
I love all your little woodland plants, the Cyclamen, the Snakeshead fritillary and particularly the wood anemone. I haven’t noticed mine this year, I must go and have a look, I’d hate to think they’d vanished. Enjoy the remainder of your weekend!
Thanks Catherine, the woodland is my favourite part of my garden at this time of year, a real tapestry of flowers. Hope you find your wood anemones!
That tulip really is deserving of its name Pauline. Sorry to hear the ants are falling in their cylcamen seed distribution duties lol. Your fritillaries are wonderful and I look forward to seeing more of them next time.
Do ants hibernate Denise, that could be why seed isn’t being spread around? Must do it myself and see. I’m thinking of trying more fritillaries in the circular lawn where I have it as a meadow, after all they are meadow plants not woodland plants, what do you think, after all, you can’t have too many can you!
Prunus Kojo no mai is such a lovely shrub at this time of the year. Jim featured Cyclamen repandum as well. I must look into it as I quite like the idea of a spring flowering variety. The hederiofolium variety is prolific in my garden – perhaps a bit too prolific.
Cyclamen hederifolium spread everywhere here Graeme, just wish C. repandum did as well! I must try and find out if ants hibernate, that could be why I don’t get seedlings, they might all be still hiding away.
Very pretty selection of plants. You must be pleased to still have a Kojo no mai offspring. Looking at your comment above, I do think ants hiberate, but I expect they will be active as soon as we get some sun.
The fritillary are simply gorgeous and thanks for sharing the photo of the open tulip. That dark centre is striking and different from the usual yellow.
I was thrilled Catharine, to find that Kojo had left part of its roots behind and that it grew into a new plant, they had spread quite a way. The fritillaries increase year on year with me sprinkling seed and some must blow in the breeze as they are appearing in the garden now, which is lovely. I have plans for more next year in a different area!
The tulip is even prettier when open. Some wonderful blooms, looking forward to seeing the fritillaries, I do love them.xxx
The inside of the tulip was a surprise Dina, being blue and not yellow! Have just finished the post about the fritillaries, it will come soon.x
Your prunus cutting is a lovely shape and size – sadly I missed pruning my Beni Chidori one year and it is now bigger than I wanted it to be – not sure whether retrospective pruning will help…
This wasn’t a cutting Cathy, it was a sucker that came up suddenly from what must have been left behind of a root when we got rid of the parent plant. Just luck really.