After being warned quite a few times that we were all going to experience snow here in the South West and not just on the high moors, it was a welcome relief when it turned out to be just rain, even though a lot of it. Further north there have been dreadful problems with the amount of snow that has fallen.The plants in the garden certainly appreciated the rain, they have all perked up and look a lot happier, lots of new plants have opened their flowers for the first time in some areas, mainly the woodland and the rockery.
No 1.
Not a new flower by any means but the chaenomeles by the back door is still flowering its head off, looking better than ever, maybe due to the wood being ripened last summer in the heat that we had.
No 2.
Tucked away in a corner of the woodland is a winter flowering honeysuckle., which was given to me by a friend. It has been there for at least 30 yrs and I have never noticed any flowers on it before, I think I have planted it in too much shade. One day while enjoing my snowdrops and hellebores in that area I suddenly noticed a couple of flowers for the first time! I think I will take some cuttings and see what will happen if I plant them in the sun!
No 3.
Different primulas are starting to flower on the rockery.
No 4.
Soon Chionodoxa Pink Giant will be flowering on the scree, I noticed that they have spread quite a bit.
No 5.
Corydalis solida, which is on the slope down to the ditch in front of the woodland, seems very happy and is seeding around with gay abandon, making lots of new little plants. I think it must enjoy the carpet of leaf mould that I give it each year to encourage the seedlings.
Corydalis Beth Evans is planted further into the woodland and is doing well, but I never see any seedlings around her.
No 6
Lots more Narcissus pseudonarcissus are now flowering in the woodland, seeds that I sprinkled a few years ago are now flowering, turning the woodland from the white of the snowdrops, even though there are still lots flowering, to yellow.
It is a real pleasure going for my daily wander in the back garden and woodland as so many flowers are now popping up. I am starting to get the rest of the garden tidied, but it will be a while yet before the bog garden starts performing, which is the next area to come into flower. I have noticed though that my very special seedling candelabra primula has survived being under water all winter and is now coming up as 2 plants, excellent!
Thanks again to Jim at Garden Ruminations for hosting once more, do pop over to him to see what is happening in the gardening world round the globe!
I obviously need to move my Corydalis solida into more woodsy conditions, they hold their own but I’ve never seen seedlings.
Some of my seedlings Jim, are popping up 6 or 8ft away from the original C. solida, I’m assuming it must be ants moving the seed about. The seedlings are various colours, but it is only the purple one that seems to set seed and they are spreading further each year.
Your chaenomeles really does flower beautifully Pauline. The winter flowering honeysuckle is so pretty, I hope you can get it to produce more flowers.
Thanks Denise, the chaenomeles lifts my spirits each time I catch a glimpse of it through the window! I’m sure too much shade is the problem with the honeysuckle, must try and remember to take some cuttings.
Your chaenomeles is glorious, as always! I find my winter honeysuckles tend to send up suckers which self-root really easily, so you may find yourself in possession of some new plants more quickly than you think, if you can get to your plant and have a pootle about below it…
The Chaenomeles has excelled itself this time Cathy, I’ve never known so many flowers all at once before. I must go and pootle about for suckers of the honeysuckle, thanks for that information!
How lovely and colourful. Glad you didn’t get the snow. We had some for a day here in Hampshire. It put paid to the Cordylines that have struggled since the December cold spell.
Watching the news each night made me very glad that we didn’t get any snow Rosei, and the flowers appreciated all the rain that came instead. Sorry to hear about your Cordyline, I have lost a couple in my time.
Your woodland sounds wonderful with all those lovely narcissus and the other plants you mention.
The woodland is my favourite place to be at the moment Catherine,and has been for a while with all the snowdrops and now narcissus. I must have my daily wander there just to see what has popped up overnight.
Winter Honeysuckle is one of my favourites. The Beth Evans Corydalis has cropped up in a few SoSs lately – it’s lovely.
I really must remember to take cuttings of my Winter Honeysuckle Graeme and then plant it in a better spot.Beth Evans is beautiful, I wish she seeded around like the others!