My Little Garden 20th March 2021
A whole year of lockdown has now drifted by and here we are on the first day of spring 2021. There are so many things to look forward to and even if we have to wait a few more weeks for some form of ‘normality’ to return, I am feeling very positive about the year ahead.
Every day seems to bring more signs of life to the garden, from the buds on the trees and shrubs, to the perennials popping up from their winter hibernation. The grass is growing as fast as my hair (I really need a hair cut!) and is due for a second mow this weekend. The tulips are also coming along nicely and I can’t wait to see one of my favourite flowers bloom.
But without further ado, and on the day of the spring equinox, these are my six choices for the week.
- Hellebores
Yes, I’m still going on about hellebores. That’s probably because they reach their peak in my garden about now and put on a fabulous display before disappearing into the oblivion of spring and summer. Being planted at the back of my border means there isn’t a particularly scenic background to many of the shots (ugly concrete bit of the fence) so please just pretend it’s not there and concentrate on the flowers.
This is the new one from last year which has decided to make a last minute recovery. It’s very pretty but I also ‘need’ a plain yellow one.
And the next two I’ve had for a few years and they just get better and better.
More ugly concrete but a stunning hellebore.
2. Camellia
I have two camellias. This is a creamy white one that is labelled Camellia japonica Celebrations, but as the very old label also says it was “originated” by Keith Brushfield, I’m pretty sure it’s ‘Brushfield’s Yellow’. It’s a beauty whatever it’s name!
The other one is pink and not quite in flower yet. This one is labelled Camellia Anticipation and I assume it is x williamsii ‘Anticipation’.
3. Viburnum
The flowers have been determined to hang around for as long as possible, but the leaves are starting to appear now and soon the flowers will be over for another season. It then needs a bit of a chop but only to keep it in shape and I need to avoid the clematis that’s started to attach itself.
4. Tulips
Now I know this isn’t very much to look at, but it is rather exciting (to me anyway). I’m not sure what variety it is yet as there’s a random mix of three in this bed but I will be inspecting daily.
5. Daffodils
Someone’s been having a good old munch on poor Narcissus ‘Jetfire’ just when I need it to look it’s best.
6. Dahlias
They finally arrived on Wednesday. Sometimes plants turn up before I get the email to say they’ve been despatched, but in this case I had to wait five days. Just as well they’re only tubers and not more delicate plants. This is my first year of growing dahlias and I’m trying Dahlia ‘Happy Single Kiss’ which is a petite one for pots and ‘Verrones Obsidian’ which I’ve coveted for a while. There should have been ‘Honka Fragile’ as well but apparently there was a crop failure with this one. Anyway, these two are enough to be getting on with and I believe there’s a Farmer Gracy discount on offer this weekend.
And that’s my ‘Six on Saturday’ for this week. A happy day of tuber potting and seed sowing beckons for me and I shall be springing into action after a cuppa or two.
For more ‘sixes’ take a look at the blog of The Propagator who is the creator of this weekly collection. And as always there are many more excellent photos and blogs on twitter under the hashtag #SixonSaturday