accsean's Journal

Family tree.

21 May 2013 09:49:23

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The first photo today is of a truly magnificent flower truss of R.point defiance. This year mine has two of these wonderful trusses and as the years roll by it should get more prolific. The second and third photos are of Rhodos nancy evans and horizon monarch respectively, both of whose flowers I featured lately. Today, I am showing full shots of both. The interesting thing is that R.point defiance and R.nancy evans are the parents of R.horizon monarch, so the three tie in nicely together.

Some variety today.

16 May 2013 10:32:21

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Not just Rhodos today, but I'll start with one This is R.elizabeth 'red foliage', which is mainly grown for its red coloured foliage, which lasts most of the year but the flowers are nice as well. Secondly I'm showing the enchanting flowers of Enkianthus campanulatus. The shrub itself isn't the tidiest of shrubs, but I love it and I've noted that Scrubber also loves it which is a good enough endorsement for me. Finally, I'm showing a shot of my Acer palmatum 'purpureum', which like a lot of maples is slow growing, but in the last year or two has filled out and is now lovely. I particularly like the contrast between its colour and that of Lonicera nitida 'baggesens gold' in the background.

Some cheer and a gripe.

13 May 2013 13:29:05

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Thankfully We have our gardens to give us some welcome cheer in this lousy weather and the Rhodos continue to deliver. The first is the species R.valentinianum, which isn't very hardy and lost most of its flower buds in the late frosts, but has managed to open a few of these delightful yellow flowers. Second is the splendid hybrid, R.nancy evans which is beautiful in flower and easily one the the best yellow Rhodos and it is fairly easy to find which is a bonus. Just make sure it has good drainage, as all yellow Rhodos, species and hybrid require it. The third shot is of a trio (I nearly said troika, mea culpa) of white Rhodos around a fastigiate cherry tree and it works very well. They were labelled R.gomer waterer, but are not and are probably R.cunninghams white and it is one thing that I find is a problem with plants from the likes of Lidl and Aldi. A good few years ago, I picked up some very good named hybrids in Lidl, but these days whether its their suppliers or else their customers messing up labels, I would be very slow to put trust in the supposed names. Maybe its the weather making me cranky, but I feel when people part with their hard earned money, they should get what is described so as always 'buyer beware'.

One trick pony.

10 May 2013 13:14:01

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I suppose it's better to have one trick than none at all so here are more Rhodos for you. The first photo is of the very popular R.scarlet wonder and the second is of one of the first trusses to open on the splendid R.horizon monarch. I bet Andyf will like that onewith his penchant for yellow. Finally a very different flower truss type, this is R.arctic tern and aren't the small flowers delighful.

Two Georges and a wren.

07 May 2013 22:45:25

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Members have been showing some great Rhodo photos in the last week or so, all of them hybrids except the lovely shot of the delighful species R.nivale which Paddy and Mary posted the other day. This isn't surprising as the species are slow to flower, of the 30 species I have, only 8 have flowered for me so far. Today I can show photos of what must surely be one of the finest Rhodos of all, even if it is a hybrid, it is the wonderful R.loderi 'King George'. This year it has five trusses and each truss will be magnificent with huge scented flowers. It is hard to overstate how fabulous the flowers are and I just love the foliage as well. It really does have it all. The other photo is of the dwarf R.wren which is a real star and I have it planted at the base of the wonderful species R.niveum which has fabulous fawn indumented foliage. To finish, I would like to mention the other 'King George', that is the wonderful George Jones who passed away a week or so ago. My Dad and myself had the fortune to see him in Castlebar a few years ago and what a treat that was. Rest in peace, George.

Take your pick.

05 May 2013 18:36:31

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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so here are three Rhodos, all lovely in their own way. The first is R.golden bouquet, (also known as R.goldbuckett) which to my mind is a bit of a misnomer as there isn't much gold about it, but the flowers are still nice. The second is the dwarf R.curlew, which has large flowers for the size of the leaves and is a really lovely Rhodo. Finally there is R.winsome, which is an absolute star. For a start, isn't it a wonderful name, but more importantly it always covers itself in these lovely flowers.

Rhodos and Apollo.

03 May 2013 16:50:08

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I showed a photo of R.ginny gee the other day, and here is a photo of another semi-dwarf Rhodo,it is R.wee bee which is similar to R.ginny gee as they share a parent. The other photo is a full shot of R.dora amateis which is a proven performer and is excellent year after year. Finally is a flowering shot of my second Mahonia, M.aquifolium 'apollo, which is a lot lower growing than M x media 'charity'.

Some Rhodos etc.

29 April 2013 22:52:34

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Rhodo flower buds are starting to swell and here are a couple that have flowered already. The first is the species R.hippophaeoides and the second is the dwarf hybrid R.ginny gee. The third photo is a general shot of the right hand corner of the garden. Plenty of Rhodo shots to come in the next few weeks.

All Rachels fault.

25 April 2013 23:05:11

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''Be careful what you wish for''. My wife informed me the other day that she had been on the Garden.ie website for the first time. Well, was I pleased. There I was thinking that she was being converted at last. She said that she had looked up photos of Rachels garden (she had met Rachel that time in Waterford, so she picked her page) and of course she was blown away by the shape and structure and overall perfection of the garden and then she said about Rachels forhcoming open day in July. I jestingly said, 'when will i hold my open day' to which I was told, 'you couldn't do that, your garden is all higgledy piggledy and full of weeds'. Thanks a lot, Rachel. Looks like I will be continuing to plough a lonely furrow on the gardening front. Despite that setback, I thought I'd share some photos of my pristine garden with you. First shown is Magnolia x loebneri 'merril'l, which I have for about five or six years and there are a nice few flowers on it this year, they are a lovely pure white, don't you think. The second photo is of a flower on the biggest of my two M x soulangeanas and the final photo is of yet another lovely (aren't they all) Camellia.

For Scrubber and the joys of space.

22 April 2013 13:42:34

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I promised Scrubber the other day that I would post a photo of my Magnolia susan when it flowered. The flowers are scented also which is always a bonus. If it it was warmer, they would open more. The second photo is of C.bobs tinsie which to my mind is a wonderful flower shape. I was reading one of Jacintas journals earlier and she was resigning herself to the fact she will have to concentrate on smaller plants and it reminds me how lucky I am to have good space to be able to let the likes of the Camellia shown in the third photo grow to their potential and become fully clothed specimens.

Trilliums and R.dora amateis.

19 April 2013 14:06:05

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I have a few Trilliums planted, but so far these are the two which have made growth above ground and flowered over the last couple of years and aren't they exquisite. The first one is T.luteum, which has a lovely lemon scent and the second is T.albidum, which has a lovely scent as well. I love the ununusual foliage and flower shape. The third photo shows R.dora amateis with flowering Camellias in the background which is so pleasing to the eye.

Back from Capistrano.

16 April 2013 22:46:23

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The swallows made a welcome return to these parts today and it's lovely to see them. The late frosts of a couple of weeks ago took its toll on a couple of the Rhodos, both the lovely species R.leucaspis and the hybrid R.shamrock lost all their flower buds, which was a pity but such are the vagaries of Irish weather. On the positive side, the first of my Magnolia's has flowered, it's the very dependable M.stellata and is looking great. It will be closely followed by M.susan and the larger of my two M x soulangeana's. Also shown is one of my white Camellias which has put on a great show this year. The other photo is of yet another Camellia. Despite the weather We have had, the rest of the Camellias I featured a few weeks ago are continuing to flower goodo and are quite splendid.

Viburnums.

27 March 2013 19:29:15

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If possible, I try to have a few different varieties of each shrub and I have nice few Viburnums which I rate hugely as a genus. First shown is what is either V.x burkwoodii or V.x juddii, and the flowers have what is my favourite scent in the garden which is saying something as I have a good selection of excellent scented plants. Next shown is V.carlesii 'aurora', which also has a great scent and the buds are a wonderful colour as well. Thirdly there is a full shot of the evergreen V.tinus 'eve price', another stalwart performer, but not as sweet a scent. I also have V.bodnantense 'dawn', which is flowering away and is a wonderful winter shrub and I also have V.davidii and V.eskimo. I think they are marvellous shrubs and are essential in any garden in my opinion.

In flower at the minute.

26 March 2013 22:36:26

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Two more of the Camellias have flowered, the first I don't have a name for but it is a strong grower and is a nice size. The second is C.Duchesse de Caze with its lovely delicate pink flowers. Also shown is my Forsythia, which is a great shrub at this time of the year.

No day for a short shirt.

11 March 2013 22:35:09

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It might be fair cold, but how could I not be warmed by the beautiful flower on Camellia anticipation. I adore Camellias and am lucky that I can grow them in the open ground so they can reach their potential. There is a full shot of Osmanthus silver jubilee which is covered in sweetly scented jasmine like flowers at the minute, it is surrounded by a few Rhodos. The last photo is of another Hellebore.