Month: February 2012
I think this Schizostylis might just exhaust itself, it’s been flowering for so long.
Schizostylis & Stipa tenuissima
On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."
The dog said, "That’s a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I’ll give you back the other ten?"
So God agreed……
On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I’ll give you a twenty-year life span."
The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That’s a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?"
And God agreed……
On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer’s family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."
The cow said, "That’s kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I’ll give back the other forty?"
And God agreed again……
On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I’ll give you twenty years."
But the human said, "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?"
"Okay," said God. "You asked for it."
So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.
Life has now been explained to you.
There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I’m doing it as a public service and because I like You.
Life Explained
I was stupid enough to think I’d be the first amongst to have an open tulip. Silly me! However, I do think it was worth the wait.
T. ‘Celesta’
A Dutch friend of ours brought a big bag of mixed bulbs to a group of us in the summer so we divided them up not knowing what anything was. So far I have white Crocuses (great as I hadn’t white ones), a nice mauvy striped one, a blue Hyacinth, a Daffodil and an orange or red tulip just coming out.
Mixed bulbs
During Tulipmania last year in Aldi I bought these unusual ones. Loved it last year as I thought it was so unusual. Now though, I expect tulips to be regal, and refined. This one doesn’t exactly fit that description. It also opened today.
T. Blumex
Today was such a nice day I decided to spend some time in the garden and boy did I enjoy it I did not stop until 2 pm and came in to lunch but once I sat down that was it i stayed in. I cleared leaves, cut back, planted what was in waiting and moved a few things that were in the wrong place. I shifted all my pots that have Tulips and so many open even when they were in the shade I am busy for the next 2 days so Friday I will be back out to finish what was left , I will sleep tonight I think.
First real day gardening for me.
The two Cotonasters that you gave me are bursting out into leaf. They are looking great and in time will cover up the side of the shed as planned, given time ;-))
Thanks Hoeys
I posted a photo of the flowers of R.praecox a week or so ago and here is a shot of it now. As I said before it’s not the tidiest of shrubs, but isn’t it a picture all the same.
R.Praecox.
Didnt do much, anything at all in fact except show friends around the garden after lunch and pointed out all the snowdrops that had gone over and the daffodils that were to come! Its an in between time at present but bless them they were most appreciative.
Its funny what other people see in your garden. It helps one to look at it in a new light. I took a few photographs ,about fourteen and they are at the end of the February album. They aint wonderful but they do show whats happening in this neck of the woods.
Ive just looked back at last years photos at this time. NOT a good idea because I seemed to have had more done at this stage but i was a year younger then of course!!!! Im way behind on the veggie front!
sad to see them go (snowdrops!)
I bought two different colours Erythronium last year. Can’t remember where I planted them. I initially thought this little baby was a tete-a-tete. But now I’m thinking Erythronium as there are no inner petals. And, it’s way too early for it to be flowering. What do you think? I want to move it if it IS Erythronium.
Erythronium?
We moved this rhododendron last year from a completely overcrowded bed. I was so happy to see how well it has settled. Any guesses as to the name?
Lovely flower!
We’ve dug a pond in every house we’ve ever lived in, apart from the first, which was on the side of a steep hill with a lawn hardly big enough for a Tonka toy. There’s nothing nicer than sitting by the water with a coffee watching the clouds sail overhead and listening to the dragonflies humming. Alan loves his frogs and newts and we’re looking forward to the first of our fellow residents. A new pond always looks very raw but it doesn’t take long to establish. I think we’ll leave this one a bit more au naturel than previous landscaped ponds – ferns, lady’s mantle and so on but nothing exotic – though whether I’ll be able to resist the lure of a candelabra pimrose or two in the boggy bit is open to debate! Anyway it’s off to the garden centre in Galway on Saturday for some water plants and hopefully free snails.
It’ll look better in a few months, promise…
this was a mess yesturday morning, took hours of work to clear
to this
this what faced me yesturday, it looks alot better now
from this
Don’t you just love it?
Spring, that is!
Daffodil Hill
If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s leaving things be!
Some people are dead impatient and if something doesn’t show its nose, there they go, digging about, looking for it (I’m naming no names here 🙂 I don’t have that bone.
When I planted these Trillium bulbs in 2010, I read that they should be left be, that they didn’t like disturbance and that they may not emerge the following year but that you should just bide your time as they are busy growing roots!
And here they are now, two out of three cuneatum. Don’t you just love it 🙂
Trillium cuneatum
I did another day of weeding and clearing today and it’s lovely to see all sorts of things popping up around the garden.
In the new borders that I planted last year (the ex-Rose Garden), most of the plants were grown from seed. As they were all done last year, I am not really familiar with them yet. The result is that weeding those beds is like a magical mystery tour – wondering what this or that is! Going to check out my database now that I’m back indoors 🙂
I’ve added a few photos to my February album, which yo might like to check out.
Erythronium dens-canis ‘White Splendour’
I have never bothered to lift Canna indica ‘Purpurea’, it must be in the ground for four years or so, it even managed came through the two killer winters starting from below ground again each spring. They were tough winters, that saw off both ‘Durban’ and ‘Tropicanna Gold’ both of which had previously overwintered well too.
Out of maybe twelve or so stems, three have managed to survive and are starting to regrow at the top. It will be interesting to see if they have enough oomph to grow quickly when things warm up and perhaps flower earlier. Or if the new stems, currently starting to poke their noses through the ground, will grow with more vigour and overtake them eventually.
Canna indica ‘Purpurea’
After a staggered start it’s finally in full flower!
Rhododendron arboreum
I’ve been waiting for full flower before I posted updated pics. It’s an impressive show!
Rhododendron arboreum
smiled when reading the Get Thrifty section in Gardeners World which recommends ashes from wood burner added to composter or directly for fruit bushes.
have been doing this for a while at home from stove but figured there may be a double saving as in process of scanning old files at work and now may be tempted to burn rather than shred the old files
Fritalllaria Imperialis
Here was great day,and belive that all of you could were out in gardens today.
Did bits and pieces,and thinking about rose bed.Can’t decide where to make it.
Some news :
-last year,at 1th April i sowed erantis and Hepatica nobilis,now they are up,both almost on same day.2 weeks ago i thought,must throw them out,because nothing happen there.
-peonies what i sowed 2010 and 2011 germinated,some is up,like seeds from Deborah.Others have nice fat ”roots”So i was so happy that order new paeonies seeds.
– I colected seeds from my red helleborus,last year and sowed them too,and yes they popping up.
Hepatica nobilis.
Today was nice day for photos,i take some of course.And these crocus were like made from silk when sun shine.
Made from silk 🙂
Look at this work of art.Crocus stigma close up.
Crocus close up.
Really pleased with the positioning of these two Thuja. This would normally be a little formal for my liking, but sometimes you need a marker from one area of a garden to the other.
I was worried last summer with the way the looked, but all seems well now, I think they may just have gotten a little dry, I will have to watch them for a year or two till they fully settle in.
Thuja
