Mollie and her Babies.

I know it’s a little early to be looking at Peonies, but I just thought I would share this little bit of gardening excitement !

So here we have the burgeoning shoots of Peony Mlokosewitschii, otherwise known as Mollie the Witch. This peony is one of my favourites, the blue/green foliage is good for many months, with the added bonus of beautiful single lemon/yellow flowers. The flowers nearly always set seed, and a check on my over wintering seed pans shows that the 3year old plants are ready for potting on and the seeds sown last year are showing through.

In the foreground 3 year old plants, in the small pots are last years seedlings.

 Peony Mlokosewitschii

I think you will agree that Mollie is certainly worth waiting for.

And on a different note…The Patient Gardener …was asking about our greenhouses.

Well mine is always full of seedlings, over wintering plants and cuttings. It has never really been a greenhouse for the growing of food, I leave that to Malcolm and the allotment.

So here we have a right mish mash of overwintering pots, these are soon to be moved as I now have dozens of pots of seeds ready for germination.

And there are still a couple of dozen more seed packets to come, as I put my order in to Plant World Devon last week !!!

To finish this post I am adding some photos taken 2 years ago, they show my granddaughters and their friend Ellie down on our allotment, they were thoroughly enjoying themselves watering and eating the tomatoes in one of Malcolm’s greenhouses.

A barrow load of trouble. The girls always went down to the allotment in the barrow.

 

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Think there was more tasting than watering.

A jolly good day was had by all.

 

 

 

Frilly Snowdrops.

Another moist walk around the garden. Loads of snowdrops out, they seem to be bulking up nicely.

There are large groups all over the garden now. But what do you make of these?

Are they Mutant Ninja Snowdrops? I’ve never planted anything that looks like this. I’m not even sure that I actually like them, I much prefer the more stately single. I’ll leave that one with you…..

Now I have no name for these crocus, there was a small clump in the garden when we moved in 35 years ago and now they are everywhere.They are a very welcome sight, every spring the ground fair lights up in the sun.

At long last Iris ‘Kathrine Hodgkin’ is flowering, usually this iris gets very badly eaten. I suppose I should grow it in a container, but if I can, I would rather keep the pots to a minimum in the winter. The colour on the petals is striking, especially for this time of the year.

And just a taster of what is to come in another couple of months. This is a seedling Auricula, flowering in the greenhouse. Just shows how warm it’s been lately…..

 

Going, going, gone.

In between the the heavy rain and the fierce gusts of wind we managed to take down a tree this week.

              Prunus Lusitanica Variegata.

As it stood it was a lovely tree, but it had started to take over my small white garden.Shading out some of my roses and clematis on the fence. So down it came. With Malcolm at the helm, and me holding ladders and mashing tea, the task was performed.

And after several trips to the tip, and saving large logs for son’s log burner, the area is clear.

Yes the ladder did look a little unsteady, but it was roped in.

The immediate effect was amazing, as the sun was shining. So now I need a couple more climbers, which won’t be difficult to find. I’ve already got perennials and bulbs waiting in the wings to go in this corner. It won’t be completely open as there is a beautiful Copper Beech to the left of the pictures, which when in full leaf is truly stunning. Fortunately this tree doesn’t belong to us, so there is no worry about sending Malcolm up the ladders again.

The Beech in the summer with the Prunus behind, just before the autumn colour.

A little bit of sunshine….2013

The following photos were sent to me by my lovely sister-in-law Mary, she had taken them during our open day last June. I thought we could all do with a little sunshine, I know they have brightened my day…..

The sun may have been a bit bright on some of them but you get the feeling of early summer….roll on June 2014…..

Keeping the flowers alive part 4

So the weather for part of this week was a little kinder, it allowed me to potter for a short while and to take stock of forthcoming jobs.

Last weekend we went to Castle Donnington  (more in another post later ), but as usual I found a bargain plant.Yet another Hellebore, this time Helleborus x ericsmitthii  Pink Frost. Reading up about this later I find that it ages to dark red, I will keep you posted.

Anyway back to the garden. I have been clearing some leaves away, and it never fails to amaze me what I find .

 Crocus shoots pierce a leaf….

And another…..

Cyclamen Coum, 2 days later I found 3 more buds.

Looking splendid among the leaves..an unnamed fern….

Even the Camellia is enjoying the lack of frost…

And after cutting away the old leaves from the epimedium, a lovely clump of snowdrops emerged…

Which reminds me …part 4…

Free Machine embroidery and applied flower heads….

Made in 2008…this hangs with the Eucomis.

I just hope that the weather clears for everyone down on the south west of England. They sure have had their fair (or unfair ) share of it. Our thoughts are with you all.