This is the view I have when I am hanging out my washing and looking up into the Lilac tree which always blooms at the same time as the pink Clematis. The Lilac doesn’t have a scent but the Clematis does and early morning and evening it is worth going out there and doing a few deep breaths.
I popped to see my sister today and she gave me a cutting of an everlasting wallflower. Her garden is beautiful. Everything seems to grow abundantly and this particular beauty was in evidence here and there and she assures me it will take easily. I haven’t got her green fingers however, and she hasn’t got my animals so we shall see. The foliage is blue green and I am told it attracts bees and butterflies so if it does take and makes a large plant maybe I can take cuttings for the allotment.
The weather is warmer now and everything is growing well. The Clematis Miss Christine, bought from crocus.com last year, is a picture and smells lovely. ‘Miss Christine’ is named after the youngest daughter of clematis breeder Sheila Chapman. It’s a vigorous grower , typical of the species, producing masses of single white blooms with a pale pink edge on the reverse of its tepals. The flowers also have a rich, sweet scent that will fill the garden on a warm day. It’s an adaptable plant that is happy in most soils. This is an early-flowering clematis that should only be pruned once the blooms have faded.
Update: I bought this Clematis from Crocus.com and unfortunately it died, was replaced but died again. I will buy again though as it was a beautiful variety.
https://www.taylorsclematis.co.uk/clematis-miss-christine.html
I planted twelve little plants from my last Sweet Pea sowing of Spencer Mix and have bought a few more seeds, 50p a packet from Alan Romans, to add to the obelisk. The first to be sown are the Pip Tremewan, named after the breeder. The second are Zorja Rose which I have grown before and saved the seeds but they didn’t come to anything. The first time I grew them they were beautiful and the scent was very special. I plan to sow ten of each and keep the rest for next year.
I woke up this morning to the sound of rain. We have had a couple of weeks without a drop and have enjoyed rising temperatures and sunshine which have been welcome after the coldest Winter in a decade. Ideally I would want light rain overnight every night followed by dry sunny days but unfortunately nature isn’t controlled by a switch so we have to deal with what we get and in this country we are blessed with mild, changeable weather. However the sound of rain this morning was welcome. The garden and the allotment plot were dry and dusty which is not great for new plants and seedlings or the newly seeded lawn at home. We spent a couple of hours this morning at home in the garden then popped to the plots for an hour. The rain kept off and the hour turned into four hours. We sowed more seeds of Parsnip Hollow Crown and Carrot Nantes into the bottom bed. There was great excitement when we saw two asparagus spears peeping through already.
Rob put in some Peas Kelvedon Wonder in the bottom brassica tunnel. I had been swishing them for a few days and they were already germinated so should be off to a good start. The Hurst Green Shaft that I put in the top tunnel are well up now and the Meteor are showing through too. Rob has moved the obelisk that I grow the Sweet Peas up and I have planted the Spencer Mixed raised from seed at home. They are now situated at the bottom of the plot by the seating area.We came home with another bunch of Raddish French Breakfast, my favourite. I shall have to sow more next time we go down. At home I have pricked out the Gardeners Delight seedlings and potted on some Alicante and Black Cherry.
Although it is a bit late I am going to chit some saved Sweet Pea seeds and set them in the lean to for overwintering in the hope of some early plants for next season. The seeds are mixed as it would have been impossible to separate the varieties when collecting them. 2009 was a terrible year for us for Sweet Peas but 2008 was great so let’s hope next year will be another good one.
Sweet Pea – Delicate Pleasures
Here are sweet peas on tip-toe for a flight with wings of gentle flush o’er delicate white,
And taper fingers catching at all things to bind them all about with tiny rings
Keats
Today I treated myself to two climbers from Sainsbury’s. A Jasmine and a Clematis. Jasmine is one of the first plants that comes to mind when thinking of fragrance for the garden. Both have been planted in the garden behind the picket fence to protect them from ducks, chickens and bunnies. They should look good against the new fence. A single jasmine vine can perfume an entire room or garden. It is a sprawling, twining deciduous shrub, usually pruned heavily to keep its size contained. The foliage is slightly downy with pinnate leaves. The flowers are white and fragrant, flowering from early summer to autumn.
The Clematis is a large flowering variety called Warsaw Nike. A late, large-flowering clematis that produces rich, velvety-purple flowers freely in midsummer and usually a second flush will appear in September. An easy-to-grow climber that’s great for a sunny wall.
This morning I have potted on the Pulsatilla plants which I received free from J Parker with an order for Clematis. There are six little plants and they all look quite healthy so far. The pasque flower is said to be a sign that Easter has arrived. The pretty spring flowers are followed by fluffy seed-heads. Pulsatilla takes a while to get established and then does not like being disturbed, so plant it in the right spot and leave it alone. If happy, plants will self-seed, so leave the seed heads to allow colonies to build up.
Pruning a bush Rose – I am a relative new comer to the ups and downs of growing roses. Although we already had a rambling rose, Wedding Day, a climber, Dublin Bay, and a Hybrid Tea, Margaret Merrill in the garden they had more or less been left to their own devices. This year however I have taken a more keen interest in roses and have recently bought another climber, Compassion, a hybrid tea, Helen Robinson, and a few floribunda so I need to read up a bit about care. The first lesson I learned involved Spring pruning. The first four new plants are already in and the last three should be in before the end of this weekend. I have already hard pruned the existing three and found out that one negative aspect is that roses can rip you to pieces if you don’t treat them with care. I hope that future skillful pruning will reduce the risks. The following is an excerpt from Gardeners World Magazine.
“Any old stems showing signs of dieback can be pruned away, and badly positioned and congested shoots can be cut out to shape the bush. Last year’s stems need shortening to prevent new growth developing higher up the bush which may result in flowers with leggy stems. You should prune just above a bud, but remember that the developing shoot will grow out in the direction that that bud points. In most cases you want this to be outwards, keeping the centre of the bush light and open. Prune to an inward pointing bud and the shoot will grow inwards, crossing other stems to create a congested bush.”
A good link https://www.gardenseeker.com/roses/pruning_rose_bushes.htm
Today I am sowing seeds of Abutilon, bought from Lidl. Abutilon Bella Mixed F1 Hybrid. A half hardy perennial that grows to about 16″. Bella Mix gives a selection of pastel colours blooming continuously. Sow February to April in pots of moist seed compost and cover with a fine sprinkling of compost or vermiculite. Place in a propagator or warm place and keep at a constant temperature of between 20-25. Do not exclude light as this helps germination. Keep the surface of the compost moist. Germination will usually takes 21-30 days. When large enough to handle transplant seedlings into 3″ pots. Harden off before planting out after all risk of frost.
There was a beautiful greenfinch hanging in the top branches of the Silver Birch tree this afternoon. With the sun shining behind him he looked almost lime green with a darkish tail. He was singing away, the most lovely song, even though the wind was waving the uppermost branch about so much. We have been told to expect snow in the next few days so I hope he has a warm nest to go home to. https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/greenfinch/index.asp
The bare root roses that I ordered from Harkness have been delivered today. The Roses are Rosa Burgundy Ice, a scented Floribunda. Rosa Caring for You, a pale pink Hybrid Tea. Rosa City of London, a deep pink scented Floribunda. Rosa Compassion, a climbing rose with a strong heady scent. Rosa Belmonte, a perfumed pearly blush bedding rose sold on behalf of the Prince’s Trust. Rosa Helen Robinson, a deep pink Hybrid Tea. Rosa Susan Daniel, a translucent apricot blush Floribunda. https://www.roses.co.uk/acatalog/section_hybridteas.html