thank you to everyone who left a comment on my word for 2012 post, I have enjoyed reading the words you chose,
Friday and Saturday were calm days so for the first time in weeks I could get in the garden and do some much needed work, I have several plants in pots and so decided get some planted out, I had bought a Lamium maculatum, Beacon silver, it was the beautiful silver with green edge foliage that attracted me, sorry but I couldn’t get a good photo of it, I had a place in mind when I bought it but then slightly changed it, I didn’t take a before photo but this photo is from last February so if you just imagine the daffodils only just peeping through then that’s how it looked, before I cleared this corner in autumn 2010 it had become over grown with snow in summer and 2 very straggly Artemisia,
I thought the Lamium would work well here but when I went to dig a hole I was surprised how deep the shingle went, you know how you go to do one thing and end up doing more well that’s what happened, I cleared the shingle and as the daffs were showing thought it was a good time to put other plants in here, looking at what I had in pots I have added 2 rooted cuttings of Purple sage and an Agapanthus,
my recycled protection for the agapanthus, there were 3 glass lampshades at this house this is the last, a chimney sweep broke one with his ladder and I had put one in a sheltered spot when I should have put it in the shed so the recent gales smashed it,
Carolyn’s post about Hellebores last year convinced me to try some so last summer I ordered 8 they arrived last October, this is the first Hellebore flower in my garden a bit rain splashed and chewed but there, Helleborus niger the Christmas rose, I am wondering if the brown on the leaves is due to windburn or the black spot Pauline was talking about, should I remove the leaf?
then yesterday I saw more Hellebore flowers, Helleborus Foetidus, this one is the most important to me as it’s native to the UK though I don’t know if it is native to Scotland and isn’t to the Hebrides but it’s close, I ordered 2, only singles of the others, this one arrived with the bud and I’m amazed it has survived, very pleased too,
lastly I had a nice surprise when I went down by the trees, I had dug up 2 very large clumps of bluebells last summer and I planted most under the spruce trees, I think they are ex Christmas trees they are in a line on the edge of the pines, I planted each bulb on it’s own so it has space to expand and look they are coming through already, the weather has given them a nice mulch of spruce needles, these bluebells have grown from some I brought here from my parents old garden that my Dad planted in the 80’s (he died in ‘92), last autumn when I looked after my grandsons I took some with me and my youngest grandson planted them in his garden, I just love that the flowers are carrying on through the generations,
the rest of the work I did was in a new species rose border I started and in the Alder garden which I will post about at the end of the month,
©Copyright 2011 Frances Caple. All rights reserved. Content created by Frances Caple for Island Threads.
Frances I love when we can keep special flowers from family or friends gardens. It seems like we have a part fo them with us. I love the look of the bed and cannot wait to see it growing in…the hellebores are doing nicely. The leaves can be cut back. They will get rather scruffy looking sometimes. New leaves will emerge after the flowers.
thanks Donna, I think weather permitting I will cut the leaf off tomorrow as it doesn’t look nice,
I think plants from family and friends have a whole different meaning than those we just chose and buy, I loved that my grandson wanted to plant the bulbs and was interested when I said my Dad had grown them a long time ago, he is 6, Frances
I love that lamium with the frosted leaves – think I have it here beside a brunnera Jack Frost, and am v. impressed your hellebores have survived! I have several orientals which were in the garden when I got here, and have fallen for them in a big way. There are also several nigers which seem to spread very easily, and the orientals have ‘babies’! I love the use of the glass lampshade:grin:
thanks KC’s fpu, I had 3 jack frost brunnera but the first year the rabbit appeared in my garden jack frost disappeared, I have found more rabbit damage but didn’t want to include it in this post it will be in the next,
I keep reading on garden blogs and in the books that Hellebores self seed and spread, I hope mine do, as hellebores are woodland plants I have planted all 8 in relatively sheltered places, having gardened on Orkney I know you understand ‘relatively sheltered’ Frances
Thanks for linking to my blog. Yes, cut the leaf off. From what you ahve described of your weather since October, I would assume the leaf is just showing signs of battering. Anytime you don’t like what a hellebore leaf looks like, cut it off.
you’re welcome Carolyn, since reading your blog I have learnt so much, thank you, Frances
I never really had my hellebores self seed or spread much. I think it maybe is having to do with growing conditions. I am just happy they come back each year. Funny, I had this problem with foxglove before and this year there are seedlings all over the place.
Donna I agree about conditions and for me it will be a case of how they cope with the salty winds, I have sheltered them as much as I can without building a little house over them ;o)
Foxgloves selfseed in my garden though this year I am finding a lot more than I usually do which I am happy with as I like them and so do the bees, Frances
Hellebores self seed very prolifically in my garden Frances. They pop up in the paths, in amongst the rock edges and in fact anywhere they possibly can. I have to weed them out, as I have too many! Sue M.
you have very different conditions than I do though infact some years almost the opposite of my garden, your drought my flood, I hope the ones I have will keep growing and if they selfseed that’s a bonus, as you know my garden is big so I can relocate seedlings, Frances
Frances, you’re luckier with the purple sage than I’ve been – mine always wither away and assumed it was too cold for them! Lovely to see Helleborus Foetidus holding its head up (so pretty when you look inside) and the English/Scottish bluebells that have been carried through the generations
p.s. my word for the year is stick/sticky which is not as versatile as so/sew/sow but connotations of adherence and support ;)
ah Laura this is the first time I’ve planted purple sage in the ground so we will see how it survives, due to losing plants I now keep some in pots and take cuttings to plant out to see how they survive or not, Frances
I love the story of the bluebells. I did something similar with hyacinths from my grandmother’s garden. Now that she’s gone, each spring I have her hyacinths to make me smile. I also love that you made a wonderful memory with your grandkids. Cheers!
Kevin how lovely to have a memory of you grandmother in your garden, I took bits of several plants from my parents garden and most have surived my favourite is the orange daylily as that was in my parents garden when I was a child and the mother plant is probably older than me, they bring a smile to me, Frances
How lovely to get out and garden at this time of year. Looks like you had some fun. We’re still not in full on winter but there’s no chance of getting outdoors. The hellebore foetidus is one of my favourites, I like green flowers.
it is nice to get out and Monday and Tuesday were relatively calm but the wind is back today, due to the mild tempertures we have been having and the tremendous amount of rain in the last month the grass has been growing!! so I was cutting grass, Frances
I am glad your hellebores are up and blooming! Mine took a few years to establish themselves, but now they are seeding themselves around as a ground cover. And I am happy about your bluebells.They have such pretty flowers! I too like how plants can be a link between generations.
thanks Deb, Frances
When my mother moved here, we brought quite a few Hydrangeas that she had in pots, they were released into the garden and have never looked back, they remind me of her so much, just like your bluebells.
Yes, do cut your Hellebore leaf off, could be wind burn , could be black spot, whatever it is, the plant doesn’t need it, very soon it will be putting up new leaves anyway.
I love ‘released into the garden’ like they were set free, lovely, I cut the leaf yesterday morning, no going in the garden today we have had just about everything wintery, strong winds since yesterday evening, rain, sleet, pretty yuck, I’m staying in, Frances