JEARRARD'S HERBAL
Thats enough introduction - on with the plants!
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... out in the garden.
The weather forecasters have been threatening cold weather all week, but suddenly it arrived this afternoon. Two inches of snow fell in about two hours.
The news is full of trapped motorists and schoolchildren who can't get home. The garden is quiet, and the village is full of the sound of
children making snowballs.
20th November 2005
.
This is probably the best thing happening in the garden at the moment. Away from the chaos of growth and horticultural ambition that clouds the
outlook in the growing season, suddenly the garden clears of clutter and shafts of clear autumn light break through. It highlights the structure
of the garden and the raggedy legs of the conifers, which I have been meaning to trim up for three years now but keep losing my nerve at the last minute.
24th November 2005
.
Four days later the situation is not so bright or sunny. Dull grey light and gloomy conditions in the garden as the snow falls.
In conditions like this I want to cut more of the trees out and let some light in.
.
If I throw snowballs at the dog, she just sulks, so I made a snowman instead. Impatiens (kilimanjari x pseudoviola) eyes and
Tradescantia pallida 'Purple Sabre' for a mouth, which accounts for the rather camp demeanour.
Sadly, he didn't survive the night. The temperature remained above freezing, and you won't hear me complaining about that.
20th November 2005
Fascicularia bicolor canaliculata
is just a delight. The blue flowers are fleeting but magnificent. The individual rosettes take about three years to mature enough to flower
, and then they die off, but the display is wonderful.
24th November 2005
Fuchsia 'Lechlade Magician' .
Fuchsias are still hanging on, despite the weather. This is 'Lechlade Magician' which just gets better and better every year, although
this is the first year it has been snowed on.
24th November 2005
Hydrangea 'Mathilde Gutches'
is one of the best blues here, and the flowers hold on right through the autumn, though they eventually turn a rather disturbing green.
20th November 2005
.
It is coming to the end of the season for Nerine. This one came to me as 'Codora' but I have serious doubts about it. I think
it should have more compact flower heads. This looks like a rather good colour form of Nerine bowdenii.
Further opinions very welcome.
24th November 2005
Trachycarpus fortunei
sits quietly in the background, waiting for a chance to shine. This one has been grown from seed I sowed in 1978, so quite a lot of waiting and not a lot of shining
. I'm sure it will speed up in the next quarter century!
20th November 2005
.
Quite by accident I seem to have acquired a number of Impatiens species.
This is a naturally occurring hybrid Impatiens (kilimanjari x pseudoviola).
It survived last winter locally, but was quite badly damaged. On the plus side, it regrew with great vigour.
24th November 2005
.
This is a terrible picture, but it was taken while the snow was falling and the dog was trying to push me over in the snow as I knelt down.
I thought it might be curtains for the Impatiens, but the temperatures remained above freezing, so fingers crossed.
I should remember to move this pot into the doorway to protect it really.
25th November 2005
.
After a worrying night, most of the snow has melted, and so far there hasn't been a lot of damage.
Impatiens 'Georgia Peach' in the greenhouse have had their leaves frosted off, but 'Georgia Lemon' still looking good.
24th November 2005
Mahonia x media 'Charity' .
Looking as good now as it ever does, if that sounds like faint praise ...well.
It is sturdy and evergreen and scented and flowers in winter, and you get the feeling that it would make the beds and do the washing up as well.
Always seems to fall just short of beautiful.
To find particular groups of plants I grow, click on the genus name in the table above. Click on the "Index" box at the top of the page for the full list.
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about what is going on, if you are interested.
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