JEARRARD'S HERBAL
Thats enough introduction - on with the plants!
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... out in the garden.
5th April 2009
Anemone nemorosa .
Another sunny week, and true to form the last week of March has seen the wood anemones pop up into the light. I have been told that they are good
in the woods at the moment, but I haven't had time to get out for an afternoon yet. I am flattening out a small terrace in the garden, and while the weather is dry
it has to take priority.
This is one of the clumps of 'Original Blue' growing under the trees at the top of the garden. I'm a bit cautious about walking in there to take photos
because there are still a lot of large clumps just emerging, and the unexpanded leaves are almost invisible among the fallen leaf litter. Next week it should
be much easier to walk in there without trampling them.
It has also been a week for unloading the windowsills and conservatory back into the greenhouse. The Colocasia have gone back out and in the next week or two I
will see which have survived the winter (not looking too bad so far). Talking to Crocosmia growers locally, it has been a massacre
so I think I may have been lucky - many of mine are shooting so I'm hoping I haven't lost much.
5th April 2009
Strongylodon macrobotrys .
One of the distractions of the weekend has been the spring show of Cornwall Garden Society. Always nice to catch up with old friends and spread scurrilous gossip.
The main events of the show are probably the competative classes, and the date dictates that the largest entry will be of Camellia. I am not a lover
of Camellia and seeing rows and rows of decapitated flowers in stumpy vases has done nothing to endear them to me (again). I was there on the first
morning of the show, and already a significant number of exhibited flowers had dropped their petals or were bruised and browned beyond any possible aesthetic appeal,
so bless their dear little hearts, but not for me.
So after a couple of hours I made a run for it, and went to see this astonishing Strongylodon in flower at the Eden Project! Totally tropical, so way beyond
my reach, but good to see someone locally doing well with it!
5th April 2009
Ranunculus ficaria 'Primrose Flame' .
Back home at last, some of the tiny treasures of spring are performing way beyond the call of duty this year. The Lesser Celandines have been wonderful, and are
just about at their peak now. Plenty of seed heads forming, and I must find time to go through them and remove them all before I have assorted seedlings
getting into the stock plants and confusing things.
This has been a particular delight - I have been growing it for several years, and when it arrived I was warned that it might not be true to name. Over the years, it
has performed rather variably but never managed anything approaching "flame", so I assumed it was a dud. Fortunately, this year it has suddenly produced some red on the
reverse and I can be sure it is the real thing.
5th April 2009
Erythronium 'Pagoda' .
And finally a stagger in the sun back to the top of the garden. I have been planting Erythronium 'Pagoda' up there for a couple few years now,
a few at a time , and it is starting to have an effect. I haven't put any in this year, so I am going to have to buy one in a pot, just to keep
the group expanding. I should have remembered to buy them dry last autumn, but something probably distracted me - it happens!
They seem to like it up there, and get better every year, though no signs of them spreading far yet so I may have to keep adding. They take over from the snowdrops
and keep the spring interest going for a few more weeks. With luck (and a little rainfall would help) they will keep the display going until May, and then
the garden can settle back into woodland until the Cyclamen pop up and start to whisper autumn messages (in August).
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.
I have a lot of good intentions when it comes to updating this site, and I try to keep a note
about what is going on, if you are interested.
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