JEARRARD'S HERBAL
Thats enough introduction - on with the plants!
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... out in the garden.
18th April 2010
Leucojum aestivum 'Gravetye Giant' .
It has been another warm dry week here - the greenhouse is drying out at a frightening speed and the garden isn't far behind it.
A couple of weeks ago I started rescuing the herbaceous border from years of neglected Bramble growth and at the time it was still moist enough to replant
things as I lifted them. Today I have had to trail a hose around the place to keep things from wilting.
This Leucojum is really a moisture lover, but I have several scattered around the garden under shrubs. I can't remember why they are there,
I had a plan when I planted them but it didn't work out and I just get leaves.
When I first planted the herbaceous border I scattered a number of bulbs among the other plants, and these have managed to flower
sheltered by some old bramble growth. Unfortunately while clearing the brambles this afternoon I trod on them, effectively ending the display for this year.
18th April 2010
Helleborus x hybridus Black
I have a whole border of Hellebores, which is something of an indulgence, but one day it will be worth the effort.
I started five or six years ago by planting out all the seedlings I had sitting around in pots and although the border is still a bit thin, it is filling out.
I have planted all the black forms together for maximum impact and they are just at their peak now. Earlier in the season the low sun was shining through them
and they appeared rather red. As the sun has risen in the sky, the black colour is easier to see and more effective.
18th April 2010
Erythronium 'Pagoda' .
This Erythronium is one of the more recent additions to the woodland. Once the snowdrops have finished there was nothing much up there
until the autumn snowdrops started again. I had tried planting sweet violets, but they are tiresomely evergreen which makes weed control difficult.
I planted some Dicentra but they have been rather feeble, though they are getting better now I have thinned out the trees.
The Erythronium have been a success and they seem to be getting better every year. Now I have to decide whether I want a mixture of colours or a solid carpet of
'Pagoda'. I think a solid carpet is the best design solution but I'm not sure I have the willpower required to resist temptation.
18th April 2010
Moraea atropunctata .
This stunning Moraea has opened this morning in the greenhouse. I wasn't sure I would be seeing it again after a couple of seriously testing winters.
It comes from the Western Cape and is threatened by encroaching agriculture. It has produced offsets easily in a pot, but no seed so far. Somewhere along the way
I have allowed M.vegeta to seed into the pot as well, so in about a month these large white flowers will be replaced by small brown ones.
It is a very space efficient way of growing bulbs but I would rather the M.vegeta wasn't there. Possibly it will have fared less well through the winter.
Unfortunately, I can't tell the corms apart so they would have to be divided in full growth, and this is far to beautiful to risk anything as foolhardy
as that.
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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