I’m sure everyone up and down the country has been wondering what happened to the weather, after the lovely sunny & pleasant temperatures we enjoyed last weekend! Where I am we’ve had a marvellous amount of sunshine this week, which has been brilliant, but it’s also been combined with spells of heavy rain and bitterly cold, strong winds.
Those winds were strong enough to break a climbing rose, ‘A Shropshire Lad’, free of the obelisk it was growing on. I found it lying on top of other plants, but remarkably, without any apparent damage. With the help of husband, I managed (with a few scratches) to get it back up and tied in again. It seems none the worse for wear, but time will tell.
Because of that, I’m starting off my Six on Saturday post with a photo of this rose from a previous year. ‘A Shropshire Lad’ is a rather lovely rose – I’m hoping there’s been no unseen damage. Lesson – if your roses are tied in with twine, replace the twine regularly before it deteriorates!
My tulips are starting to open. For the first time, I’ve grown them all in pots above ground and already I’m regretting it. I do love to see them in the borders, with a few in pots that I can move about the garden, but that’s a story for another day.
Tulip ‘Saigon’ is described as having ‘striking deep purple blooms’ with accompanying images showing tulips with extremely dark petals. Mine are considerably lighter, though I have seen a few images with the same colour as my photo below, which I’ve colour-matched with the tulip. I hope the labelling was right on the bulbs I received.
Over the past few years I’ve had quite a number of little clumps of Leucojum aestivum – Summer Snowflake – growing in one of the borders, but this year there are only two. Not two clumps, two individual stems. I’m a bit miffed about that as they’re very pretty and I loved to see their tall splashes of white amongst the other spring bulbs.
I’m always happy to see the Forget-me-nots starting to bloom. When they’re fully open around the garden they’re a lovely sight, creating large swathes of bright blue that cover empty patches in the borders.
Euphorbia Robbiea has self-seeded itself, like the Forget-me-nots, around the garden. I leave the little Forget-me-nots alone, but Euphorbia is only allowed to grow in places that are out of easy reach of little grandchildren’s hands, so most of them needed to be weeded out.
At the back of the garden, in an area of old shrubbery that’s in need of attention, Pieris ‘Forest Flame’ is in full bloom and in need of a good feed as it’s looking spindly. I think it’s Forest Flame, it’s been there for so many years I’ve forgotten, and I’ll be happy to be corrected if I’m wrong.
That’s my six for this week. I’ve had an incredibly busy week, and today, I’m hoping to spend my time working in the garden with a long, long list of ‘to-do’s’. There’s no chance I’ll get through them all, but No. 1 on the list is to plant Rosa ‘Eustacia Vye’. I’m looking forward to seeing this one when it starts producing flowers in early summer.
Jim is currently hosting Six on Saturday, and if you pop over to his blog you will see what others have been sharing – there will be beautiful plants and flowers from all over the world. Have a lovely day, wherever you are. 😊
Notes From My Garden 
I think A Shropshire Lad is lovely rose although not the healthiest here. I hope yours recovers well. My eyes also lit up when I read you have another David Austin rose to plant. I’ll look forward to seeing that one in due course.
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I managed to get a better look at ‘A Shropshire Lad’ today, and it looks fine – no splits or obvious damage, so I’m hopeful, Catharine. The new rose is in the ground and I’ve even managed to cross a few little jobs off my list! 😁
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What beautiful pictures ! The set is really successfuland t he tulips are superb. About the pieris, the young red leaves of mine (which is the same variety) didn’t like a small night frost a few days ago unfortunately…. but it will recover
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Thank you, Fred. Sorry to hear your Pieris got a bit frost damaged. We were just 1C last night and I expected to see some frost this morning – but thankfully it missed us. Enjoy your holiday in the South!
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I used to grow Shropshire Lad in a previous garden and can also recommend it. Like Fred I do admire your Tulips.
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Thanks Noelle. I had a good look at it today and it seems to have escaped damage. A few more tulips started to open today in the sunshine – they’re all flowering a bit earlier than I expected!
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Those tulips are beautiful. I especially like the rich colour of ‘Palmyra.’ I tie up all my roses with string and only retie them once it disintegrates. I will try and do better!
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Thanks, Graeme. Palmyra opened in the sunshine this afternoon and it was lovely. I was just too tired by that point to trail into the house, take my dirty shoes off and collect the camera! I’m sure I’ll capture it on another day.
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Gorgeous pictures. “Saigon” or not, I love the colour of them & they look stunning with “Palmyra”.
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Thank you, Helen. ‘Saigon’ has become slightly deeper in colour since photographed a few days ago – so perhaps it’s the real Saigon after all. 😁
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What a lovely post! I think the ‘A Shropshire Lad’ rose is absolutely gorgeous. And your tulips are so pretty – and without wind damage that mine seem to have. You’ve given me a new perspective on forget-me-nots, too. I tend to pull them as they are *everywhere* in my yard. I’m going to leave them and enjoy their sweet blooms. 🙂
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Thank you. 😊 I’m sure you’ll grow to love the little Forget-me-nots. They have such small roots that they don’t harm other plants, and when they start to fade, they’re so easy to pull out.
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Lovely selection of photos, so colourful! I have quite a few David austin roses and Shropshire Lad is my all time favourite, a beautiful rose, hope yours completely recovers from being blown down by the wind, I’m sure it will.
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Thank you, Pauline.
David Austin roses are so lovely, aren’t they? They’re always in good condition when they arrive. Nice to hear that you have Rosa ‘A Shropshire Lad’ too, I’ve enjoyed the flowers for quite a number of years.
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I really ought to have ‘a Shropshire Lad’ since I am married to one! It does look pretty. But Cornwall is not the best place for roses. As for tulips, I have had the wrong ones sent out on several occasions, this year I can’t find the very dark ones I ordered. I wonder who is the best online retailer for bulbs.
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That’s a pity about roses in Cornwall. Is this to do with the climate?
Tulip ‘Saigon’ is looking darker in colour today and I’m beginning to think it probably has the right identity. 😁
I’ve bought tulips from various suppliers over the years with little between them in quality. For the past two years I’ve bought from Dutch Bulbs which seems to be a division of J Parkers and I haven’t had any problem with delivery or quality. It’s wholesale, so VAT has to be added to the prices and all bulbs are sold in minimum quantities. That works out ok if you can share with someone.
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The damp climate encourages blackspot so roses don’t always look their best and the rain causes balling where the flowers don’t open. I’m sure in sheltered gardens it is possible to grow them well.
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That sounds just like the Scottish west coast. Black spot is hideous and difficult to control. I’ve had to dispose of more than one rose bush because of it, and it spreads quickly to other roses too.
Balling we get occasionally after a long wet spell. Spring & summer seasons appear to be getting a bit drier and warmer here which is good news.
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We were handed the challenge of coming up with a name for a seedling Camellia this weekend and couldn’t come up with anything convincing, yet David Austen seems to find an endless supply; being better read than me will help and I guess Hardy deserves the lion’s share of the credit for Eustachia Vye.
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I’m fairly sure David Austin Roses will have a team of people who come up with new names for the plants – and they probably won’t achieve it in a weekend, so don’t be too hard on yourself. I’m glad you had a good weekend!
“Eustacia Vye was the raw material of a divinity” – Thomas Hardy. I wonder if the rose will live up to the name. 😊
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A beautiful tulip combination Catherine whether ‘Miss Saigon’ is an imposter or not. The strong winds were a shock to the system but we were away this weekend in Cumbria where Saturday was a glorious calm and sunny day. A friend grows ‘Eustacia Vye’ – it is gloriously scented and I’m seriously tempted 😂 I hope that you got her planted.
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Our Saturday turned out much the same as yours, Anna. It was calm, and the sun was warm, though cooler in the shade. Rosa ‘Eustacia Vye’ is safely planted and I hope that she is as fragrant as your friend’s rose is. 🌹
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