Did Someone say it was Spring?

Published on by Catherine

March came in like a lion and it’s going out the same way. This week has been tough on the garden – no jobs have been tackled and they’re mounting up.

However, it’s not been all gloom, yesterday morning was bright and sunny, the cold wind had dropped and I should have been busy in the garden. But it was the first day of the school spring holidays and we had our two nearby grandchildren with us as mum & dad didn’t have time off work. It was nice enough to go to the nature reserve where Littlest Grandson, while trying to race his big sister to the one-person bench that overlooks the pond, (who thought a one-person bench was a good idea?) slipped on the muddiest part of the entire area. He had to suffer the indignity of travelling home in the car without his shoes, socks and jeans. Will he learn to stay on the path? Of course not, where’s the fun in that. 😁

Let’s hope for better weather ahead and get on with this week’s Six on Saturday.

Camellia with Narcissus. Taken on a gloomy, dark afternoon this corner is a bright and cheery sight that greets me in the morning when I step out, or look out, onto the patio. This will be the last appearance of Camellia ‘Daintiness’ and the remaining narcissi in the planter in front of it. The flowers have been exceptional this year. There is still an abundance of buds on the shrub, but I think it is probably looking its best right now. It’s a sturdy plant and holds up really well to adverse conditions.

Camellia with Narcissus
Camellia ‘Daintiness’

Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’. The tiny pink and red buds are opening to little white flowers. It won’t take long for all the buds to open, but I rather like the mix of bud and flower cupped between the strong, upright leaves of the skimmia.

Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’

Tulip ‘Orca’. One half of me is willing the bulbs on because I need some vibrant colour in the garden, while the other half is hoping they wait until the weather has improved and they can grow on without being lashed by wind and rain.

Tulip ‘Orca’

Forsythia. Because of its difficult-to-get-to location, this Forsythia has been left to its own devices and it’s looking very scruffy. Right after flowering, it will have to be heavily pruned.

Forsythia with a welcome blue sky
Lower down and in the shade

Fuchsias for Summer. The fuchsia cuttings arrived carefully wrapped in cold, damp newspaper and oddly they reminded me of little wet fish. That thought took me back to my childhood days when I went on holiday in the summer with Mum, Dad and my siblings, to the lovely Kingdom of Fife. We would walk to the harbour where the boats came in, and my mum would buy fresh, off-the-boat fish for dinner. I remember the feel and smell of the fish when they were wrapped in damp newspaper. Dad would fillet the fish when we arrived back at our rented flat where we enjoyed them for dinner that evening. But…

Newly arrived. Fuchsia rooted cuttings.

…this has absolutely nothing to do with fuchsias! The rooted cuttings were in great condition when they arrived and are now potted up and growing in a shady part of the greenhouse. They are all hardy and bush-type varieties that initially will be grown in pots and should make a pretty patio display in summer.

Fuchsias potted on. They will stay in the greenhouse until around the end of May.

Pelargonium ‘Bold Beacon’. This is one of the recently purchased tiny plants that are growing on a window ledge until temperatures are higher and I can get them into the greenhouse. I should have snipped off the buds to allow the plant to concentrate all its efforts on growing bigger & stronger instead of producing flowers. But I was impatient, I saw the buds and wanted to be able to appreciate just one of the flowers!

Bold Beacon was not in my order – it came to me either as a substitute or a mistake. The order should have contained Bold Carousel which is a beautiful pink – Bold Beacon is a deep cherry red. It will be out of place with the colours of the other pelargoniums when they’re displayed together, but it looks like a pretty flower – I’ll just have to find somewhere else to grow it. This is the second error in the recent pelargonium order.

Pelargonium buds ‘Bold Beacon’

That’s my selection for this Saturday. You can see more garden photographs from across the globe, at our host’s website at Garden Ruminations, where Jim will be happy to show you the ropes if you want to join in and share photos from your garden.

If you’re on holiday from work at the moment, or perhaps caring for children or grandchildren during the school Spring break, have a great time – I hope the weather will be kind to you all!

Catherine 😊

29 thoughts on “Did Someone say it was Spring?”

  3. I can see the little wet fish thing – the leaves look a bit like tails. It’s funny how certain things can trigger memories and take us back in time. Camellia ‘Daintiness’ is beautiful. My tulips have been far to keen to flower this year, luckily they seem to have survived the wind and rain for the most part – I’ve not been able to sit in the garden and enjoy them though!

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    1. You’ve got it! The little tail really amuses me. Your tulips are lovely, Graeme. My sister sent me a photo this afternoon of a pot of tulips on her doorstep – Tulip Ballerina in full bloom. She lives only a few miles from me, but my Ballerina’s are still small and have no intention of flowering yet.
      It was beautiful here today, unexpected, but very welcome. It says a lot when I can work in the garden without a jacket!

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  4. Can’t wait to see your tulips open. Mine are being shy and I do not see buds yet. Your forsythia looks great! I have never been a fan because most of the specimens I see look sparse and weedy. Maybe I only see them when not in their prime. The camellias are gorgeous! I miss them, but I don’t think they are hardy here. In Seattle they were everywhere and seemingly blooming all the time.

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    1. Forsythia can look that way, especially if it hasn’t been well pruned. Mine really needs a lot of attention and as soon as it stops flowering it will have to be tackled. Camellias aren’t terribly hardy and I’m surprised this one has made it through some really bad winters. Long may that continue. 😁

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  5. What a lovely sight to greet you each day, the camellia/daffodil combination is beautiful. I think Bold Beacon is going to be a stunner but it’s still annoying when it’s not what you ordered!

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    1. It’s irritating to order plants, wait for delivery which can be months until they come into season, and then find you have a wrong plant. Sadly it happens too often, to too many people. But then I remind myself of all the good things in life, and this is simply a single plant. 😊

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  6. There is something about getting plants wrapped in paper: you won’t even need to consider where to store the plants, or even fill them to pass on. You tantalise me by not mentioning which Fuchsias you received.

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    1. Here you are, Noelle – the list. None are exotic, unique or rare – they’re all just fuchsias I thought I’d like from the tiny display photos.

      Chillerton Beauty, Dorothy Hanley, Lady Bacon, Rose of Castile, Tennessee Waltz, Exmoor Woods. I can’t even remember what they look like.

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    1. School holidays can be a challenge when the weather’s bad. But we managed a garden scavenger hunt + Easter egg hunt later in the day. Today was lovely and I’ve had a ball spending it working in the garden.

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  8. They do look like wet fish wrapped in the newspaper! Where from? They look healthy little plants. Love the header photo, I’m stepping back from pelargoniums though I do still love them, just not the keeping them alive during the winter. Your Camellia ‘Daintiness’ is fabulous. My white one is flowering well this year too, despite all the rain and wind! It’s more of a standard tree now as I ruthlessly pruned it to stop being blown over. Alas there is no sheltered spot in my garden in which to plant it. I had to laugh at the poor muddy child being stripped so he could go in the car!

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    1. The fuchsias were from Fantasy Fuchsias – my first time using them. I have the same problems with overwintering pelargoniums. I’m giving them one last chance and I’ll try cutting back (or taking cuttings) and bringing them indoors for the winter. They can sit on the window ledges of the front bedrooms that are empty until family come to visit. My friend manages to do it very successfully, so it’s worth a try. Do you grow your camellia in a pot?

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  9. I looked at your Camellia several times thinking how healthy it looked then realised it doesn’t have any petal blight. I’ve not seen many this year that haven’t largely been ruined by it and it’s good, if frustrating, to be reminded how good they are without it.

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    1. I don’t even know what petal blight is, Jim – the Camellia flowers always look just the way they are in the photos. I’ve never heard of it, but I’ve googled, and that looks scary! Now you’ve got me worried in case it gets affected. But that plant’s been in there for masses of years, I hope that’s a good sign! 😃

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  10. Your Camellia is absolutely gorgeous! I would love to grow one here, but the combination of our climate and being up on an exposed hill make it impossible. That is why seeing other people’s blogs is always so enjoyable and your photos are all so lovely – as usual! Hope you have a warmer week. We have had an unexpected south wind bringing us warmth at last. 😎

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    1. Thanks Cathy, I’m pleased with the Camellia – it amazes me as it’s in the shadiest part of the garden and gets very little sun. It’s been there for many years, so must be happy with it’s spot.

      We had a glorious day yesterday, calm with full sun. As in your area it was unexpected, but welcome. Full sun again today, but cooler with a slight breeze. I hope it remains warmer for you – enjoy it!

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    1. Thank you, Pauline. The blue sky has been a rarity this winter, but you know all about that too! We had gorgeous weather yesterday & again today – apparently it’s also to be dry for the next two days. Lovely to have this change – we needed it. 😎

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    1. So far only my species tulips are in bloom, I’ll have to be patience and wait for the rest. I hope I’ve had my quota of mis-labelled plants (at least for this year!). 😁

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  15. What a glorious camellia Catherine – it must have revelled in all the rain we have had. We’re spending a week in the East Neuk of Fife in the summer Catherine. I shall be looking out for fresh fish 😂 We spent a few childhood holidays on the Norfolk coast and like you I have vivid memories of the fishing boats coming in.

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    1. The East Neuk of Fife is a lovely place to visit – I hope you get some ‘real’ summer weather during your visit! We have no idea when we are children that every day we are making memories. Enjoy the fish! 😁

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