It was a rainy start to the week, and now it’s a rainy finish. This morning there is a thick mist rolling across the fields behind the garden and soft rain has fallen all night. That’s the type of rain I love – one that waters the plants gently, without crushing the little ones. The garden right now its looking lush and green with pops of colour appearing here and there, and bare areas are filled with a sea of blue by the ever reliable Forget-me-nots, while their summer replacements wait and grow in the wings.
The in-between days were cool and sunny, perfect for working in. New plants were added with the highlight being Rosa ‘Ghislaine de Féligonde’, a short rambler that will hopefully cover a tall obelisk, then right on cue, stop. I’m always optimistic that a plant will grow as instructed!
When I look back to Monday, and the heavy rain we worked in while trying to get that rose into the ground, it doesn’t seem as bad as it actually was. The in-between days of glorious sunshine made up for it. I’m sure that Rosa ‘Ghislaine de Féligonde’ will be worth the soaking we endured to get her tucked into the rose bed. Next week’s forecast is looking good; more sunshine and warmer days are ahead. Today will be an indoor day… though who knows…I might slip out to the greenhouse this afternoon to sow a few more summer seeds!
But right now it’s time for Six on Saturday. Six photographs from the garden this week.
Fritillaria pallidiflora (Siberian fritillary). They are growing in a pot at the moment but I’m not sure whether to plant them in the soil, store them in the pot or dry store the bulbs when flowering is over. If you know, I’d love your advice.
Forget-me-nots. One small plant may be easy to miss, but en masse, they truly represent spring.
Amelanchier ‘Ballerina’. It has grown tall and I can no longer reach up to the lower branches for close ups of the blossom. It’s fading now, but has been lovely.
Exochorda x macrantha ‘Niagara’. Disappointingly there are few buds on this two-year-old shrub, but that could be my fault as I think I forgot to prune it last year after flowering.
Tulip ‘Foxy Foxtrot’ – week 2. Last week I mentioned that the yellow colour of the flowers was not as described, but just to prove me completely wrong, here they are, one week on and displaying the glorious colours of sunset.
Tulip ‘Gavota’. Dramatic and beautiful. My first time growing this tulip and I think it’s going to be a regular!
More tulips are opening now, and I’m sure they’ll find a place in next week’s Six on Saturday. Find out more about this meme at Jim’s blog, Garden Ruminations, and enjoy seeing flowers and plants from home and across the world. If you want to join in, you’ll find all the info on Jim’s blog.
Meantime, have a lovely weekend!
Catherine x
Notes From My Garden 
You disappeared from my timeline , I don’t know why. I had to search Jim’s blog to find your post from this week. WP has been going a little crazy lately…
I went to the garden centre this week and I hesitated to buy an amelanchier. The blooms are really superb, but what I’m missing it’s the ideal spot. I think I’ll see in a few months. In the meantime, I’m taking the opportunity to find out more about its future growth.
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That’s strange. I wonder if anyone else has had problems this morning? The Amelanchier is a lovely tall, slender tree (at least, this one is). The blossoms are delicate and best seen against a strong background. Mine looks best when the acer is in full leaf, but it wasn’t quite there this year. If the two could just coincide the Amelanchier would look even better. So, I’d recommend it if you can find a place with a good backdrop to set it off.
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You didn’t pop up in my Reader either, I found you in Jim’s comments.
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That’s really weird. I just thought that WP had settled down and other recent problems had vanished. 🙁
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Gorgeous photos, as ever Catherine. I look forward to seeing Rosa ‘Ghislaine de Féligonde’ in flower at some point.
I don’t know anything about Siberian fritillaries, unfortunately, so I can’t help you there, sorry.
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I think I’d be happy if I could see a single flower this year, Helen. I’ll be watching. 😁
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Wonderful double coloured Tulips.
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Thanks Rosie – there’s so much variety in tulips it’s sometimes hard to make choices, but every so often something comes along that is really appealing.
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The tulips are really impressive. As far as the fritillary is concerned, bearing in mind it’s a member of the lily family, I think it’s very much up to you If you leave it in the pot you have more control but it’s a very hardy plant so should be fine in well-drained soil. Personally I wouldn’t dry-store it as I think there is too great a risk of fungal attack. Hope this helps.
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That does help. Thank you. No doubt you’ll get to hear about the results next year! 😊
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Your description of your rain is beautiful, and what lovely photos, as always. Our weather here in the Midwest U.S. has sauntered between highs of 7C to highs of 27C during this month of April. I’m looking forward to May through August, when our highs general stay between 24-32C (75-90F). Your Tulips are particularly lovely. Thanks for sharing, and enjoy!
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At this time of the year, Beth, we’re usually looking at 10 or 11C, though there’s some excitement in the air as the forecasters are predicting a warm week ahead. For us, that will be a lowly 18C, but with full sunshine and very low winds, it will feel quite toasty in the garden! I’m planning to spend a lot of time just sitting out there and enjoying it! 27C is just too hot for me, so you can imagine how I feel about 32C! 🥵
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You will just love Rosa Ghislaine de Feligonde, but maybe you have grown that cultivar before and know it well. I have grown it now for many years and find it a delight. The current plant in the garden is from a cutting I took from the plant I left behind. It is fairly easy to increase your stock should you need to.
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That’s good information, Noelle. I haven’t grown it before. I chose it because it was sold as a ‘short rambler’ and the colours closely matched a nearby climber that I had to remove when it was invaded by a rogue tree seedling that had gone unnoticed. Taking a cutting is a good idea. Thanks! 😊
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We have had similar weather this week, though apart from some weeding and deadheading daffodils I have been quite slack in the garden department. And I haven’t sown any seeds this year either! Your FMNs look a lot like mine – they are everywhere in the garden, but I do love to see them. Come May though I shall be clearing a lot of them away as I have work to do in recreating the Bee & Butterfly bed. I just hope that I have the energy to do that this year. Your tulips are lovely, I especially like Tulip ‘Gavota’ which is a lot like ‘Slawa’ that I am growing for the first time this year. And tulips are amazing in the way they change colours, though I am not hugely keen on apricot ones.
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I’ve had a busy week in the garden, Jude, and busy elsewhere too – but I’m hoping for a rest next week! I said last year that I’d given up on seed sowing, but here I am – sowing seeds. Like you, I pull the FMN’s out during May. I’m intrigued with your planned Bee & Butterfly bed. I know you’ll have the bed all mapped out, in your head or on paper. Construct it a little at a time, rather than going flat out to get it ready, and take plenty of rests in between. If you have any visitors, do hand them a trowel and get them helping! I’m looking forward to seeing it. 🦋
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Sigh! My trouble is Catherine that I keep changing my mind. I think maybe a new herb patch as it gets full sun, pretty much all day long, or more grasses, or maybe shrubs which need less maintenance. Or even a cutting garden, but I rarely cut flowers for indoors… I put off doing anything last year because of the rain, but I really need to do Something this year.
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I’m hoping last summer’s weather was an exception – and now hoping for a real summer this year! I don’t cut flowers for the house either, the garden needs them more than the house. Can you do a little mix & match with some perennial flowers, a few grasses, and if there’s room, a flowering shrub for spring? You could also intersperse a few herbs through the bed. There, you have the lot! A mini cottage garden. Too much? 🤣
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‘Gavota’ is a stunner – really striking. I’ll have to try and remember that one. I really like the contrast of the Amelanchier ‘Ballerina’ against the red foliage of the Acer.
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Thanks, Graeme. I’ll also have to try to remember to order more of the bulbs for next year!
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The transformation of the tulip’s colours is dramatic – two for the price of one, so to speak! I love the Fritillary too! That lemony yellow is very fetching. If it helps at all, I grew a red Fritillaria in a pot a few years ago, and planted it out after it had flowered. It comes back reliably every year, and has some babies near it this year so I may have more flowers in a couple of years. No idea if I should divide the bulbs though…. I also have an Exochorda in its second year and am hoping it may produce its first flowers this spring. I have heard they are unruly and difficult to prune, but I intend to be strict with it as it is near a thoroughfare! I must go and check how many buds it has….
Oh, and all those forget-me-nots are beautiful. 😃 Enjoy relaxing in your garden in the ‘heatwave’!
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I think three bulbs are in the pot, and it would easy enough to put into the ground once they finish flowering. If you think of fritillaries in a natural setting – they spread without any human help to divide them, so I would hope that will happen with yours, now that they have babies nearby. That would be lovely! Good luck with your Exochorda pruning – I’ll have to read up on it. Enjoy the week to come – I hope the sun shines for you too.
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Your sea of Forget me nots is absolutely stunning and such a deep blue, perfect! I have an Amelanchier tree, quite old now but never seem to have many flower buds, the bullfinches come and eat them all, wish mine looked like yours!
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My sister has an amelanchier that’s much more floriferous than mine, Pauline – with easily accessible branches for photos. That makes a difference to me. 😁 I’m now glad that we don’t have bullfinches in the garden, I didn’t know that they ate the buds. Can you tempt them elsewhere with some other tasty treats? Perhaps they’ll just gorge on both. 🤔
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