Hellebores, Hellebores, Everywhere...
The sun came out this morning and I was going to take some photos in the garden. And then I thought, "Naw, I'll do it later," and of course the cloud came in, and the rain started...
Anyway, I just spent a lovely morning browsing around the nursery at Uplawmoor. This has been a totally new experience for me, because for the first time in years - and certainly for the first time since I first stumbled across that nursery - I have a garden full of herbaceous plants to fill.
I flung all those bulbs I bought from T & M in over the Christmas hols, and I think I stumbled across half a dozen bulbs in my travels, all told. And I was assured by the previous owners that there weren't any bulbs in the garden. But... As the winter has progressed, we've started spotting snowdrops and crocuses and daffodils almost everywhere - except in those places where I was feverishly planting blubs through Christmas!
I can almost spot the phasing in this garden. The heavily overgrown areas with mature shrubs and trees are packed with bulbs and I think they date to the tenure of the original owners, the sea captain and his family. In the flower beds which were mulched with bark and planted with more stylish (as opposed to traditional) shrubs and a large number of ferns, there are small quantities of bulbs, the survivors of a bulb massacre that will have been instigated by the previous owners. There's still plenty of scope to add new bulbs, and I will, believe me.
When we moved in during October last year, this garden had only one hellebore - the 'Golden Lotus' I brought with me from the last house which was a freebie from Suttons. I planted it up very early on, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have survived the winter. I don't know why - perhaps it's too wet. But you know what I'm like with hellebores! I really can't cope in a garden which doesn't have them. So the garden has now got 14 hellebores! Only 3 of which are planted out as yet...
And the little strip of gravel by the patio has rapidly become a makeshift nursery. That's one of the beauties of this place - I actually have enough space for the plants and the pots to be stored prior to final planting.
The begonias have done well - I may lose 2 out of a stock of around 18. I've potted on 6 already, and they're looking good. By contrast, the pelargoniums are not doing at all well. I put staging up in the garage, and I hoped they'd just keep ticking over. The light levels aren't good, and I hardly gave them any water, but they seem to have caught some kind of damping off problem and I've lost at least half of them, maybe more. It's a bit disappointing, really.
So roll on the spring. And roll on a bit of sunny weather, please. So I can share some photographs!
Anyway, I just spent a lovely morning browsing around the nursery at Uplawmoor. This has been a totally new experience for me, because for the first time in years - and certainly for the first time since I first stumbled across that nursery - I have a garden full of herbaceous plants to fill.
I flung all those bulbs I bought from T & M in over the Christmas hols, and I think I stumbled across half a dozen bulbs in my travels, all told. And I was assured by the previous owners that there weren't any bulbs in the garden. But... As the winter has progressed, we've started spotting snowdrops and crocuses and daffodils almost everywhere - except in those places where I was feverishly planting blubs through Christmas!
I can almost spot the phasing in this garden. The heavily overgrown areas with mature shrubs and trees are packed with bulbs and I think they date to the tenure of the original owners, the sea captain and his family. In the flower beds which were mulched with bark and planted with more stylish (as opposed to traditional) shrubs and a large number of ferns, there are small quantities of bulbs, the survivors of a bulb massacre that will have been instigated by the previous owners. There's still plenty of scope to add new bulbs, and I will, believe me.
When we moved in during October last year, this garden had only one hellebore - the 'Golden Lotus' I brought with me from the last house which was a freebie from Suttons. I planted it up very early on, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have survived the winter. I don't know why - perhaps it's too wet. But you know what I'm like with hellebores! I really can't cope in a garden which doesn't have them. So the garden has now got 14 hellebores! Only 3 of which are planted out as yet...
And the little strip of gravel by the patio has rapidly become a makeshift nursery. That's one of the beauties of this place - I actually have enough space for the plants and the pots to be stored prior to final planting.
The begonias have done well - I may lose 2 out of a stock of around 18. I've potted on 6 already, and they're looking good. By contrast, the pelargoniums are not doing at all well. I put staging up in the garage, and I hoped they'd just keep ticking over. The light levels aren't good, and I hardly gave them any water, but they seem to have caught some kind of damping off problem and I've lost at least half of them, maybe more. It's a bit disappointing, really.
So roll on the spring. And roll on a bit of sunny weather, please. So I can share some photographs!