(Can I ask readers to check their spam folders for any comments from me as I seem to be disappearing today! Obviously I have offended WP in some way. Thank you for setting me free! )
One like no other experienced in most of our lifetime. Easter is usually a time when we DO stay at home. Because in a normal year thousands of holiday makers rush down to the south-west and trying to find a spot in a car park is nigh on impossible. Of course this year the beaches and car parks will / should be empty, but unfortunately I’m not in walking distance to benefit from that. Fortunately I have a garden to relax in. And relax I shall. After taking some photos for this week’s Six on Saturday of course.
It would be easy to show you six tulips. Yes, in spite of my talking to last week they have ignored my pleas and all bar one have made an appearance in this week’s sunshine. But since I am posting photos of tulips throughout the week I will try and find something different.
(1) Narcissus ‘Sir Winston Churchill’ – if you want a highly scented narcissus then this is the one for you. Multi-headed and with double flowers this is truly sensational. I can smell this flower before I get anywhere near it. Planted in the raised bed with Pueblo and Thalia (both going strong still). It has beautiful creamy-white flowers with orange segments interspersed.
(2) In the same raised bed is another tulip, carrying on the white theme this is ‘Flaming Spring Green a viridiflora tulip with as you’d expect streaks of red and green on ivory. Or as SR describes it “raspberry ripple stippling on a green and cream base.”
(3) Geranium macro ‘Ingerwersen’s’ variety has been in the garden for a few years but never flowered. I have moved it several times and now it lives in the shady woodland border. And it is flowering at last. I’m not convinced it was worth the wait.
(4) Completely new this year is my mini wildflower meadow. In reality it is the tiny triangular bit of lawn behind the Fatsia Japonica that I cut down drastically last autumn. I planted snakeshead fritillary and some camassias here and the daisies and dandelions came along for free. As it was a wasted bit of lawn I am hoping these plants self-seed and spread to provide that little bit more interest in spring. My son helped me to plant these by drilling holes in the lawn!
(BTW If you look under Garden Diary on the menu you will find a garden plan)
(5) Turning to the courtyard – you remember, the north facing one that never gets any direct sunlight – I was pleased to see new leaves on my ASDA Japanese Acer. This really isn’t the best place for it as the winds whirl around here and the leaves get wind-burned. But I’m at a loss as to where I could plant it. At the moment it is in a large container.
(6) And now we’ll finish in the conservatory, which is a tad warm at the moment. Trouble is we saw a brown rat in the garden the other day so I am reluctant to open the door as I do not want it indoors. Living next to a working farm with sheep and cattle rats are inevitable, but I really wish they’d stay over the fence! Here are two Primula Auriculas plants. I bought six of these at a bargain price last year, but I have no idea why as I am sure I don’t have the right conditions to grow them properly. Still some of them are producing flowers and they are rather sweet, if rather small. These flower heads are about the size of my thumb nail!
This is what SR has to say “Auriculas prefer the cool of outside, but not the wet. The show varieties, in particular, which have the floury covering to their flowers and leaves, immediately mark with a drop of water; and they hate baking sun. That’s why they are traditionally grown in the shelter of a theatre, half outside, half in.”
I hope everyone is keeping safe and well. These are certainly troubling times, but our love of nature should keep us sane even if we are struggling to get hold of new plants and compost.
As always, if you want a peek over other people’s garden walls then please pop over to our host, the lovely Jon, AKA ‘The Propagator’ where you find links to many more wonderful garden enthusiasts from all over the world.
Take care out there!
See here for the participant’s guide.
Cornwall in Colours 
Wow! I’ve never heard of the Winston Churchill narcissus – but now I want one.
Smell is very intense! And multi headed so a few bulbs go a long way.
I will definitely look for the Winston Churchill narcissus in our next bulb catalog.
It is so lovely to see your Spring blossoming as out leaves turn orange and red and start to fall. On our nightly news we are getting images of your police force trying to keep you all inside and at home. It must be so hard when the days start to warm and the colours of Nature are coming into their own. Take care over there, Mel
your narcissus/tulip combo is really remarkable. In London I grew the Geranium ‘Ingerwersen’s’ variety and it flourished from the outset in a shady, somewhat dry NW facing bed – spreading itself about (roots easily along those fleshy branches) and giving off a pretty pink light to the dark. The only downside was the unpleasant aroma to the leaves when crushed.
I find Acers do well in pots – never too large for their size is the general rule for potting on. Mine are all over 15 years and still potted –
A brown rat comes in to my garden too in the day time – after the bit of dried worm food I put out for the birds – bold as brass it is and so far has been impervious to all the negative energy I throw at it!
Maybe that’s why my geranium is flowering now as it is in a NW facing bed, though maybe not so dry! I wonder if my Acer pot is too big, but I don’t want to disturb the roots now. As for rats, uurrgh!!
am sure the Acer will grow into its space Jude. But I wonder why rats are appearing in daytime – morning or afternoon – I have not the heart for the long term solution
Your Ingerwersen’s’ variety is further on than mine. It flowers pretty reliably for me but isn’t the most exciting one. Just got a brown leaved variety Geranium ‘maculatum ‘Expresso’ from plantsago that I’m rather liking for the contrast. I’m growing it on a bit and then thinking it will go nicely around my brighter green Acer. Which much like yours suffers with wind scorch but still I persist as I like them so much.
Thanks for sharing the photos of your beautiful garden – the beauties of nature and flowers are certainly uplifting at present though it’s hard being confined. I hope the rats keep to the farm though – you certainly wouldn’t want them in your conservatory! Your mini wildflower meadow is a lovely idea 🙂 Stay safe and take care X
Thanks Rosemary, you too!
Beautiful pictures, I love the daisies intermingling with spring flowers..
My lawn is full of daisies!
Narcissus Winston Churchill is on the top of my list for next year. Flaming Spring Green is a new one to me. I have started concentrating on Vildiflora Tulips this year. However I planted some Groeland Tulips in a layered formation in a pot and it looks like the pot was to short and the plants are struggling.
Flaming Spring Green is lovely. I have Green Star and Doll’s Minuet – in pots. My tulip pots tend to be quite deep. I will show Green Star in a post shortly. The viridiflora tulips are lovely.
Your photos are stunning, Jude. I love tulip ‘Flaming Spring Green’ and your auriculas are so handsome.
Some friends who live in Whitstable said that they are really enjoying the beach, because generally it is so full of tourists. I’m guessing Cornwall is the same?
Cornwall beaches are empty but sadly I am not in walking distance and driving to a beach is not considered essential. Annoying when we’ve had such lovely weather after a horrible winter.