Sunday 9 February 2020

February in the garden (before Storm Ciara) and some new plants

 Yesterday was a lovely day with sunshine and even a bit of a blue sky.  I went into town and was tempted by some plants - some iris reticulata and more snowdrops (well, you can never have too many) as well as some geraniums.   Above is iris 'Harmony'...
 ...this is 'Pixie'...
 ...and this one is 'Painted Lady'.  I have never had much success with these plants, so I shall enjoy them in their pots and then plant them in the garden.  If they come back next year, that's a bonus.
The geraniums I bought are here - geranium cantabrigiense 'St Ola'.  I have potted them into pots where they will stay until April or May depending on the weather.  I have some cantabrigiense with pink flowers, so I think these white flowers will look good with them.
 My hellebores in the border are starting to flower - here is Harvington Pink speckled...
...and Harvington Single Red which has taken a couple of years to settle in.
 Cardamine quinquefolia is getting ready to flower and I think this may be a bit early.
 Lovely winter flowering honeysuckle is still flowering away and on a sunny day like yesterday, the scent was beautiful.
 The little flowers pack a real punch of fragrance.
 Here is hellebore 'Hello Ruby' still going well (in a small pot).  I will pot the poor thing on once it has finished flowering.
 Here are the snowdrops I bought yesterday.  I love them!
Finally, here's a plant we picked up at our local Aldi - Peperomia 'Napoli Nights'.  I had been seeing peperomias all over the internet in other blogs and decided this one was coming home with me.  It came in a sweet little stripy pot too. It will need re-potting soon, but I will let it settle in a bit first.  Today has been very windy and we have also had hail and sudden rain too, but so far, we have been a lot luckier than many areas of the UK.  If you are in the UK, I hope you have been safe through this storm.

10 comments:

  1. Your garden always looks so lovely.

    I also have Harvington Single Red and agree it takes a while to settle. Most of my hellebores are in flower and I must find a break in the storm to get some pictures before they are all blown away :(

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    1. Thanks, Jayne. I am lucky to have some lovely plants but my garden as a whole is a bit of a pickle. It is full of pots and stuff without that much thought to any kind of design. Still, I like it!
      I haven't been out to check on things since this morning, so will have a look round tomorrow.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  2. Love seeing your plants. Much of our garden has been crispified over summer, but it is inspiring to see other gardens thriving.
    I hope Ciara treats you gently. Over here we are finally getting some rain. I am rejoicing. The garden is rejoicing. The cat is not happy.

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    1. Thanks, EC. I am so thankful that you are getting the rain that you need and hope it will be enough to help with the fires. (Cats are seldom happy - the weather is wrong, the food is wrong, you are sitting in my chair, etc...) So far we seem to have been lucky as the storm passed us relatively quickly, unlike other areas of the UK.
      Here's hoping the storm moves away quickly.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  3. Such lovely flowers, I do hope they have all survived the stormy weather.

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    1. Thanks, sustainablemum. I will go and check tomorrow morning but the irises seem to be OK.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  4. Have read a few posts about the storm expected there in the UK, I hope everyone does well. Your flowers/plants are sooooooo pretty. February is a long way from flower season here in Ohio, though last nights rain did wash away the last couple of snows...we no doubt will get more of the dreaded white stuff. I'm not a fan of winter and am chopping at the bit for spring. I've never seen a Geranium look like the one in your picture. We have them in different colors, but the blossoms are clustered and large.....love the pretty little white one. I don't know if it's possible to find one like that here, but I've made a note and want to try. Hellebores....never heard of them, not sure I've even seen a picture of them, but oh they are gorgeous. Again...made a note and am going to see if it's possible to find them here in the states. Thanks for sharing your lovely plants, I so enjoy the colors of flowers which is one of the reasons I dread winter so. Swing by for a visit.
    Sandy's Space

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    1. Thanks, Sandy. The storm has caused a lot of damage to some parts of the UK and this week is still going to be unsettled. Judging from the news, we have been lucky.
      The geranium is a hardy one, a perennial, for growing outside and it dies down in the winter. Their common name is 'Cranesbill'. They are not pelagoniums (which confusingly are called geraniums as well) but in the UK, these are not hardy and are generally house plants or used as bedding plants in the summer.
      I think hellebores will grow in the USA, depending whereabouts you are. They flower during the winter/early spring and like a bit of light shade, although they seem to be fine with some winter sun too. They don't like drying out though.
      I always look forward to seeing flowering plants in the winter, to brighten things up.
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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  5. Beautiful plants, lovely colours to your helebores, you have a very pretty garden xcx

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    1. Thanks, Chrissie. I have some lovely plants and I really enjoy seeing them every year. The garden as a whole is a bit of a pickle, but it's my pickle, so I love it!
      Best wishes
      Ellie

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