Spring colour

Spring has sprung, so let's celebrate!  The camellias in the garden are in full bloom.  Above is an unnamed one I bought as a stick and it is doing really well and flowering profusely.

This unnamed double was a present from my Mum and has enjoyed being potted on.

Camellia St Ewe with its egg yolk yellow stamens.

Camellia Yoimachi which has had flowers through the winter.

Other flowers in bloom are Cardamine Quinquefolia which is certainly spreading through the border, but so far, hasn't proved to be a nuisance.

Prunus incisa Kojo-no-mai with its pretty white flowers.

When the sun shines, just look at the beautiful blue sky.  A lovely Spring colour.

Echoing the blue sky, I recently potted these scillas on into a bigger pot and they have rewarded me with a mass of flowers.  Such a pretty plant. I need some more of these, I think! I also have my first tulips flowering in the border.  No doubt they will get a post in the weeks to come.

Spring is on the way...but more Winter to come yet...probably

It has been very mild recently and the plants are thinking it is nearly Spring.  The hellebores are still looking beautiful but the camellias have now joined in.  I think this is quite early for them, so I am enjoying their flowers in case the frosts get them.  Above is the flower from the unnamed double variety that my Mum gave me. 

Here is another unnamed variety but I think this is a japonica type.

Here is Camellia St Ewe - I bought this a few years ago and it seems happy at the bottom of the garden, in a west facing position.  

I noticed the three flowers in a row and thought they would make a good photo.

I also have a few narcissus Tete a Tete in flower. I do like these small ones and need to get more!

Finally here is my standard cherry - Kojo-no-mai, with its delicate flowers.  Again, this seems quite early, but is telling us that Spring might not be too far away.
 

Spring flowers

Spring is one of my favourite times of year. To be more precise, the time between April and the end of May is one of my favourite times of year.  Everything looks new and fresh.  Primroses are in flower.

I bought mixed grape hyacinths last autumn and planted them in various pots in both the front and back gardens.  I do like this lighter blue one.

The shape of this one is rather fabulous too.

The scillas are flowering away now.

Another 'mixed blue' grape hyacinth.  I like the different shades of blue in this one.

My little standard cherry is in full flower now and I am really enjoying the flowers. They don't last that long, but are a beautiful sight.

Finally, these tulips are the earliest into flower in the border.  I think they must be Brown Sugar (although they may be Cairo).  There are lots of others on the way, so they will probably get a blog post to themselves.

Here's a close up of one of the flowers.  I hope we don't get a prolonged cold snap this month, like there was last year.  There is a lot more to enjoy in the next few weeks.

Spring is just round the corner

Spring is almost here and the garden is starting to respond to the increasing light levels.  The camellias need to be featured as they are looking lovely at the moment. I was a bit concerned that the snow and overnight frosts would play havoc with the flowers, but so far they are all right.  Above is an unnamed one given to me by my Mum.

Camellia St Ewe is providing a lovely splash of colour down at the bottom of the garden...

...as is Yoimachi, which has been flowering for ages.

Another unnamed camellia looking so pretty with its blush pink flowers. This is probably a japonica variety.

I planted this little trough of Tete a Tete narcissus last Autumn and they make me smile with their happy yellow flowers.

The colour contrasts well with the cool blue of this scilla.

My standard cherry Kojo-no-mai is also starting to flower.

Cardamine quinquefolia is also doing well - possibly making an attempt at border domination.  I keep meaning to dig some out, but in flower it is pretty and then it dies down again, so I forget to do it.

Hellebores in the garden are later than the potted ones.  This is Harvington Pink speckled.

This one is Harvington Pink Picotee.

Finally, just because I can, more camellias.  Well, when they flower, they should be celebrated, shouldn't they?

Spring is nearly here.  I have tulips in bud too, which is always exciting!

Nearly...but not quite...Spring

We have been very lucky with the weather during the last two weeks in March. My little standard cherry (Prunus incisa Kojo-no-mai) has looked lovely. It lived up to its name which means 'Flight of the Butterflies'.

Here it is, flowering away.  It is a little difficult to see without a dark backdrop - I have pruned the buddleia which is behind it. 

Lovely primroses have been showing their faces in the border...

...even if they have been nibbled by something, they are still lovely.

An unnamed pink camellia has been flowering really well.

It has been the best ever, well, it was.  It is a little more brown now.

There was one flower on the other unnamed camellia.  I am pleased I took the photos when I did because everything is looking rather more brown and frosted now.  We are in a cold snap with minus temperatures at night and Winter is back in charge.  Certainly not that cold compared to other places in the World, but a shock to the system after the last two weeks. This is sometimes the case, but with our drier and brighter Springs over the last couple of years, it is easy to forget that Winter can come back in April.  I remember a holiday in Oxfordshire during April when I was younger and we visited Rousham gardens (a fabulous place) accompanied by hail and snow - a bit like yesterday.   It is due to warm up a bit next week, so hopefully the Spring flowers can continue without too much disruption.

November - the seasons turn

The temperatures have gone down a bit this week (although surprisingly, have gone up a bit this weekend) and the autumn colours are starting to glow.  However, there are still some plants bravely hanging on. Above is the 'old velvet' colours of the hydrangea flowers.

The standard cherry Kojo-no-mai is showing fiery shades...

...as are the blueberries.

Salvia Nachtvlinder is still in bloom, with its deep purple flowers.

Rose Kew Gardens is also still putting out the odd flower.

Fuchsia Thamar is the only fuchsia I have now - the others got rust and I got rid of them.

Liriope Muscari is such a reliable plant for me.  I really need to divide the poor thing and give it a bit more space.

Hydrangeas are still flowering at the bottom end of the garden.

I like the mix of the bright white flower against the earlier flowers which have turned green

The Magnolia is now losing its leaves - and that is a proper November sky.

There are still some autumn fruiting raspberries ( I ate this one straight after taking this photo).

Lysimachia Clethroides in the front, starting to go yellow, with the cherry behind.  I need to start on the pot insulation I think.  We have had one frost so far and there will certainly be more to come.