I've been stuck indoors all week and although not quite going stir crazy it was nice to get outdoors to capture what little blooms there are around the garden. Since the cold snap doesn't seem to be going anytime soon, I thought a spot of decorating would keep me occupied. 1 room down 8 to go! Anyone else spending a romantic Valentine's weekend with a tin of paint? I'll bet there aren't many of us! Thankfully I am not the romantic type.
February here in Scotland can be a rather fickle month weather wise but the dry cold weather of January continues. The frosts may have gone (for now) but the recent winds have been making it feel all the more colder.
The biggest impact in the garden right now are the continuing blooms of the winter flowering shrubs. Granted there are not many blooms left on the Mahonia but it still draws they eye on duller days.
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| Mahonia x media Charity |
Like the Mahonia, the witch hazel has been in bloom since October/November. Jelena is wearing winter well.
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| Hamamelis x intermedia Jelena |
Viburnum tinus Eve Price might well lack the vibrancy and quirkiness in it's blooms. It's true to say that she doesn't excite me quite as much as others but she has flowered over such a long period and that reason alone kind of justifies keeping her a while longer. She will have to go at some point - she will outgrow her spot and hamper her neighbours reaching their full potential. Blooming since October, there are not many blooms left this month.
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| Viburnum tinus Eve Price |
Sarcococca confusa - evergreen, blooms and berries, checks all the right boxes at this time of year. Another shrub that is over looked for the rest of the year. However, it is reliable, slow growing and said to be scented. Personally I don't get the scent but the same can be said for many of the winter flowering plants that are described as scented. Although I know from comments on previous posts, many of you don't get them either!
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| Sacrococca confusa |
As the month marches on the winter flowering shrubs will give way to the blooms of the Camellias. First to flower this year will be the espaliered Camellia. None of the others have buds that are quite as far on as Camellia japonica Desire.
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| Camellia japonica Desire |
It's extremely pleasing that all around the garden the clumps of Galanthus nivalis are noticeably increasing in size now. Each clump was only a few bulbs when planted in the green, having been rescued from a garden that was about to be concreted over. Single bulbs are also popping up all around the garden. A side effect, I'm afraid, from my habit of moving plants around. The crocus bulbs, it seems, are happy to be spread around in a similar manner too. Individual bulbs are popping up everywhere.
Some of the snowdrops dared to open in the warmth of the afternoon sun today.
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| Galanthus nivalis |
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| Galanthus nivalis |
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| Galanthus nivalis |
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| Galanthus nivalis |
This little clump of double flowered snowdrops are quite happy at home tucked in beneath an Asplenium fern in the side garden. Although they have no name as I came by them the same way as G. nivalis, apparently, it is acceptable to name them G. nivalis Flore Pleno.
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| Galanthus nivalis Flore Pleno |
Also in the side garden, my rather pathetic looking Cyclamen coum are still blooming. I commented last month that they don't seem to thrive here, this is all that is left from 3 corms planted a few years back. They are certainly not as floriferous as C. hederifolium. Another clump of double flowered snowdrops getting ready to bloom in the background. I think they'd benefit from being brought out from the back of this border.
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| Cyclamen coum |
If we take a moment to nip out into the front garden one rose in particular isn't giving up quite yet. The roses here won't be pruned until next month but it's nice to enjoy a rather lonely winter worn bloom from Rosa Graham Thomas (ausmas).
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| Rosa Graham Thomas (ausmas) |
Most of the Hellebores around the garden are at that in between stage, not quite got reached their winter's best yet. The best of the bunch this bloom day is this unnamed hybrid.
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| Helleborus x hybridus |
This hellebore was purchased 3 years ago as part of multi-buy tray of 6 small plants. It turned out quite an economical way to introduce hellebores into the garden. They are now making reasonable size in quite a short time. Of course, that was then and this is now. The attraction now is the larger pots of named varieties which generally have far prettier foliage. Most of the flowers of H. niger Josef Lemper have gone over but there are one or two fresh blooms trying to burst their way through.
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| Helleborus niger Josef Lemper |
H. ericsmithii Pirouette has decided to face it's pretty blooms towards the back and proving rather difficult to get a decent shot, I manoeuvred my feet tentatively between the sprouting bulbs to get the best shot I could. No tulips to tip toe through though!
Temperatures this afternoon reached a high of 10°C and coupled with the fact that the wind was non existent it felt much warmer. So much so I was able to remove my fleece for a short time as I tidied up a few spots whilst I made my way around the garden with the camera. I've just checked the forecast for the coming week and it's all good. If I work my painting schedule correctly, I might be able to squeeze in a couple of hours gardening here and there.
I have been quite surprised at how long the new Eranthis have lasted. They went in the ground before the snow at the end of last month. I thought the fact that they'd been blooming in their pots for the 2 weeks prior to that would mean they'd be over in a matter of days. But no, they continue to look quite fresh beneath the new white stemmed birch. Lucky shot getting Mr Blackbird in too as he popped down for some of the sunflower hearts I scattered up there.
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| Eranthis cilicica |
Nearby, the Crocus are complementing the yellow of the Eranthis. Crocus chrysanthus Romance are increasing in number whilst Crocus chrysanthus Snow Bunting are new to the garden this year. I managed to pop them in the ground between the frosts. I had thought I'd been a bit too hasty at getting them in the ground but to my surprise they didn't flinch one single bit.
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| Crocus chrysanthus Romance |
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| Crocus chrysanthus Snow Bunting |
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| Crocus chrysanthus |
I am rather disappointed that not one of my Iris reticulata Katharine Hodgkin bulbs have reappeared this year. They have returned following wetter summers and I'd have thought that last year conditions would have been ideal for them. Meanwhile, the first Iris reticulata Harmony is blooming in a pot on the back step. The picture doesn't quite do justice to how the deep blue is complimented by the black foliage of the Ophiopogon.
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| Iris reticulata Harmony and Ophiopogon planiscapus nigrescens |
That's just about all for my Bloom Day Post this month. A couple of my special snowdrops are now up and just about to bloom. I know technically not in bloom but wanted to add them to this post rather than do a separate one.
Galanthus plicatus Sophie North was the first of the specials I bought for the garden exactly 1 year ago today. If you don't already know the moving story attached to this, in my opinion, very special snowdrop, you can read about it
here. Still tight in bud, it will be a few weeks before we see it open, I think.
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| Galanthus plicatus Sophie North |
Growing nearby, Galanthus Spindlestone Surprise is much smaller in stature than Sophie, the flower bud being only a fraction of the size by comparison. The connection between these two snowdrops in my collection is that I purchased G. Spindleston Surprise directly from the garden in which Sophie was discovered. I rather like the fact that they are connected in this way. I currently house all my special snowdrops in a wee nursery bed where I hope they will happily increase before I find them permanent spots in the garden. It might take a few years but I'm more than willing to wait.
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| Galanthus Spindlestone Surprise |
I'm pleased with what my garden has to offer this month and if like me you want to join in with other garden bloggers blogging about what's blooming in their garden on the 15th of every month, you can join us here
May Dream Gardens. See you over there!
