To Do or not to do

Ransomes by Angela Lewin

I have a dilemma.....

There is a slight feeling of dissatisfaction about this blog. 
This was after all supposed to be a diary, an aide-to-memoir so that I could look back over it in in the future and do some forward planning based on it. But truth be told it's not really working out like that.

I find it quite difficult to write about a lot of gardening that is in effect a chore and it's hard to make it interesting for me or anyone else.
I gave up posting about the weather (how British is that?) but it is useful to be able compare weather patterns but just a bit dull. There are also other distractions and tangents that I could go off on, such as a recipe or a country walk.
And then there are photos. Hundreds of them over the weeks all needing to be sorted and filed.
All of this is fine as it is related to the main subject matter but I would like to be more focused....

Perhaps I should take the proverbial leaf out of Søren's book at Flâneur Gardening. It is much more positive to post what's been done in the garden over a period of time than what still has to be done. The former gives a surprising insight into how much has been accomplished. The latter just seems an endless list of things needing to be done. In my case stretching on into infinity!

Some people manage to blog every day and make it an interesting journey. An example of this  Alan's excellent blog. The title says a lot about positive attitudes!

Others post less often(presumably because they're gardening) but equally well. I was very taken with Adrian's  beautifully written observations about how he spends his time in the garden and with the  minimum use of photos!

And then there are Laura's delightful musings at Patio Patch. What a gem!

This is what I aspire to without forgetting this is supposed to be about gardening and what I have done in the garden. And if it's interesting, well, that's a bonus!

Mellow Yellow on Wordless Wednesday

Plant names from left to right starting on the top row:

Peony "Clair de Lune" : Clover:  Cytisus scoparius Yellow Broom

Ranunculus reptans Creeping Buttercup: Laburnum anagyroides: Primula vulgaris

Rosa "Canary Bird ":Meconopsis cambrica Welsh poppy: Primula Florindae

Meconopsis betonicifolia alba (Himalayan poppy)

Mecanopsis betonicifolia alba  is one of the great joys of our garden. The flowering is nearly over for this year. It grows in a shady area with the cardiocrinum giganteum, hosta sieboldiana and matteuccia strurthiopteris (shuttlecock fern). It thrives in the cool moist atmosphere.
It seems to glow in that shady corner and the delicate white petals are as fragile as tissue paper. There are several flowers on the one plant so flowering covers quite a long period.

Growing Notes

The meconopsis originate from high up in the Himalayas and are part of the family papaveraceae.

The plant grows to about 4 feet tall.

The advice from many of the experts when buying meconopsis plants is to buy small and give the plant time to establish before flowering. If buying a larger plant in flower it may not prove to be perennial. No matter the up side is that the seed is easy to collect and propagation is not difficult if you know how..The secret is to mimic it's natural growing conditions ie cool and bright. There's a very good piece on propagation on the Garden of Eaden site
http://gardenofeaden.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-grow-himalayan-blue-poppy-from.html

The plants like a cool root run in a humus rich soil which is acid to neutral. It should be planted in a sheltered position in shade or dappled shade. The clumps can be divided every few years in the spring or autumn.

The Best and the Rest from Gardening Scotland

There are always some photographs that don't seem to fit into past posts. And here they are...

There's a cool idea for a pond in a small garden....

Wonderful colours of garden twine although I tend to use sludge green or boring brown.

 I so liked the name of the plant stall at Earthy that I photographed it. I also wondered if there is a blog called "The Plant Shack".....

There's a jolly umbrella.....

Flowers were much in evidence.....

 A glorious velvety iris in the Floral Hall.

A glorious something else in the floral hall. I will have to look up the name.

 The most beautiful oriental lily"Manissa"

What a stunning colour combination....

Gardening Scotland Show Part 2

This is where we get down to the important matter of what plants. It's very easy to get seduced by the number of plants on offer. I had a little list of three different plants but none were available. I do note what other people are buying at the show. In fact I have been known to run after people and  ask them about the plant they are carrying. Slightly deranged behaviour....
Oak Leaf hydrangeas are very showy and incredibly popular this year as are astrantias and cirsiums. Then there is the bonsai

No, I don't think so.....

I pondered over the white eucomis...

And considered the oak leaf hydrangea again. There they are looking enticing at the back of the stand.....

 At then end of the day I had acquired some very nice labels

 

And three very small Chrysanthemum "Green Mist". I haven't tried them growing them before as they have aways seemed a bit "specialist". And are our coffee cups are ideal for planting.

So the porter didn't have much to carry back to the car at that point. And then I had a slight rush of blood to the head. These are the plants we came home with.....

• Horedum jubatum x3
This is also known as "Foxtail barley" had feathery silver pink plumes and is ideal for filling  a gap in the border.


• Lysimachia atropurpurea x3 This is a plant should have been in our garden before now. Grey crinkley leaves and arching burgundy flower spikes.

• Phlomis italica x3 This is to bulk up our existing stock of three very small plants.

• Dierama "Merlin" and Dierama "Guinevere" I've bought Diermama in the past. They need to be grown on before planting out.

• Uvularia grandifliora  We had a large clump if uvularia in dappled shade in our last garden. It is an elegant perennial with nodding yellow flowers. It's common name is "Merry Bells".

The ones that got away.....
There is always a plant that catches the eye but for some reason I don't buy. Often because it doesn't look hardy and/or the cost. This is one of those:

There was another temptation isn't a plant at all:

 

This garden furniture comes in a range of colours and styles and is imported from France by a company called "Ma Maison Ecossaise " in Inverness.  Price prohibitive! Don't even ask! But they can be found at the following link: http://www.mamaison-ecossaise.co.uk/


Last but not least there is one item that is at the show in abundance every year and marks out the serious plant buyer from other mortals. They don't come in many colours. Mine is a utilitarian green. And they can be a nuisance in a crowd. But they do make life easier for getting plants home. 
So lets hear it for " the box on wheels".