Happy Six on Saturday Easter! Or should that be Happy Easter Six on Saturday? Whichever, I hope your Easter is a good one, whether or not you partake in this weekly rite. Not sure what I am on about? Nothing new there then. It may all become a little clearer if you visit The Easter Bunny of Propdom’s site. He will explain, and while you are there you can find out what all the other bunnies have been up to.
Shall we begin with a fat green caterpillar looking splendid in the magnificent blue bowl of Anemone coronaria ‘Bordeaux’, featured previously. If we don’t allow caterpillars then there will be no butterflies or moths. As I have discovered this week, the human species inflict more damage on my plants and aren’t half as pretty. It is good to share sometimes.
Next we have the Cappadocian navelwort, Omphalodes cappadocica. Such a pretty plant, a blue of the angels. I half-inched this piece from Lady Mantle’s estate when she otherwise engaged (on her gin break). As I was already nailed for the theft of one plant I thought I might as well go for broke and take another. Although the wanted poster is rather fetching likeness, I consider 30 bob and half a corned beef sandwich a rather insulting reward for my apprehension.
On to Dodecatheon meadia, the shooting star. It is just coming into bloom and each year charms me with its downward pointing dart-like flowers. At the moment it is growing in a pot, which is not ideal but means I can bring it in and out of the spotlight as warranted. Now it is in prime place, as it deserves.
Next another emerging Woolies acer. In the last few weeks I have been systematically ….. hang on a minute who I am trying to kid, that is absolutely nonsense, I have never been systematic in my entire life……. I have been randomly potting up and on, renewing compost and feeding all the permanent pot residents. They thank me for this spring clean and renourishment.
Bleeding heart, bleeding wonderful.
Finally my cunning tulip plan of the autumn, to pack Tulipa ‘Orange Emperor’ and Tulipa ‘Purple Prince’ into the Belfast sink, has finally come to fruition. Admittedly there are more earth shattering innovations, but on a cold November weekend it seemed pretty avant garde. The crowd were on the edge of their seat for a while when the purples flowered and the oranges were a no-show, but eventually everyone caught up and it is now looking splendid. A happy ending. Just as it should be.
Happy hopping everyone!
Off The Edge Gardening 
I’m glad you have found your omph in the garden today. I’m also glad that the new phone allows me to like and comment on your blog. Sommat the old model refused to do. Already seeing lots of butterflies. Someone else is feeding the caterpillars, though. Thanks.
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I don’t mind feeding a few for you. Glad you are happy with the phone, no stopping you now. Mind you I can’t remember you being held back before!
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I discovered some unattractive brown caterpillars munching on the phlox at night. I was good and let them be, trying to picture them as some exotic moth or butterfly. It was difficult though! Great Six.
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Great self control! Thank you.
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Your photos this week are glorious! Love the detail of the caterpillar……I agree, leave as many as we can so that Mother Nature gets a little helpful hand. She shall repay you with ladybirds I, sure! Have a peaceful Easter.
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I’m hoping for ladybirds this year, last year they seemed to be few and far between. I have some greenfly already. 😦
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Lovely Easter photo’s. Is that a bleeding ‘Valentine’? Mine hasn’t even managed 4″ yet
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Yes it is Valentine, this one isn’t too tall yet, maybe 8″, but having a little bloom anyway. Happy Easter Maggie, hope it is a great one x
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I have not seen any caterpillars this year but if there are butterflies .. there are caterpillars … Beware of these voracious!
Happy Easter Gill
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I will become the Caterpillar Whisperer, suggesting they move onto other less precious (to me) plants. 😀 Happy Easter to you too Fred.
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Gill you heap funny lady. I’ve had a word with the authorities and they’ve agreed to up their reward to a full packed lunch, including a Jacob’s Orange Club and a carton of Um Bongo.
Your tulip sink looks splendid.
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Um Bongo! Fantastic news. Thanks. And thanks.
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What a wonderful selection of plants this week.
# It is good to share sometimes.# that’s what I say to my blackbird family who eat all my strawberries when I ask them to leave some for me.
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Blackbirds are rubbish sharers! Thanks, enjoy your weekend. 🙂
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Such wonderful plants – I’m always having my horizons extended! The ompha is worth going down for! And the shooting star plant is a stunner.
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There always seems to be another tempting plant around the corner, doesn’t there?! We are lost causes. 🙂
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I planted a Dodecatheon some years back but it expired. However, the tiny self sown Dactylorhiza in the pot with it has thrived. So I think of shooting stars as being fussier than terrestrial orchids. You obviously have it well sussed.
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Not really, it staggers along ……
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Wow, your Six have some of the richest colors. That first one is rather artistic. I just featured bleeding heart in my garden column, but my picture was rather pathetic, and the flowers are of a pink variety. There is a native version here that grows wild out in the forest, but the garden varieties are not so reliable.
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The Dodecatheon meadia is very pretty. Do you grow this outdoors? I too have been potting up and repotting: still have some way to go with all the pelargoniums. I stuck a load of cuttings into the same pots during the winter as some were getting too leggy. Now I need to separate them, which means I need also to buy more pots… never ending this gardening lark!
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Thank you for posting the image of the lovely green caterpillar against the flower of your Anenome coronaria ‘Bordeaux’. We have a lovely red Anenome coronaria and found a similar caterpiller beneath it’s leaves. The caterpillar is the larva of the Angle shades moth (Phlogophora meticulosa) and here is a link to the RHS website describing the moth and it’s principal plant food species. (Link:https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=502)
Happy gardening and good health, Bill
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Thank you Bill, that is really interesting, really nice of you to let me know. So lovely to think that these wonderful creatures are frequenting our gardens. Happy gardening to you too, stay safe and well.
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My pleasure. We are indeed fortunate to still have the wee beasties in the garden. Maybe a hawk moth caterpillar next time! ;¬)
Good health, Bill
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Now that would be lovely!
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