Are we still hanging on? Hope so. Welcome to another Six on Saturday. If you need to know more or you would like to see what the others are up to, and quite frankly you would be daft not to, pop over to The Maestro Prop’s site and all will be revealed. A tricky week, but it has passed. Shall we proceed.
We’ll kick off with Paeonia mlokosewitschii, conveniently known as Molly the Witch. Every year she puts in an appearance, but she is yet to flower. This year, or perhaps next, might be her inaugural season. It doesn’t really matter; it is always good to have a witch in close proximity.
On to Lachenalia quadricolor, which by some kind of Disney miracle I have managed to keep alive. So far anyway. I bought it last March at the HPS Lecture Day. This flower is far from the ideal, but still it makes me happy. It reminds me of a giraffe and that can only be a good thing. My mum loves giraffes.
Next is horticultural fleece on the washing line. The storms unceremoniously peeled it from the plant it was supposed to be protecting. It had become a pathetic wet mess, only kept from blowing away by the amount of rainwater it was holding within its fibres. I hung it on the line to dry, along with its similarly inept colleagues, during our short respite.
On to a crocus. Fabulous! Just look at the delicate purple veins on the blue-white of the embracing petals, their deep violet bases leaching upwards. Doesn’t it make your heart beat a little faster? I don’t want this flower to do anything else; no opening, no ripening. I want it to hold tight onto this moment, it is perfect as it is.
The Exochorda x macrantha has decided to have a little bit of a bloom. I don’t mind. Although not my favourite, it is rather nice in its virginal simplicity. Just nice though, no quickening of the pulse.
Lastly, an ever-faithful stalwart of my SoS, Tibouchina urvilleana, which is tucked in under a tree. For extra protection, it was supposed to be swaddled by one of the previous fleecy offenders. Seems she shrugged off her constraints, like the diva that she is, and have a tentative attempt at flowering. Again, all to my benefit. Make the most of it gal, you may well have to be rewrapped very soon.
All done.
Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu.
Off The Edge Gardening 
Unopened crocus is pretty much all I’ve had this year, there’s been so little sun. I’d have been happier to see them open occasionally, for the variety and the pollinators. I moved my Molly a year or two back, she wasn’t happy about it and is shrinking.
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OK, I concede, the pollinators can have their grub!
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So far, I have failed to germinate the seeds of tibouchina. None of the ones I have germinated. I will give them a second try in the spring.
About Molly the witch, Sandy (@aNortherngarden) sent you beautiful photos of his flowers that he grows for years. I hope you will get flowers this year 🤞
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Good luck for the next lot, are the seeds very tiny? If Molly flowers I will definitely share. 🙂
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Yes they are very tiny , like these of bottle brush trees without pods.
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The crocus is beautiful, name? Like Jim I would love to see it open, my poor things have expired without being able to show off their true beauty. Such a shame and bad for the early pollinators too. And I’m talking giraffe this week too!
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More giraffes, fabulous, I will nip on over ……
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Lachenalia quadricolor you have done well to keep her going. I had a thing about these once, but they rotted off for me! The crocus is Pickwick, which I am sure you knew. They remind me of Venetian coloured glass twisted in a perfect bud shape. I am with you on their beauty.
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It is definitely more luck than judgement. I am in good company then 🙂
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Very pretty colours this week. That No:6 is a new one to me – most unusual.
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It is such a wonderful colour, although it is quite tender. It came from Lidl, via Penny who I used to work for and donated it to me when she moved south. Keep a look out later in the year. I’ll try to remember to tell you if I see them. 🙂
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That crocus is sublime. You could have it turned into one of those canvas photo print things. It made my heart sing when I saw it.
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Thank you, although I didn’t really have much to do with it, I just planted it and let the magic begin. 🙂
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That crocus is beautiful as is the purple of the Tibouchina urvilleana. It’s blowing a gale here – seems worse than Dennis only not as wet.
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Yes very windy here too! Rain to come later. Joy!
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Good luck with Molly The Witch this year! I often marvel at how patient tree peony breeders must be compared to rose breeders whose seedlings typically flower in their first year.
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Very patient. I am not in that league, I’m afraid 🙂
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Me neither!
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Spring flowers – yey!
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Lovely crocus. I’ve hardly been outside on daylight this week so good to see your plants to cheer us up
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I am always amazed to see your Tibouchina, I have forbidden myself to buy anymore of those although I love them and T. granulosa especially. The Crocus is fabulous!!!
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I love Molly the Witch, so I’m looking forward to seeing yours in flower (hopefully). She does seem to be a lady who’s much in demand at the moment and hideously expensive to buy. I have a little poorly one that I’m not very hopeful about.
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‘Pickwick’ crocus is what I remember when I was a kid. I did not know there were yellow crocus until I was nearly 40! I was aware of white and blue, but thought that ‘Pickwick’ was the standard.
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That crocus, with its purple veins is just wonderful. I have given up on them after last spring’s no-show. On to more amenable plants.
I also have a peony that has been in my garden now for four years, grows lovely leaves, but that is all. Maybe, one spring, I’ll get a surprise when it flowers: I don’t remember what colour it should be. I love that you’re able to grow tibouchina in the UK.
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That will be a real suprise, at least I know what colour the flower will be. Fingers crossed for this year!
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You’re right, that crocus is stunning. And what a fabulous photo. I hadn’t realised how wonderful they were so close up. I don’t have any because the birds used to just eat them as soon as they came up but I think I’ll give them a go next year.
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I thought giraffe too. I’m enjoying crocuses this year, I am finding those planted in 2018 are giving the best show, presume it takes them a year to settle in.
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I have the same thoughts about my peonies, they’re so great when they’re coming up, altho I doubt any are witches. Love them better when they bloom. That crocus is stunning. Will it have any contrasting colours inside, if, ill luck, it should open? I’ve a shrub w/white flowers that someone last year suggested might be an exorchorda, but it’s only just leafing up now. Is yours early or was mine mis-IDed? There do seem to be a lot of garden related things getting hung on your line.
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I love watching the new shoots of peonies coming up so full of promise. I am always impressed by your tibouchina and she even flaunts herself in February without her overcoat. I have killed 3 even after cosseting them.
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