Six on Saturday – Glimpse

Posted byofftheedgegardeningPosted inSix on Saturday, Welsh WalesTags:, , , , , ,

The incessant inertia of winter’s chilly wind and rain is eventually showing signs of let-up. In the past week there have been hints that all will be well. These might have been mere glimpses of hope that the ground will one day not be sodden, a jumper will not be needed and the bare earth will be covered. And a glimpse is all I need. Shall we get on Six on Saturdaying? If you are new to this SoS malarky, Jim at Garden Ruminations will set you right, all are welcome.

The Pyrus ‘Chanticleer’ is flowering well after its severe flat top in the autumn. On many occasions throughout the gale-full months we have said “thank goodness the tree was pruned”. It is still No. 1 hangout venue for the sparrows, great and blue tits and starlings. Sometimes a sparrowhawk comes to play too.

This colour!

The peach is flowering very well, could this be the year we actually get a fruit? It will get my undivided attention, I will answer to its every whim and fancy, I will (as Jean-Luc Picard would say) “make it so”. There may be tears.

Muscari latifolium, possibly the best grape hyacinth in the world.

This year we seem to have lots of self-sown honesty, Lunaria annua. The first summer we were here I planted ‘Corfu Blue’, obtained from plant maestro Welsh John. I am sure these are this plant’s offspring, how much they look like their mum, I can’t tell you. Still, they are very pretty.

Finally, this Ribes sanguineum ‘King Edward VII’ was purloined at dead of night from The Prof’s garden. And yes, I was wearing a balaclava and black catsuit.

That is your lot, have a great week and look out for the glimmers.

37 thoughts on “Six on Saturday – Glimpse”

  2. Lots of colour. The Pyrus ‘Chanticleer’ blossom is lovely… and the peach blossom. I was saying to Rosie (who also features a flowering currant) I wonder why I don’t have one? My honesty is all white (and not flowering yet) – which is odd as I was sure I planted a purpley-pink variety many moons ago. Muscari latifolium is going on the list.

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      4. Not everyone detects that, some liken it to cloves. And you don’t need to be close to smell it! This is due to the presence of a number of thiol containing compounds, some of which are also present in cat pee.

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  6. Ah, yes, those glimmers. Can’t be easy being a professional gardener. Everything is saturated. Latifolium is very beautiful, it’s a shame they don’t seem to last.

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  7. The ribes, I think they are great early flowerers. I used to benefit from my neighbour’s but for some reason it was taken down (pained sigh). Can I fit one in here I wonder?

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  8. Lovely – I am jealous of all the current bushes people have. We had lovely ones in Seattle, but here, my arch nemesis the Japanese beetle has me avoiding plants I know it likes.Bad enough the wreck my echinacea flowers every year! They can suck on my elderberry!

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      1. As long as it is never accidentally imported – supposedly it was introduced into the US in a shipment of Japanese iris. The grubs were in the soil around the roots and they are very happy anywhere where turf grass is grown. The beetles emerge and there is a feast. They emerge in time to eat my Echinacea. I avoid watering the lawn to reduce success of grubs and also treated my lawn with a fungus that kills grubs. There are fewer now, but one must be vigilant and kill as many as possible, as they have some strong pheromones and attract many more. They can’t cross the desert west/rocky mountains, so these are not a problem there, but they are endemic in the eastern part of the US. If I tore out the lawn and just had native plants that would be better still, but the husband is not keen to lose the lawn.

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  10. All my Honesty seedlings seem to be coming up white, I’ll have to buy a purple on! You have lots of lovely colour from your shrubs, very pretty.

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  14. King Edward II? Who is that? Why are there two? Why is his name associated with a Western North American species? I know I must have asked all this before, but I can not remember. Ribes sanguineum grows wild here, but for some unexplained reason, bloomed pale pink this year. They all seemed to bloom with the same color, even in other regions. Is ‘King Edward II’ late, or is this the normal season for it?

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