Just to put you at your ease Lady Mantle, I will not be naming names. All I am going to say is that after tea break only one person returned with me out into the garden, into the deluge and the storm and battled the ferocious monsters that had been summoned up by the weather gods. And one other person stayed inside pretending to be busy.
No names, Lady Mantle, you are quite safe from retribution.
After chasing a bee around wind-blown lavender for two incredibly tedious minutes, a previous announcement in a post Trending sprung to mind.
This may run and run.
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!
Another day, another company, another courier.
Today I will try to salvage the poor lupins that were crushed into an undersized box and left to their fate. Replacements are apparently now on their way, but still I despair.
Is it me?
Shameless? Perhaps. Or maybe a case of any port in a storm. Not quite safe enough though.
Yesterday a parcel of plants was left, according to the email I received whilst I was out working, “In a safe place”. This oh so secure and nurturing place was outside my front door in the rain. To add insult to injury it was upside down, in a box with clear arrows to prevent such mistakes. I sighed. I did my best to rescue the fallen. I complained. New plants are on the way.
Today at Button Moon the morning began damp and drizzly. Last night we suffered supposedly heavy rain but as it passed in my dreams I can’t confirm this. Perhaps this allegedly severe weather was the reason that some of the heuchera leaves had turned upside down. Whatever the reason, the vibrant violet, raindropped undersides were quite beautiful.
I should have. I didn’t. Je regrette tout.
There are days like today. Days of pure, simple joy. I paid the price with the others. It was worth it.
You know that you have selected your clients well when, as you are poised to scatter some wildflower seed in their garden, you say “I think to mark this occasion you should perform a interpretative dance”. And they do. Lord and Lady M, you are brill.
Here is some pear blossom. Also brill.
This may be rushed. Again. I’ll tell you why.
The strap on one of my watches came apart so I asked OH, AKA Glue Monitor, to fix it for me. I don’t have many watches, just three. You may think that is a lot. I suppose you only really need one. My three perform different roles in my life, apart from telling the time, that is. One is a work watch, it has a large dial so I know when it is coffee time without putting my specs on and I can press my nose to my client’s window and dribble as way of a hint. It was also embarrassingly cheap so it doesn’t matter too much if I compost it by mistake. My second watch is my goth watch, a black-faced, black strapped Swatch, for my moody moments which are few but intense. My third is a Fossil watch, bought in an outlet store for a fraction of the retail price and is my favourite. It is my favourite because it has embroidered flowers on the strap. It was this very strap that needed mending. Anyone still awake? The fact is this watch was still resident at the in-house menders meaning that it didn’t spring forward last weekend with the rest of the timepieces in the house. And today I have been wearing that very same, now fixed, watch. Which means that all day I have been running on Greenwich Mean Time instead of British Summer Time. This in turn means I have one less hour than I thought to cram all the things I had earmarked to do this afternoon before cocktail hour. I know another excuse. At least I have turned up. And our very own Time Lord, The Propmaster, won’t need a lie down as he does on the rare occasions that I’m early.
Less wittering more plants! Firstly we have a not quite open snake’s head fritillary, Fritillaria meleagris. These play “will they, won’t they” each year and then seemingly over night, and usually a little nibbled, they appear. When I say “they” I mean three. They never seem to multiple like you hear in fairytales.
Next is a great joy to me, the strong and healthy roots of the most wonderful and doomy Salix gracilistyla ‘Melanostachys’ or the black willow . These cuttings were sent to me by my friend Chloris after I admired the puma paws of one in her garden. They have been sitting in a cup of water for a couple of weeks and voilà. Read more about it here: The Blooming Garden – Six on Saturday 2nd March. When admiring this willow I shall be wearing my black Swatch.
Now it is time for a fat and hairy potato sprout. You may well remember, as I am prone to over-sharing about my personal life, that every year I buy OH some chitting potatoes for either his birthday or Valentine’s Day. I usually buy Rocket, but for a change I thought this time he could try Charlotte. I’m wild like that. Each year he plants them and tends to them in a completely different way as to how I would do it. But they are his. I will not interfere. I will not even give my opinion, I have tried before and it has fallen on stony ground. But it is wrong. Unfortunately it works.
What next? Oh yes, the fresh young leaves of one of our acers. A little burnt by the wind, but all the same a beautiful sight. All our Japanese maples are named Woolworth, as it is here that we bought them, many moon ago, and very well they have served us too. I still miss Woolworths.
On to blueberry flowers, blushing bells all primed to provide a handful of fruit for a summer treat.
Lastly, I am pleased to announce that Peggy is back! Has she arrived in South Wales yet Mr K? For any of you who don’t know who Peggy is and why I should be so excited at her return, then you can find out all about it here: It Is All In The Name.
All done, double checked my numbers, and I’m all linked out. I cannot linger, that Moscow Mule won’t drink itself!
Off The Edge Gardening