British Summer Time

The Weekend has come and gone already.The clocks went forward at 1am this morning to take us into British Summer Time.
I took the raised beds up to the allotment yesterday.It was sunny today after a foggy night and morning.The warm sun made it nice to stand outside and see what was growing.
I love this fiery Red and Yellow Tulip, stubbornly still closed.It reminds me of a Mexican Wrestler Costume,El Diablo?The colours are vibrant and punchy.I hope its the same inside the flower cup.Yesterday this Orange Tulip flushed with green was clamped shut tightly.The sun today cajoled it into flowering.The orange petals glow above the soft olive green leaves.One of the flaming orange Tulips partially opened in the sunshine.The pastel yellow Tulips flowered yesterday and today.They have the colour of buttermilk.I love the dark stamen inside the cup floating above it.Some of the Tulips were planted in lots of barrel planters or pots.The sun illuminated through the flowers like a church window.Even the leaves seem to be alive in the sunshine.All the chlorophyll glowing.The Orange Tulip opened.It reminded me of the Statue Of Liberty's torch in New York.Fabulous flower.The bright flowers and warm sunshine have inspired the birds to start building nests.This female Blackbird was carefully hopping around the bin selecting the softest grasses and twigs for her nest high up in the neighbours Fir Tree.She spent ages selecting these materials for the nest.I am always amazed how birds use natural materials to construct nests.The Camellia finally flowered yesterday.Despite being trod on it has survived the conservatory being built.It has two other flower buds on it.The colour is lovely and bright.The move last year shocked it and it never flowered.The Hyacinths continue to perfume the garden with their fragrance.These were formally indoor ones that were planted in the sunken border.They have grown really well.We went out for Dinner today.I took a few photos before we went out.March is full of greens and pastel colours.The garden still has masses of Tulips that have not flowered yet.They are a beautiful addition to the garden.
I have three days to do the garden and allotment before a trip to Cheltenham on Thursday.

Winter Clear Up

The Winter baskets have finally been filled up with a mixture of winter Pansy's,Violas,and Sweet Williams.Cat joined me in the garden clear up.The table has held the plants for weeks before we planted them in the Baskets.Two baskets fell off the fence due to high winds and a jumping Squirrel (called Hogan now after he did a flying clothes line onto the hanging basket.The weight of the basket,soil,and Squirrel pulled the bracket clean off the fence).I hope that these baskets add a little colour whilst other plants and bulbs are dozing in the soil.

I found my metal Frog fence ornament on the ground behind the Hostas.This was one of Cats baskets.The Hostas are all dormant below the baskets.I need to top dress them with fresh compost so they absorb some of the nutrients.They are Cats favourite plants,especially when they flower in white and purple blooms.A garden shared can be a pleasure.I do the heavy digging and moving.Cat cuts the grass and helps plant things.She is getting braver as time goes on.She is also great at potting up plug plants which we have bought from mail order companies.The Sunken border needed revamping after the builders had trampled all over it.The conservatory needed a gap between it and the damp soil.We went shopping for some bamboo fence posts.These run about six inches from the bricks separating the border from the conservatory.The warm Winter had caused the creeping Buttercups to have taken over a large area of soil.The Teasel also had dropped loads of seeds into the soil and onto the grass.I removed them.I think I will grow Teasel in pots to keep them easier to manage.They are prodigious in the amount of seed each comb seed head makes.They are like spiny giants in the garden.I trimmed the Ceanothus so its more centrally structured.It has beautiful central bark running up with all the branches coming away from it.I hope that the Bee's will fly back for the honey scented flowers on this American Shrub.I moved the Honeysuckle in its pot to the area between the Conservatory and the fence.It kept falling over in the wind.I will try to work out how to secure it to block off the area behind it.A narrow hell strip.

I moved the black feathery leaved Sambuca Nigra with its effervescent pink flowers to the right hand side of the border.Last year it got tangled under the Butterfly bush.The Buddleja has been trimmed as well to keep it horizontal.It too has a lovely woody stem.Winter makes you appreciate the structure of plants normally hidden by leaves or flowers.I dug over the soil removing the weeds,and seeing which plants had survived.I found several perennial roots which have been replanted.It will be good to see what grows where.The Camellia survived a Workman's boot which snapped off one of the branches.I hope it will flower this year. They are such pretty plants with shiny glossy leaves,and sumptuous flowers.This plant has survived the winter and has lots of flower buds on it.These turn into pretty scented white flowers.It was one of the original plants that we inherited.There is a green Hebe,and a Pieris that were here when we moved in.This is the side on view of the newly dug over sunken border.Our grass is very soggy and has mud patches.The mole seems to have left us for a while,with no more mole hills along the path.I had spent one afternoon looking at online websites.I ordered all the Vegetable seeds and thought I want to try to grow Grapes inside the greenhouse.Web research suggested that two good varieties were Suttons Seedless Grapes, and Black Munich grapes.I found this plant on the Daily Telegraph garden shop.This experimental plant can grow in the greenhouse during the summer,but can be moved outside during the winter to kill of pests.

It sat on the windowsill waiting for a large pot to plant it in.I hope it grows well,and will record its progress on the blog.

It is the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch over the weekend.I need to spend an hour counting what birds come into the garden from my corner chair in the conservatory.

First Flush

Today was my one day off in between four long days at the hospital. We went shopping for a memory card for the new camera. I bought canes and twine to help me mark out the allotment beds on Wednesday ready for planting. I bought a six pack of Fuchsia plug plants and flower seeds for sowing. After we had bought four bags of compost from Hampsons we returned home. The gardens grow bag Potatoes were planted at last. Charlotte, and Pink Fir Apple. I repotted the Fuchsias and watered the greenhouse seedlings. I planted some Gladiolus bulbs, and some Abyssinian Gladiolous. Then the rain started to fall so I came back indoors. On Friday the Camellia finally flowered. It was flowerless last year so I'm happy that it has bloomed. It only has three flower buds on it. These are pretty plants with nice glossy leaves and this sumptuous pink flower. I want a white flowered Camellia to grow alongside this one. I'm pleased it has flowered at last. I hope that year on year it gets bigger and has more flowers. Gardeners World talked about Camellias on the day that mine flowered for the first time.The weekend has been productive with seeds bought, bulbs planted, and greenhouse watered. The weather is forecast to be wet until Wednesday.I hope to be productive on Wednesday and Thursday.

Febuary First

This is the only Camellia that survived the move to this house. It has many layered red flowers held above the glossy shiny leaves. It is growing quietly behind the decking in the sunken border. I am watching the buds growing on it. I cleaned off all the fallen bird food that has dropped on it. It is a great plant for late Winter colour. The green leaves make it attractive all year around. It does not seem to succumb to the hard frosts and freezing nights. It is naturally found growing in Japan and China.
I want to buy some more Camellias with different colour flowers. When I go to the Flower shows this year I will see if I can buy some with white, yellow, or pink flowers.
I swept up fallen debris off our concrete path today. The bird feeders were topped up, and all the water bowls topped up. There are more spring bulbs growing through the soil now. I have got ready to sow some Cabbage seeds to grow in the dilapidated cold frame. I will do a tray of Leeks tomorrow. I will get to the allotment tomorrow after a long break..
I'm writing this in the kitchen with the smell of Chocolate Chip Muffins cooking in the oven. I have done a lot of baking with the natural break from gardening in the winter. I hope that the Camellia will flower this Springtime.
I need a new camera as the old one is a bit battered from constant usage.

Showtime Plans

The Camellia has got three of these lovely pink buds on it. Last year it looked quite poorly with brown leaves, and it dropped all its buds. It looked like it was going to keel over.
The plant has regrouped over the winter, put on new growth, and even got flower buds on it now.
Healthy Camellias look beautiful with their very thick glossy leaves. They make me want to clean them of any muck they have on them.
This plant will have pink flowers. I did buy a Camellia with white flowers but it never survived the winter.
I was writing in my diary the dates of the flower shows. The 22nd of April will be the first of the year the Northern Horticultural Societys Spring Flower show. That should be special with the cold winter delaying the early flowers by a month.
http://www.flowershow.org.uk/
I want to go to the Tatton Park RHS flower show, and the Great Yorkshire Show in July. The last show of the year is the Autumn Flower show in Harrogate in September.
Of course the biggest flower show in the world is the RHS Chelsea flower show from the 25th of May. I want to mention a garden for people to visit made by skilled young people...
I was reading today about the Buffalo Garden Walk on the last weekend of July (24th to 25th this year) in the USA. http://www.gardenwalkbuffalo.com/
Over three hundred gardens are open for free visitors to walk around them through a variety of distinct districts. The event is run by volunteers and there are no entry charges!The flags designed for lamp posts are beautiful too. If i was in New York in July I would love to go there.
I might buy a white flowered Camellia from the flower shows. These gatherings are part of the Horticultural calender. They are where you can bring your friends or family year after year to go shopping, eat and drink, and look at a plethora of beautiful gardens. The RHS shows have the added bonus of trying to guess which gardens will get the gold medals..
The many ideas you see can be brought back to your own garden. The shows reinvigorate your green fingers.

Camellia

Hils Camellia in flower a few days ago. It is nearly twenty years old and blooms madly away in March and April.
The new garden has my planted Red Camellia from Cheltenham, and two that were there before.
A garden is not the same without one. The leaves are glossy and resist frost and cold, and refuse to freeze when icy blasts hit the garden.
They have such lovely flowers too. I want to buy a white and yellow flowered Camellia.
I planted the Raspberry canes today at the New garden. I need to dig out the raspberry from the old garden today. The Gooseberry and Strawberrys will make the journey to the new house.
I am enjoying my week off work, the sun has been shining intermitttantly.

Spring Into Summer

The first blogged picture from my new Camera.I spent a few hours today trying to work it out.A Fuji Finepix s8000fd.
I'm 88 pictures into it now.I learn mostly by trial and error, and as a typical guy I will read the instruction manual afterwards :)
This cheery scarecrow came from poundland yesterday.With the summer flowers weeks away I thought I would add some colour.
I spent two hours today at the allotment (where does time go when you are up there?) watering the plants and planting seven Strawberry plants.I have thirteen plants in my garden tub planter and seven at the allotment.Strawberrys for Wimbledon!!
I'm back on four nights so I will have a blog siesta and be back on Tuesday.
The Queen Of The Night Tulips look sumptuous and seem to be getting darker daily.
A nice contrast between the Dark and the Colourful.The Camellia is wedged between the two opposites.
Everything seems to be growing well as Spring moves towards Summer.

Sunday Best

April showers are falling again, so the allotment day has been postponed untill tomorrow.I am back on night shifts again next week so Monday will be my best chance to dig manure into the beds before planting afterwards. The top photo is a lilac coloured Chionodoxa, in contrast to the electric blue flowers photographed below.

An Anemone in flower. These have sprung up all around the Camellia and Rose bushes in the left border. I need the sun to shine to open the flowers fully.They stay shut when its cold and wet like the past few days.I planted them in December and they have only been visible for a few weeks.I have planted more too for the Summer.They can be grown all year around if started indoors I read.I have planted Anemone De Caens before, the red and white Hollandia and deep blue Mr Fokker.They are pretty with feathery leaves.

A trick shot using a mirror to show how the blue/white Chionodoxa look from the kitchen window.They have the electric blue and white flowers, like bursts of magic in an otherwise grey and cold day.They were planted to contrast with the yellow Daffodil Dwarf Minnows.The Daff's have flowered weeks before the Chionodoxas.A half dozen are pushing their way up through the soil.The Night stock And Virginia Stock are germinating already.The heated cold frame must warm the soil up in the windowbox above it.They should do really well, scented flowers for the day time and the evening.

The Shy Camellia flower that is flowering towards the fence.I used the mirror again and held the leaves away to show the beautiful pink flower.The darker colours make it look like Raspberry ripple ice cream I think.The other buds are developing and hopefully will flower frontwards so I can photograph them without a mirror!
I hope all your weekends are good, and that Spring is in the air too...

Pink Reflection

The Camellia showed signs of life after the past few days by starting to open its tightly furled petals. Like pink blotting paper the pinks have darker striation on the revealed petals.
The other buds are showing signs of pinking up.I can not find any sites that tell me when Camellias flower even the plant label (which I've misplaced somewhere for a change) does not say.
I planted some Lillys today.Two bulbs each of Oriental Stargazer, and White Lillys.They are sat in the kitchen chilling at the moment.
The sun shone today between grey skys and rain showers. The garden has been illuminated from midday onwards as the sun is over the houses which suprised me.
The suns rays have travelled from the back of the garden upto the edge of the right border by the pavers and African bag gardens.
The right side of the garden does get some Sun then, and hopefully more by the summer.It is very calm outside with the birds singing and the sun shining (just need the cold wind not to blow so much).
The photo is from a mirror I took into the garden and put against the fence.The flower is facing away from the garden and I can not fit behind the Camellia.I did lean into the fence to take it though.Its not bad for a reflected image!
Enjoy your weekends wherever you are.Hope it flowers fully soon.Expect more pictures....

Asia and Alabama

The Camellia Japonica yesterday teasingly showing its furled pink petals.
I love the glossy leaves and the flowers are so delicate when they are finally open.
The genus was named by Linnaeus after a Jesuit Missionary, pharmacist, and botanist called Georg Joseph Kamel.
He wrote about the native plants of the
Philippine Island of Luzon. Even though he may never have seen a Camellia Linnaeus thought enough of him to rename a Genus in his honour.
Camellias are native through out South and East Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia.
The most grown commercially Camellia is Camellia Sinensis, whos leaves are used to make Tea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia_sinensis
The Staple drink of the British, which has been drank for hundreds of years. From dried Camellia leaves..


The Garden one photographed is a Camellia Japonica. The plant label says Camellia Bonomiana on it.
There are about 3000 cultivars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia
They are slow growing shrubs or tree's averaging 30cm new growth a year. The leaves are evergreen, and the flowers Dahlia like.
They need acidic or neutral soil to grow, and a sheltered position. They can thrive in dappled shade below tree's and by west facing walls. The buds are delicate to frosts and too much sun.
The Camellia is also the State Flower of Alabama (My Favourite American State that I visited). I liked the Yellowhammer bird too on these American Stamps.
My plant has a lot of Flower buds around the Stems nestling below the green shiny leaves.
When I was dreaming about a garden there was always space for at least one Camellia. When it flowers I can blog the beautiful pink blooms that have captivated people from all Continents, and times from Ancient to Victorian, to the Present day.