At this time of year, early spring flowers are fading and the next wave is getting ready to take over so there are lots of “firsts ” to choose from this time. Lots of buds are just waiting to burst forth, I think they are waiting for our weather to warm up a bit as last month was very cold indeed. However my first photo is of my last Narcissus to flower.
My last Narcissus to flower is Narcissus Actaea, a really beautiful flower with a perfume to match. I first met this variety at Llanhydrock House in Cornwall where they have a bank covered with hundreds, if not thousands of them. The perfume was almost overwhelming! I don’t have quite as many but soon my clumps will need splitting, so I’m well on my way,
My Rhododendrons are just starting to show their colours, but the first one in flower was Princess Ann, small so planted on the rockery, very well behaved and looks very pretty with her pale yellow flowers.
It will also soon be Hosta time, this is Sum and Substance which is in the woodland. It will grow huge and hopefully my blackbirds and thrushes will keep the slugs and snails away, they usually do.
The first of my Camassias has started flowering, this is C. leichtlinii and these have replaced some bluebells that didn’t appear this year as they were sitting in flood water last winter. I have read that the Camassias can cope with waterlogging, so I hope they do!
I have to include the first of my peonies to flower, P. mlokosewitschii. The bees are having a wonderful time wallowing in all the stamens, so hopefully I’ll get some fertile seeds.
I’m including my Wisteria, it is my first and my last as it is my only wisteria! Considering I thought for about 20 yrs that it was dead, it is now looking very good indeed and is covered with gorgeous perfumed flowers. I now have to decide where to train it!
These are my 6 for this Saturday, the forecast for today is torrential rain, so I’m glad I was able to take my photos yesterday. April was such a dry month, so we do need the rain but I hope there isn’t any flooding throughout the country. Many thanks to Jon The Propagator for hosting this, do pay him a visit to see what is pleasing gardeners elsewhere.
Pauline, your six today are lovely specimens. The peony is such a gorgeous color. I”m curious how the wisteria came back to life after 20 years. I used to play with it as a child and loved it. Unfortunately as it turned out it’s terribly invasive in this area, but I am happy to see yours. I can almost smell it from across the Atlantic.
Susie, I thought the Wisteria that the previous people had planted, had died so I cut it to the ground, but being lazy, didn’t dig out the roots. For the next 20 odd years I forgot about it until suddenly a couple of years ago, I found a long snaking branch weaving its way along the shrubs by the garage. Since then it is flowering beautifully each year, but I must think about training it properly.
I moved my Molly a couple of years back as it had been overrun by Bamboo. I’ve chosen badly with its new location too I think, what conditions is yours so obviously thriving in? It’s not going to like being moved again. I’m frustrated to hear about the ‘Actaea’ at Lanhydrock, just down the road from here, mine have been pretty hopeless. I’d better go along there and see how it’s done.
Jim, I’m sure I must have improved the heavy clay that I have in my garden, when I planted Molly about 25 yrs ago, but it certainly hasn’t received any special treatment since. It is in sunshine for most of the day and fairly sheltered where it is, which protects it from the worst of the winter weather. My clumps of Narcissus Actaea definitely need splitting and I have a sloping bank to the ditch by the woodland, I think maybe some can go there and try to repeat what I saw at Lanhydrock all those years ago.
Looks like you have a yellow and blue there going on here Pauline. Lovely to see the first hosta appearing as well. I do like Sum and Substance!
I hadn’t realised until you mentioned it Denise, but you are right! I think the Hostas are a bit behind with the cold spell we have had, it is good to see them all popping up once again.
Loving all your blooms, especially that peony and Princess Anne. I have what I think is a dead wisteria, maybe I should leave mine too.xxx
Thanks Dina, Molly is still flowering nicely in spite of the torrential rain that we have had most days, thanks to closing up each time. When I thought my wisteria was dead I just cut it off down to the ground and then forgot about it, maybe yours will do the same, I hope so!x
Discovering the wisteria flowering must have been a huge surprise! I do like the teeny rhododendrons and now have 3 of ‘the birds’ (Wren, Ptarmigan and Snipe). Reading about your hostas in the woodland has made me think I will try planting some of the two that I moved out of the streamside border and split up to sell in the woodland itself…it would be a useful experiment and I would love it if they did establish there. Thanks for the idea!
The Wisteria was a surprise Cathy, a very nice one! I have a few hostas in the woodland, because it is so dark in there in the summer, I rely on foliage for interest as flowers like more light.