We are still having more showers, some quite torrential, more flooding which is taking its time to clear, I’m just wondering how long it will be before the garden dries out properly. The plants however just keep on coming, more flowers opening, more leaves coming on the trees and shrubs, everywhere is beginning to look rather green, so many big fat buds just waiting to open, which is lovely. Trying to choose just six new flowers is getting more difficult as the weeks go by as there are so many of them. Let’s make a start……..
Looking gorgeous on the rockery at the moment is Prunus Kojo no mai, covered with dainty white bells.
I can see this little shrub from where I sit with my lap top in the dining room and have been watching more flowers opening each day this week. This is a sucker of the original which I allowed to grow too big, this will be kept to a reasonable size!
Dark hellebore and more false oxlips make a nice combination.
Brunnera Jack Frost now flowering by the archway into the woodland, this means that the Epimedium next to it won’t be very long before it joins in.
More Corydalis seedlings flowering on the woodland side of the slope, must give them a mulch of leaf mould to seed into, to make more lovely plants.
Look who I saw in the garden the other day, Mr.P! I just hope he hasn’t discovered my snakeshead fritillaries in the woodland as they do have a reputation for eating the flower buds.
So far, there is no damage to the flowers, thank goodness, hope it stays that way!
Anemone nemerosa, the little wood anemone, like the same damp conditions that the fritillaries like, they are both spreading nicely.
Cyclamen repandum are now flowering at the edge of the path in the woodland, they are spreading at last! I will try saving seed this year and see if I can hurry the process a bit.
That is my six for this week, still a few late snowdrops opening, loads of narcissus flowering, but lots of other flowers are vying for attention! I hope spring has arrived in your part of the world, wherever you are, and that you can have a good weekends gardening. Thanks to Jim again for hosting at Garden Ruminations, if you pay him a visit you will see gardens from around the world.
Lovely selection of spring flowers, I especially love the frits, I hope they stay safe from Mr P!
Thank you Gill, so far the fritillaries are safe, I hope they stay that way!
I do like fritillaries I hope they survive Mr P.
I think they will Rosie, as long a Mr P doesn’t go into the woodland!
Having such unusual wildlife in your garden is a double-edged sword, fingers crossed your visitor isn’t partial to the fritillaries.
The woodland must look amazing at this time of year.
Pheasants have a reputation for eating fritillary flowers Helen and I had one a good 7 or so years ago that came every morning for them! The woodland is looking very pretty at the moment, it is my favourite spot at this time of year.
It’s true that Kojo is a success in our gardens in spring. Mine is next to my pond and I enjoy it from my office.
Nice photo of this moorhen (is it ? )
Is there a pond near you? : let’s hope she doesn’t eat all your bulbs and young shoots; only the slugs you have to tell her!
Kojo is a beautiful shrub Fred, but I had one and it grew so large that it had to be cut down, this is a sucker and will get pruned every year to keep it smaller. The bird is a male pheasant, I should have said that, sorry, and they do love to eat fritillary flowers. Other flowers seem to be safe, don’t know why!
Now that you mention it, it actually looks more like a pheasant than a moorhen 😂.
Yes Fred and its much bigger than a moorhen, though you couldn’t tell that from the photo!
What a lot of beautiful fritillaria and lucky you to having the snakeskin purple ones and the white ones, they are gorgeous.
Thanks Noelle, I just bought a packet of purple bulbs many, many years ago and now just sprinkle the seed and wait to see which colours turn up!
It’s such a wonderful time of year Pauline though it would be nice if the weather gave your garden time to dry out. The little shrub is lovely, does it have a name?
It is wonderful when flowers are opening so quickly Denise, something new every day. I named the little shrub in the first photo, it is Prunus Kojo no mai, which I believe means Dance of the butterflies.
Oh no, your pheasant is back! I do hope your fritillaries are not nibbled…
I don’t think it can be the same one Cathy, that was so long ago! All will be well as long as he doesn’t go into the woodland.
Lovely highlights from your garden. I bought a small Prunus Kojo-no-mai last year and it is delighting me already, so I can see why you like to work with views of your own.
I made the mistake of not pruning mine to keep it small, it grew and grew until it was far too big for the rockery Allison. After taking it out a few years later this sucker came up and started flowering, it gets a gentle prune each year now to keep it to size!
Your Prunus ‘Kojo no mai’ is looking fabulous, Pauline, and what a pretty combination the Hellebore and false oxlips make. I’d be tempted to rush out with a garden cloche to protect my fritillaries from Mr P – after all, there are limits to what’s allowed to be in a free meal! 😁
Thanks Catherine. I would need about 20 cloches to cover my fritillaries, they have spread so far with seeding about. I will just have to rely on rusty pheasant to stand on guard duty and protect them!
Your Prunus Kojo no mai is a show. It’s such a pretty shrub at this time of year and again in the autumn. I’ll consider myself grateful I only have wood pigeons to contend with! Mr P is a handsome bird though.
I too think Prunus Kojo no mai is a gorgeous shrub Graeme, just wish I’d realised that it grew so big. I’ll make sure that this sucker stays a smaller size. Ye, Mr.P is very handsome but I wish he didn’t pull heads off the fritillaries, so far, so good!