My village WI ladies came on Tuesday to see the snowdrops and hellebores. The previous day it had been wall to wall sunshine, but Tuesday started out very grey and wet. They were coming in the afternoon for tea and cake as well so I kept checking the weather forecast to see when the rain was due to stop, it did, about quarter of an hour before they came, thank goodness! If you want to see what they saw, then the previous post will show you. This Saturday though, I’m just showing you six views of the woodland as they saw it.
Just inside the entrance of the woodland, the far bed has a ground cover of Cardamine quinquifolia, I think it looks nice with all the snowdrops.
Narcissus pseudonarcissus are spreading around in this part, I spread some seed each year and my original seedlings are now starting to flower, so soon I should have a nice drift!
I think the wild snowdrops at the back of this area are ready for splitting again. I can increase what I have here and also move them to other places that are looking a bit bare.
This is the area where the snakeshead fritillaries flower next month, it floods regularly in the winter, but I think I could put more wild snowdrops in between as they have proved that they don’t mind being flooded for a while, I’m not risking my “specials” though!
The woodland is beginning to look how I imagined it 30 yrs ago, I hope you agree it is an improvement on the brambles and nettles that I found when we moved in!
It is worth spreading the seeds of Narcissus pseudonarcissus, being a species and not a hybrid, they come true from seed and you only have to wait about 4 yrs for them to flower. When they first come up, I have to be very careful not to pull them out as they look just like grass. When the slnowdrops are over, the narcissus take over and the the fritilleria meleagris take over from them, making lots of colour from this area for more than 3 months.
I have been working very hard trying to get half the garden ready for my visitors. Didn’t quite manage to do all that I had hoped, but never mind, after a short rest, I’ll get out there once more and finish the tidying in the back garden. So many bulbs are now pushing up, soon everywhere will be full of flowers, and I won’t be able to keep up with it all!
Thanks to Jim once more at Garden Ruminations for organising us all, if you want to see gardens from around the world, then do pay him a visit. Hope you all have good gardening weather this weekend!
I was reading the WI post yesterday on my phone. I’m glad the rain stopped for their visit. I love the metal bird (a partridge?) and the woodland flowers are looking wonderful.
I was so thankful that the rain stopped in time Graeme, made it so much easier when you don’t have to juggle an umbrella with the phone or camera! The bird is a rusty pheasant, I think his tail has been buried in mulch!
I’m sure that it must have been a very pleasant moment and that these WI ladies enjoyed the visit to the garden, especially if the rain stopped. Rereading the previous post I also really liked the catkins of Salix Mount Asso
It was a really lovely afternoon Fred, especially as the rain stopped just in time. Salix Mount Asso was commented on and stroked, but he was rather wet!
The woodland is a huge improvement on brambles and nettles, it’s been a long wait for you but it’s beautiful.
I’m glad you agree Helen, it was hard work at the time, but worth it in the end. I suppose I could have done it all a lot quicker if I had bought in loads of bulbs and plants but I decided to do a lot of splitting and sprinkling seeds, so most of it didn’t cost me anything!
Gorgeous! I do love woodland areas and it seems that you have worked very hard to get to look so wonderful. You must be very pleased and of course it is good to share!
I am very pleased Gill, with how the little stretch of woodland has turned out. There are lots more little woodland ephemerals to flower yet, flowers still coming from May into June , then it goes very quiet when all the leaves are on the trees. It has a second period of interest when all the trees change colour in the autumn, no wonder it is my favourite part of the garden!
Lucky ladies! I shall go and read the post now.
Thanks Rosie, the ladies certainly seemed to enjoy it all.
The WI ladies timed it well to catch the break in the weather! They would have been happy about that too! If I had been there, I would have loved seeing all your woodland plants – it must have been hard work for you to get everything ready in the garden and also provide afternoon tea and cake. I hope you enjoyed their visit as much as they would have. Well done, Pauline, you must be feeling a great sense of achievement.
It was hard work Catherine but so well worth it! Apart from sharing it with others and seeing their enjoyment, it makes me get on with the work and try to keep to a deadline, makes a good start to the gardening year. I’m a WI member myself, so have to keep the standard of cake making up to scratch too!
Your woodland is a thing of beauty. It is a chore to remove invasives and thorny briars but well worth it.
Thanks Topdock, it was hard work, but it has turned into my favourite part of the garden and just keeps on getting better and better as the plants seed around and I split more snowdrops.
Your woodland garden looks absolutely beautiful. I wish I was one of your WI ladies ! We’re stuck in permanent rain mode here in west Wales so outdoor work is frustratingly limited .
Thank you Mary, we have had so much rain that part of the garden always seems to be under water, thank goodness this doesn’t affect the snowdrops in the woodland! It is frustrating to not be able to do the jobs that are waiting outside, but we catch up eventually.
Your woodland garden is just wonderful Pauline. I am not at all surprised it is your favourite part of the garden. I have quite a wait before my woodland garden is at this stage. Still, well worth the wait.
Thank you Denise, I’m so glad you like it, it makes me really feel that spring is on its way! I love seeing all the bulbs coming up in waves, one after the other over the period of about 5 months, I don’t think there is another area of the garden that does that. Then of course it has another session in the spotlight when the autumn tints come from the acers and other shrubs.
Glad the weather perked up in time for your visitors – will go and read the post! The weather is always a concern when you open the garden, isn’t it? Looking back, you must be so pleased with all you have achieved over the years
Yes, I am pleased with it Cathy, I could have done it quicker by throwing money at it, but took the preferred route of seeds and splitting.I was so relieved when the rain stopped on the day, but then living in this country, the weather is something we have to put up with, can’t do much about it!
I love your woodland garden. It reminds me of home when I used to be a member of the W.I. I hope your visit went well.
I’m so pleased Carole that it reminds you of home! I have been a WI member for 33yrs now, joined when I moved here and wanted to get to know people in the village, they’re a good crowd!
The woodland is looking stunning!xxx
Thanks Dina, it has improved each year as seedlings reach flowering size, must split more snowdrops so that they will form a drift.x