Purchases from Harrogate Spring Flower Show ...

Good Afternoon!

I had hoped to share this post a day or so earlier than this but due to one thing or another I haven't had the chance until now.

On Thursday I was lucky enough to visit the Harrogate Spring Flower Show, this was my first plant show as up here in the Yorkshire area there isn't that many. Today I thought I'd share with you my purchases and I surprisingly didn't buy as much as I'd thought I would ... in my next post I will share some photo's of other plants that caught my eye.

I managed to resist a few plants but these were my weakness ... AURICULAS!

The first 4 Auriculas were purchased from Drointon Nurseries which are actually located in Ripon, North Yorkshire. This isn't too far away from myself so maybe a visit to one of their open days will be on my to do list in the future!

 'Baggage' Striped Auricula

'Lord Saye-en-Sele' Striped Auricula

'Dovedale' Grey Edged Show Auricula

'Tay Tiger' Striped Auricula

I thought I was being rather well restrained just getting those 4 Auriculas, but then we came across another stall showing Auriculas and this time some doubles caught my eye! 

I purposely chose the plant with the most flower buds instead of open flowers on the following plant to prolong the flowering period for myself. As soon as it is in full bloom I will share a picture with you, trust me it is worth the wait as the petals have some lovely dusky tones! These two were purchased from W&S Lockyer.

'Nymph' Double Auricula

'Gwen Baker' Double Auricula

The blooms are a lovely yellow green shade.

Finally I also picked up this little Iris, the petals come in dusky shades of blue and brown which catch your eye right away. This was purchased from Bean Place Nursery.

Here's a snap of some in flower on a plant stand so you can see what can be expected ...

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy what is left of the weekend!

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

A Brief Pause in the Rain ...

Good Morning!

Today I thought I would share some photo's that I managed to take yesterday afternoon when the rain stopped briefly. As much as I enjoy taking photographs of plants there's something about those photo's with raindrops still on the petals that I love that little bit more ...

This little group of plants is currently sat next to my conservatory door. 

The three plants shown work well with each other as they all have the colour purple in common. The purple foliage of the Heuchera and the Primrose bring out the purple tones in the foliage of the Leucothoe.

The next pairing wasn't planned but I think it works really well together. 

The white of the 'Thalia' Daffodils and the pink of the Azalea Japonica 'Hino Crimson' provide a great contrast.

There's also been a slight change in the layout of the back garden. As you know the property I am in is currently rented so I am unable to make any dramatic changes, resulting in a large part of it being patio'd. Across this wall we originally kept the rather unsightly waste bins but I have now moved them elsewhere and positioned these pots here instead with the patio table just out of shot. A much preferable sight to sit next to in the warmer weather.

The only thing now is that I need to add giving the fence a new lick of paint to my to do list!

A close up of the feature pot in the centre, Ribes sanguineum

Erythronium Pagoda

Whilst over in the conservatory some of the Auriculas are in flower and the Echeveria Lilacina is producing it's flower shoots.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
I hope you all remembered to set your clock back an hour last night! The nights are drawing in and time in the garden is now going to be reduced, but there are still a few things you can be getting on with!

1. Ponds - Remove any dead or dying foliage on pond plants this coming week. If it is left it will rot down into the pond leading to high nitrogen levels, which can encourage blanketweed and algea next Spring. Cut back all falling stems but make sure you do not cut below the water line.
You will also need to remove any annual surface cover plants along with any fallen leaves and keep checking that the water level is at the correct height for your plants over the Winter months.

2. Planting - There's still time to get any evergreen shrubs, hedges and Spring Bedding planted into the ground.

3. Weed Seedlings- Keep on top of any weed seedlings that you spot in your garden, it's best to catch them when they're small as they are much easier to remove then.

4. Display - If you haven't done so already, make a start on your Winter Pot displays! Some bright pops of colour are most welcome in the coming months.

5. Auriculas - If like me you are growing Auriculas you will have noticed over the past few weeks that the leaves are looking a little tatty. Remove any dead or yellow leaves from the plants, make sure you remove the whole leaf from it's base. If a part is left, it can lead to problems with disease.

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist & Blooms ...

Good Morning!

Happy Weekend to you all, I am back with some things you can be getting on with in the garden this weekend ...

1. Daffodils & Tulips - The blooms are slowly starting to go over in my garden so once this happens to you it's a good idea to pick the faded flowers off. Do this by simply nipping off this flower head and this will help focus  all the plants energy back into the bulb instead of setting seed ... along with looking much tidier!

2. Delphiniums - The fresh young shoots should be putting on good growth so now is the perfect time to stake them before it's too late.

3. Sowing Seeds - This is the prime time to be getting on with your seed sowing, so don't delay much longer if you haven't started already.

4. Primroses - Once Primroses have finished flowering, why not divide them up giving yourself more plants? I will be doing this and then potting them up, which will give me extra plants for next year.

5. Summer Bulbs - Now is also the time to get bulbs such as Lillies & Gladioli planted in time for the Summer!

Finally I thought I'd leave you with a few snaps of what is looking good in my garden right now.

The Euphorbia's are looking striking with their contrast of Red & Lime in their pots ...

The Pink Wallflowers I sowed last year are starting to come into bloom...

My dark foliaged Primroses are blooming ...

Cowslips and Daffodils are looking cheery, I really like these dainty Daffs, they look much more delicate to the usual larger varieties ...

My Outdoor stand of Alpines and Primula's is providing a colourful display ...

The Azalea next to the back door has also come into flower this week with some striking pink blooms ...

And finally more of my Auricula's are starting to flower, I can't wait to see what colours the remaining 40 odd will produce!

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Full Bloom ...

Good Morning!

Just a quick post from me today, the plants I shared with you last weekend have all finally come into bloom so I thought you might like to see them. 

Incase any of you are wondering I will also be back with my 'Weekly Garden Checklist' posts from next week.

After about a fortnight of waiting the petals on my single Auricula bloom have finally fully opened. Well worth the wait!

The same can also be said for the 'Anemone - Harmony Pearl'.

The Pulmonaria is looking bright and eye-catching now too.

Oh and as soon as I published last week's post my Hellebore's also started to bloom lol

Finally I went to a Garden Centre yesterday and of course couldn't resist collecting some new additions on my way around. Well could you resist the red foliage on both the Primroses & Euphorbia's? Oh and how could anyone resist the speckling on the Hellebore petals ...

Thanks for popping by, I'l be back in a couple of days with the Checklist!

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Little Blooms ...

Good Morning!

Today I thought I'd share with you some snaps of what is in bloom at the moment, there's quite a few so I hope you are sitting comfortably!

First up are the old reliables, Primroses! Some may find them boring but they are one of my favourite flowers, with their bright cheery blooms that are good in all weather what's not to like about them. This year I seem to be drawn to the more natural yellow and white colours, although I do have a few bright colours in the front border that I planted a while back!

However you may recall I ordered 3 plug plants of the Primula 'Cobalt Blue' a few months ago, well all three have started blooming, one is adding some colour to the conservatory and the other two are planted in some Hanging Baskets.

The pot of 'Snakeshead Fritillaria' has also come into flower and as you can see I have been graced with a white bloom which I think is my favourite!

I also have my first Auricula bloom of 2015, I couldn't help but bring it inside so that I can watch it open, albeit very slowly. All I need now is the other 48 to follow suit! lol

Outside the flower bud on the Anemone 'Harmony Pearl' I bought last month is slowly starting to unfurl.

The Pulmonaria from my Parent's old garden is coming into flower, the leaves are looking a little tatty but the flowers are a good distraction!

There's also lot's of promising looking buds on the Hellebore ...

Finally over in the Greenhouse the Primula 'Gold Lace' that I divided seem to be taking well and some of them have started developing flower heads. I know I should really pinch them out to help the plant focus all it's strength on developing, but the teeny flower just looked too cute!

Thanks for stopping by, have a lovely weekend!

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX