Six on Saturday 01/05/21

We’ve had rain! Overnight on Tuesday and for a large part of Wednesday there was glorious, steady rain. The garden looks revitalised and really happy. The double Tulips weren’t so keen and some haven’t really recovered but I guess there is always a casualty or two. If I could have one moan though, it’s still rather cool. It’s all about the Tulips in the garden at the moment but I thought I’d concentrate on other things going on in the garden this week.

• Despite the cool weather the aphids are arriving, hopefully the ladybirds won’t be too far behind.

Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’

I grow this in a pot as part of a screen and usually cut it back hard in the spring but I’ve left it to flower this year.

• While talking about bad news – I planted Clematis alpina ‘Francis Rivis’ alongside the north facing front door about thirty years ago and it has given a glorious spring display every year since, apart from the two years when I cut it back hard. I thought it was a bit late starting into growth this year but eventually a couple of shoots appeared. However, they haven’t developed at all and no more shoots have grown.

It seems so full of promise!

The green at the top of the plant is new leaves on the Birch tree in the back garden

I can’t decide whether to cut it down and see if it will come back again or dig it out and have a complete change. Hmmmmm…

• Time to leave the bad stuff and look at something more positive. I mentioned a few weeks ago that the Non-Gardener had built me a display ladder for some succulents. At the moment there are pots of spring bulbs on the treads including some Muscari

Muscari armeniacum ‘Peppermint’

Muscari latifolium ‘Grape Ice’

• I’m working through repotting the succulents to go on/around the ladder and they had a good watering in with the rain. Raindrops on Echiveria chihuahuensis ‘Raspberry Dip’ looked lovely in the sun.

• Not all Dicentras have had a name change. Dicentra eximia was beginning to flag in the dry but the recent rain has given it a new lease of life.

In another part of the garden Dicentra formosa ‘Langtrees’ lightens a shady corner

D. ‘Langtrees with Heuchera ‘Binoche’

• Just visible in the last picture are some flowers of an Epimedium. I planted it here, under a variegated Griselinia littoralis, several years ago but it gradually weakened and disappeared. I removed the Griselinia a couple of years ago and the Epimedium has reappeared. It wanders a little though.

Epimedium x warleyense ‘Orange Queen’ (I think)

As they grow well in shady areas I added an Epimedium to the Birch border last autumn. It seems to have a slightly different growth habit but has produced plenty of flowers. The horizontal stems (?) have grown since I planted it. Should I cover them?

Epimedium x perralchicum

Time to get outside but I’ll be catching up with the other Sixers at https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/ later. Thank you for reading and have a good weekend