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My spring flowers are nearly-but-not-quite done, yet summer friends are fronding & budding, vining & fruiting.
1. Woody the Wonder Fern
A few weeks ago, my woodwardia's new fronds were being snapped off by birds.
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| At least I'm fairly sure it was birds. |
So I staked a folded bit of chicken wire on top & now . . .
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| Frond heaven. |
2. Clematis Taiga
Last year, Taiga first featured in a coupla SoS gardens, then later in an end of season sale. Now, it's mine.
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| We have 2 buds! |
I've tried on & off for 5 years to propagate Scottish flame flower from seed, but with zilcho luck. This year I admitted defeat & ordered a plant, expecting something small I could stick into one of my tree pots.
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| For scale, Mlle DoodleFace measuring at 24". |
Lucky for wean Flame, the cucumelon tubers didn't sprout, so the mattress spring is free.
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| And it's off! |
I'd intended to separate the vine from her wigwam & train her into an orderly spread across the springs, but her little tendrils grip the wigwam poles like death.
She promises to be the plant you write horror stories about.
4. Gillenia.
This beauty spent last year in a pot & I was slightly worried how she would take to planting. Well, she's in bud! Hard to see, but there they are at the very tip of the branch - tiny red buds.
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| Tiny but mighty. |
This is such a beautiful yet low maintenance shrub, everyone with a bit of shade should have one.
6. Pears!
We've been through a lot, ole Louis Bonne & myself, but for the 2nd year, we have pears. The nursery said there has to be two trees for this to happen, but I've yet to meet Louise' elusive lover. I suspect she's got a bit of a past.
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| Behind the valerian bloom, a baby pear. |
There's my #SixOnSaturday.
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#SixOnSaturday is hosted by Mr Prop who this week features plants that are all 18 months or younger. His unknown foxglove has 7 flower spikes - an Incredible Pink Hulk.
Be sure to check out his comment section where Sixers from all across the world post links to their #Six.
And if you want to give us a peek into your garden, there's even a Participant's Guide .
Thanks for dropping by!
The bed springs climbing frame is ingenious! Good luck with the new Scottish flame flower. My mum has a flame creeper that sounds like it's a bit fussy about where it will grow. Looks lovely though.
ReplyDeleteAfter trying for so long, I'm hoping it'll survive my tender mercies. They have the odd preference of their roots in shade, their leaves in sun, so are typically grown up an evergreen shrub - my only evergreen is smaller than it is. I've left it in a pot nestled inside some wild-city Japanese anemones in the hope its roots'll be happy.
DeleteMe thinks the birds have been framed. I needed to look up the Scottish flame flower and it's gorgeous. I do hope yours decides to stay and thrive!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Chicu. After all these years, I'd love to actually have a flame in my garden. As to the broken woodwardia fronds, the birds are looking for a good lawyer, if you'd like to take on their case.
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ReplyDeleteI think the bed spring climbing frame is genius as well!
DeleteIt works really well & then rolls up for storage in the winter. We stripped an old mattress, then cut the springs in half, like slicing bread, so we ended up w/2 mattress springs the size of the mattress. I thought I'd get cut to bits on it, but the cut bits curl inward. Last year, I picked cucumelons off it every morning & never once got scratched.
Deleteor broken by a cat's paw ... in any case, it was worth the wait and protect your fern!
ReplyDeleteHere too, the cucamelons didn't come back. I'm going to sow them again, I guess
I've dithered about getting cucumelon - there's still so much to do but I really enjoyed eating them off the vine. Ah me . . . will you grow from seed?
DeleteYes maybe. Eating them fresh is fun but I prefer them in vinegar like pickles. I'll see if I sow them because I'll also have little spicky cucumbers (seeds of Martinique) and it looks alike.
DeleteIt's going to be hard resisting Gillenia next time I see one for sale, that new growth is lovely, I hadn't realised they had such good foliage.
ReplyDeleteMine died completely back like a peony, then sent up its red zombie hands out of the dirt, ultimately transforming into what you see above & then soon soon soon those sweet pink flowers . . . o my, why wouldn't you have one already, Jim?
DeleteI will eagerly watch for the progress of your flame flower. Mini fruit always makes me smile, and you have a beauty of a pear, Lora.
ReplyDeleteIf you like the pear, you should see my baby plums! Just hope they escape the notice of our local corvids.
DeleteLove the bedspring climbing frame. Genius! I too have a Gillenia, but I only bought it this year as a small plant, I shall have a look tomorrow and see if it is growing. I shall look forward to seeing the flame flower, sounds so exotic.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first ever gillenia which I got last year, so I haven't a clue if there are variations - there always are, aren't there? Anyway, if yours is like mine, it's sure to bring you pleasure at every growth cycle change. As I said to Jim, mine died back, so it gives a life to death display every year. I hope the flame flower does its thing. I've only ever seen them grow through shrubs or trees, but a trellis will probably suffice. I hope!
Delete'A bit of a past!'. Funny.
ReplyDeleteWait until your kids start dating.
DeleteLove the bed springs and they really suit that plant.
ReplyDeleteI had cucamelon on it last year & it made them so easy to pick. The flame flower has raced across it since last week. It must like its new home.
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