Magnolia 'Raspberry Ice'

In the front garden this morning.

Magnolia 'Raspberry Ice'

Click to embiggen.

Spring is sprung

I can't believe my last post on this blog was back in October last year.  It's been a long and, at times, difficult Winter.  Maria's been ill, and with that and work pressures I've not felt up to blogging.  But that's hopefully behind us now and it's time to start again - even if it's just a short post.

With the lighter evenings I've been able to get into the garden to begin the process of a very necessary clean up.  It's mostly cosmetic but I've had to start the process of removing my large - and spreading - Chilean bamboo, Chusquea culeou.  By spreading I don't mean invasive.  It is a tight clumper.  But it's still capable of expanding it's girth by 30cm / 1ft or more a year.  In my small garden that's become too much - so it's going.  The space will open up the west side of the rear garden and allow me to grow a wider range of plants.

Which means I'll be buying - always one of the enjoyable bits.  Not that I ever really stop.  Even in a small garden there is always room for plants that fit into the bare earth available at this time of year.

I always pot up a few bulbs in Autumn so that they can be planted out when I can see a space.  Here's a couple that have flowered recently.

Crocus chrysanthus 'Dorothy'

Tulipa humilis 'Persian Pearl'

Little things - but pretty at a time of year when things are a bit bare and bleak.

I've got quite a few primula and polyanthus scattered around the plot but I couldn't resist adding a couple of Primula elatior hybrids, a gold and silver laced variety respectively.  They're pretty little toys - but I prefer them to their blowsier cousins.

Primula elatior 'Victoriana Gold Lace'

Primula elatior 'Little Queen'

More recently - OK, yesterday - I chanced on a pot of Ipheion uniflorum 'Jessie' in a local nursery. I'm not a great fan of the species but this variety is gorgeous.  A true blue, long flowering and far less invasive than the type, I'll find a suitable corner and cherish it.

Ipheion uniflorum 'Jessie'

Meanwhile the garden is looking quite reasonable.  The winter has been fairly mild and 5 of my 6 camellias are in full flower (C.sasanqua flowers in Autumn), rosemary, Hebe macrocarpa var. latisepala and Chasmanthe bicolor are all flowering well, and a window box of pansies is providing bright colour in front of the kitchen window.  Best of all, my Beschorneria yuccoides is flowering. This produces a monumental flower spike - 3 ft / 90cm tall at the moment but it should reach 6-8ft / 180-240cm.  And all clad in shocking pink.  I'll record the progress of the spike for a future post.

There are a lot of plants enjoying the warmth indoors at the moment.  Among my favourites is Aeonium 'Kiwi', a pretty little branching succulent with variegated red, yellow and green leaves. Obtained as a tiny rooted cutting last year, it's come on well over the winter and now looks like this.

Aeonium 'Kiwi'

I'll try and blog more regularly from now on - but no promises.  Life is rather full of competing demands on my time.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day October 2014

October 15th 2014 has rolled around damp and disgusting in my small Plymouth garden.  Not conducive to getting out and certainly not suitable for photography.  So it's a quick in and out session to see what's flowering and then relying on older photos to give you a flavour.

We're running against the back end of the year so only one or two new plants.  Most are hangovers from previous months.  Having said that it's still mild enough to leave a good few in flower.

Fuchsias - at least the species fuchsias - seem made for autumn.  I have a problem with thrips in the summer and my Fuchsia do seem to prefer the cooler weather to flower well.

Fuchsia magellanica var. molinae (previously alba) is a case in point.  It's a fairly hardy small tree when allowed to grow but, as I don't have the room, I have to keep it cut back to a twiggy shrub.  Small flowers but very pretty, with a delicacy that isn't always present in the larger cousins.

Fuchsia magellanica var. molinae

Fuchsia splendens 'Karl Hartweg' is, as I've said before, supposed to be tender.  Down here it acts as a woody perennial and reaches its peak in the autumn.  The rootstock must be pretty large by now to sustain 6-8ft / 189 - 240cm of annual growth before frost cuts it back.

Fuchsia splendens 'Karl Hartweg'

Also in good flower are the yellow foliaged Fuchsia 'Genii' and the old favourite 'Mrs Popple'.  Fuchsia boliviensis alba is putting out buds but isn't yet in flower.  Thrips again.

On the shed wall Clematis cirrhosa 'Freckles' is once again putting out an autumn display.  I still can't detect the alleged scent!

Clematis cirrhosa 'Freckles'

I've been lucky enough to keep the definitely tender Tibouchina organensis going for the last three winters by tucking it hard against my south facing house wall and, when needed, covering it in fleece.  It's now paying back with the lovely purple flowers erupting from red buds.  Great in a cold conservatory where it would flower all winter - but mine will keep going till the frosts.

Tibouchina organensis

My two Abutilons, 'Waltz' and 'Patrick Synge' are still in flower, as are my passion flower and 'Graham Thomas' rose.  Ceratostigma willmottianum is still producing it's powder blue flowers, while in the little shade house both Streptocarpus 'Blue Harlequin' and my Christmas cactus are currently flowering.  They'll have to come in soon - but it's still warm enough to keep them outside, albeit undercover.

Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera buckleyi

Finally I have a patch of bright orange in the rear garden.  Purple leaved Canna 'Wyoming' has flowered.  I won't show the foliage - it's impressive more for the slug holes in the leaves than their size and grandeur - but I will show the flower.  Exotic October colour indeed.

Canna 'Wyoming'

As ever, my thanks to May Dreams Gardens for hosting the Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day meme.  Head over there to see what's flowering in many more gardens round the world.