Monday 12 March 2012

Camelia flowers and other garden news.

The chamomile is looking a bit brown after the winter and I need to sprinkle some compost on to encourage side shoots of new growth. This advise was included on the information sheet that came with it, as was the fact that chamomile does not like stony ground. So why is it spreading quite happily into the stones surrounding it? Uncharacteristic and revolutionary behaviour! (And I spent hours removing stones from its little patch too!) It looks like a tiny section of Dungeness in this view from above.

I think these multi-leaved bulbs are my snake's head fritillaries-which I thought had long gone. I am quite excited that they have come back, as they are so beautiful and strange with their chequered pattern.

And here is the Camelia-the star of the garden this week. It lives in this pot because of its love of ericaceous soil, and it does very well considering. Last year there were lots of promising buds in some late winter warmth, but then a frost-or possibly even some snow, killed them off and hardly any opened. This year it has lots of flowers and shines out pinkly in the sun when it is out.
A view from behind the hedge-the jasmine, which needs pruning but which provided Cassie with a prickly seat for about twenty minutes when I was out there on Sunday! She was trying to retain her dignity but without much success. These pictures are taken using the miniaturise setting on my camera-I like the blurry look of them and the way it slightly distorts the colours.

Flower in focus, fuzzy cat.



Fuzzy flower, cat in focus.



You may be able to see that I have been digging up the path. No progress has been made since last year on how to make it into a proper path, how to mend the shed, etc etc. However, rather than waste the growing season, and all this lovely unplanted space-which will only become covered in weeds, I have decided to make a meadow of annuals. I was inspired to do so by a programme I saw a while ago with Sarah Raven, all about an ongoing campaign to reassign some public planting areas in cities as meadows, rather than either grass or bedding plants. The reason for this of course being the need to provide plants for pollinating insects. It was lovely to see these areas of pretty meadow springing up. I would love to do something like this in Forest School when I finally get it back from the clutches of the builders. In the meanwhile I will test ideas here. I have bought some annual seed mixes and am going to start sewing soon. If you sew seeds in cycles the flowering is prolonged. I really do not know if it will work but it is worth a try!

7 comments:

Jenny Woolf said...

Camellias always seem such incredibly exotic flowers to have in cold spring and even winter days. Love these pics!

AML said...

nice camellia flower. it is awesome? those flowers are hard to find nowadays in our area...

kendalee said...

A little meadow in your back garden? How lovely!!! definitely worth a try :)

Gorgeous Camelia and I bet that jasmine smells incredible when it flowers? One of my favourite scents.

jabblog said...

You have done so well with your chamomile. It's lovely to see the garden come back to life as the days get longer. Our camellia is full of blooms, too and I keep sniffing the flowers in hopes of scent - daft, I know!

Tracy said...

LOVELY camellias, Sarah... that bright pink is just gorgeous! We are just beginning to see some signs of spring here, and some of our crocuses are in bloom now--spring not far off! I've had a window in the studio open today for some fresh breeze...aaahhh... I've not made any plans for the garden this year. With the past two summer rather dull and often wet here, I've been losing my garden mojo! Look forward to seeing your space grow. :o) Happy Day ((HUGS))

Helen McCookerybook said...

Yay! Snakes Head Fritillaries! the only tartan plant in the Universe!

Diane Rooney said...

Hi Sarah! What a delight to hear from you. And thank you for your insight into my situation. I love your photos and all the new growth! A wonderful time of the year. I noticed the magnolia budding while in my sisters garden earlier. It was inspiring as I'd just been crying about my website lol but realised it was time for something new!! Thanks again for stopping by!! Xxx