This week has been a bit cooler and I might have expected the precocious spring to be put on hold. Not a bit of it, buds are swelling, in some cases breaking and there’s a sense that we’re into the growing season proper, leaving behind the usual early performers.
One.
Scilla luciliae. These are spreading nicely, including into the gravel path. Fine by me, they can spread where they like.
Two.
Oh dear. When I planted this Hepatica a long time ago I judged it to be at a safe distance from the bamboo. Once the bamboo had overrun it there was nothing I could do, there was no way of digging it out without chopping it to bits. I expected it to succumb quickly but it hasn’t. Even after about five years among the canes I wouldn’t say it was happy but it’s doing OK. I should remove the ivy though.
Three.
Primula ‘Bellarina Pink Ice’. I have several double primroses and even though this is probably the best performer I think I like it the least. It seems that the line between delicate and wishy washy is a fine one, with this on the wrong side of it.
Four.
Dicentra formosa ‘Langtrees’ or some such. This will have white flowers in a few weeks time and will carry on for much of the summer. Even so, I think it’s at its best right now, with the new leaves at the point of making a solid carpet.
Five.
Unfurling Ferns. I have new growth all over the place on my ferns and I haven’t cut off any of the old leaves yet. When I first planted Paesia it struggled to survive the winters, in fact I almost lost it the first year and had to replace it with a pot grown backup a couple of years after that. Now it stays green all winter and cutting the old leaves without damaging the new is tricky. The other one is Polystichum polyblepharum, or Polly Polly if you prefer.
Six.
I can’t believe I’ve never put Corydalis cheilanthifolia into a six before now. It’s one of my absolute favourite self seeders. I almost never seem to have to weed it out and if I do it’s the easiest thing to pull out. It nearly didn’t make it this time either because I spotted the red Corydalis solida at the last minute. Pathetic little thing, I doubt it’s two inches tall. It’s too small to feature on its own, it can ride pillion with the other one.
Right, I need to go and do some gardening before the next lot of rain. Seeds to sow, things to dig up, things to plant. Pricking off, potting up, potting on. It’s all on the to do list. I’ve pricked off the onions, tick. Dig up hydrangea is next. Oh, nearly forgot, read a zillion sixes, courtesy The Propagator.
garden ruminations 
Hepatica is on my wish list, I have tried in the past and failed, will definitely try again. I had forgotten about Langtrees, great photo, such wonderful foliage. Ferns unfurling are always a joy, even though I can never remember their names, Polly Polly sounds good to me. 🙂
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“Polly Polly” was an Architectural Plants’ism. I need something similar for all the other ferns.
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I like that Scilla. Must give my peruvianas a pep talk – I did poke around a bit (as they’re in gravel it’s easy) and there are lovely strong shoots but they’re still an inch underground. I also like your Corydalis solida which is now on my want list. Nowt wrong with being short, like my “Beth Evans”.
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I planted what I think is Scilla peruviana two years ago but it didn’t flower. The leaves were up back in October, no sign of flower, not that I’ve looked lately. I have Corydalis solidarity seed sown, I’ll be astonished if it germinates.
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Does Scilla really spread a lot in your driveway? a bit like muscari? I like it and I would be tempted to plant some bulbs along my gravel driveway.
Very beautiful pictures of unfurling ferns.
About your dicentra, I’m surprised to see so many leaves! As this is the same family as dicentra/lamprocapnos spectabilis,I can compare with mine because they are just poking their nose out right now.
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The Scilla has been multiplying in the bed where it was planted, making a bigger clump slowly. Now it seems to have gone up a gear and is coming up further away, including the gravel path. My Lamprocapnos spectabilis is up a couple of cms at most.
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so you cheated with the zoom lens 😂😁
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Cheated? I call it artistic licence.
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…. sometimes I do it too… 😄🤫
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My favorite this week is the B Pink Ice Primula! Love that!!!!! I wish I had those ferns too!
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I had to look up Corydalis cheilanthifolia. It looks like a small fern that is littered with tiny yellow flowers from above. I am not familiar with it.
What is kitty so angry about?
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Kitty is trying to look fierce, isn’t it working?
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Oh, yes. I would not mess with that kitty.
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The scilla is so pretty. I’ve had no luck growing it at all, the several times I’ve tried. If it would grow, I’d be thrilled to let it take over!
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I guess that when it comes to things spreading naturally it’s all down to whether the conditions suit the plant. There really is nothing that the gardener can do. It’s a narrow window with a lot of things.
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I love the double pink/white Primula and made a note of the name. Unfurling ferns is an ideal photographic opportunity, something I can never get tired of taking pictures.
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I’ve taken many an emerging fern photo but very few that I’ve been proud of. They’re a challenge.
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The Scilla luciliae is very attractive. May have to go in search of some, especially if it spreads.
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“They” did a big name change thing and lumped Chionodoxa into Scilla a bit back. When I was trying to make sense of that I’m not sure that I didn’t conclude that my S. luciliae was S. forbesii. I need to revisit it all so I can forget it again.
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Both of the Corydalis are beautiful. My garden came with C. Lutea and not a lot else. I’ve been trying to keep on top of it ever since. It’s not the most desirable variety, to put it mildly
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C. lutea is a classic example of something to be enjoyed in someone else’s garden. My equivalent bête noir is Welsh poppy.
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But what is the lovely camelia at the end? I too enjoyed the scilla and although I’m a p.vulgaris fan I found myself enjoying belarina pink ice. By pricking out your onions do you mean out into the ground? Mine have roots coming through and green shoots – time to move them on?
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The Camellia is ‘Annette Carol’. You may not have seen my blog about my camellias a couple of weeks back. I manage to sneak the odd one in between the Saturday outings. https://wp.me/p6bCCa-1Mk Matter of fact, your question about pricking out onions made me think I could do one about my seed sowing habits. The onions were sown in a small pot and the seedlings pricked off into cell trays of the 20 cells to a standard half seed-tray size. They’ll get planted out when they’re well rooted and 4-6 inches tall.
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I have Primula Ballerina Pink Ice. Fantastic plant. Also I have a hepatica just about to flower but it is struggling. What soil mix do you recommend Jim?
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They’re shade loving woodlanders so a nice loose organic rich but alkaline mix. Under my bamboo in a deep layer of leaf litter seems to suit it surprisingly well, probably a bit too dry in summer though.
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Lovely primrose and spectacular camelia!
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Camellia ‘Annette Carol’, long been a favourite of mine.
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Fab six there Jim, trust you had a productive gardening weekend. That poor imprisoned hepatica! I have one which is trapped by helenium last year, a bit easier to resolve, I just dug it up and moved it.
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I did have a productive weekend though there was no pleasure in being outdoors today. A fitting day for removal of masses of hybrid bluebells and a big clump of Zingiber.
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I thought your puss was an owl for a minute. Pretty Primula and lovely Scilla – I have some but they are not clumping up yet.
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IT’s strange you say: Primula ‘Bellarina Pink Ice’. I have several double primroses and even though this is probably the best performer I think I like it the least. It seems that the line between delicate and wishy washy is a fine one, with this on the wrong side of it.
I absolutely love it! It is so different from all the other primroses I’ve seen on my virtual garden tours. It’s quirky and unusual 🙂
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You’re not the first to come to it’s defence.the others are slowly coming into flower, I’ll do a montage and see which ones people like best.
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