29 March 2012
Jubilee Planting in Grantham
Last week, The Diamond Grove in Queen Elizabeth Park, Grantham was the setting for a mass snowdrop planting by school children. We donated snowdrops along with Little Ponton Hall and Belton House. Snowdrops were lifted from here, some of the bulbs returned to the holes and the rest went off to their new home. We look forward to seeing some pictures next year.
12 March 2012
March at Easton comes in like a lion….
Last week the winds picked up and typical March weather had arrived. Small bulbs were unaffected by it and made brave showings in the cedar meadow. Coming out now to join the crocuses are Chionodoxa in blues, pinks and white.
New daffodils are showing through every day including the Tenby daffodil (Narcissus obvallaris) (below) and, on the snowdrop bank, an old survivor from pre-restoration, sometimes known as ‘Queen Anne’s Double’. The flowers are stuffed with petals that threaten to bring the whole stem down.
On sunny days (like yesterday) we spot frogs in the ditch below the snowdrop bank. The weather was so fine that they ignored us to enjoy the heat and were splashing and croaking in the puddles. The grey wagtail has returned to the river where we can watch his bobbing flight with ease.
The hellebores are at their best now. Most of our hellebores are in the woodland walk where they blend with hyacinths, dogs mercury and golden feverfew. An unusual combination of plants that is well worth seeing.
New daffodils are showing through every day including the Tenby daffodil (Narcissus obvallaris) (below) and, on the snowdrop bank, an old survivor from pre-restoration, sometimes known as ‘Queen Anne’s Double’. The flowers are stuffed with petals that threaten to bring the whole stem down.
On sunny days (like yesterday) we spot frogs in the ditch below the snowdrop bank. The weather was so fine that they ignored us to enjoy the heat and were splashing and croaking in the puddles. The grey wagtail has returned to the river where we can watch his bobbing flight with ease.
The hellebores are at their best now. Most of our hellebores are in the woodland walk where they blend with hyacinths, dogs mercury and golden feverfew. An unusual combination of plants that is well worth seeing.
5 March 2012
Heaven Scent
Flowering out in the garden today is our wild violet. They are on a gentle slope of rough limestony ground which the rabbits graze a bit. This image below shows them flowering with cowslips. It gives you an idea of the tiny scale of these ground hugging plants. The scent is completely out of proportion to their size. They outsmell all other plants in early spring. A siren call to any insects on the wing on sunny days.
In my kitchen this tiny bunch will scent the whole room for 24 hours.
I have noticed the pollen coming off the Yew trees in great clouds for the first time today. Hay Fever sufferers are often confused by their first attack at this time of year. The Yew tree may be the culprit. When the trees in the Yew Tunne really get going it looks like great clouds of smoke coming out of the centre.
In my kitchen this tiny bunch will scent the whole room for 24 hours.
I have noticed the pollen coming off the Yew trees in great clouds for the first time today. Hay Fever sufferers are often confused by their first attack at this time of year. The Yew tree may be the culprit. When the trees in the Yew Tunne really get going it looks like great clouds of smoke coming out of the centre.
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