A beautiful tulip for March

Tulipa neustruevae and chionodoxa at Easton

Not a good beginning for a bulb, to have an unwritable and unpronounceable name. This is a survivor though and worth a mention for any garden. I was given this bulb along with a host of others, by Johnny Walkers Bulbs  (superbly successful gold medal winners) to trial in the gardens. Last year I noticed it had made a good clump and rashly divided it in the green, that is, just after it had flowered.
In spite of this, every bulb has flowered and I have introduced it into short grassland where it looks as happy in the sunshine as the shaded border it came from. For us, a tulip that not only survives but actually bulks up is a wonder. It has a great deal of charm particularly amongst other early tulips which seem too large for their short stems. This is gracefully tall (15cms) and with a flower reminiscent of the fading crocuses around it.

Identifying this bulb is not easy. It came to us as Tulipa neustruevae 'February Gold' but I cannot find a mention of named varieties. On the internet, some agree with the look of my bulbs, yellow on tall brown stems with brown colouration on outside of the petals, but others opt for pure yellow, floppy stems etc. It is undoubtedly closely related to Tulipa dasystemon syn. T.tarda but comes from lower down the slopes of its native Tien Shan (more of which to follow.) An Australian nursery catalogue suggests that it likes dry acid sandy soil in warmer areas. We have cold alkaline soil but it is dry and free draining.

Now, this description of plant places of origin. It's all very well saying it comes from the Western Tien Shan in Central Asia but so do circuses, wars and sometimes, Michael Palin, so it's not very helpful. I  look up Tien Shan and its habitats.My initial research takes me to Wikipedia where I can just about work out from all the geographical data that the Tien or Tian Shan is a huge mountain range covering 6 or 7 countries. Not much information there for the gardener except this little nugget - the lower slopes of the Tien Shan contain forests of wild walnuts and apples. How evocative. Immediately I get a better picture of where my little tulip might grow. Lower mountain slopes, probably shortish on soil and by the forebears of trees that grow in my garden. A little more delving around a travel site reveals that it is full of 'warm-hearted locals,' alpine lakes and canyons.

There is plenty more research to do but by now I am really taken with this little fellow who may grow along alpine passes crossed by smiling nomads. I plan to spread him through the gardens under the walnuts and the new apple orchard we plant this autumn.

Sources for this bulb include Broadleigh bulbs and Pottertons Nurseries.

Tasty Tuesday

Our first harvest of the year. Rhubarb and berry tarts will soon be heading for the pub.

The Coach House

Our newly renovated Coach House. When we first moved here the roof of this building had collapsed and an ash tree was growing out of the floor above this picture. Now it is available for family celebrations and meetings.

Before (1995)

After (February 2011)

Our first event held here two weeks ago was the Lincolnshire Gardens Trust annual lecture which seems more than appropriate. They have supported us since the beginning of this restoration and Steffie Shields gave a great talk followed by tea in the gardens.

For more information and images on the opportunities available to hire this space please see our webpages. The Coach House

Spring at Easton

March, April and May. The days just get better. The gardens are full of Spring flowers AND there is still the feeling of anticipation for the warmth and big flowers of summer. Our meadows are filling with a succession of daffodils, from our native varieties right through to the pheasants eye narcissus at the end of the season. Around the fringes of our cultivations are wild flowers providing early nectar for queen bumblebees and a food source for larvae.

This year is a good violet year. Dark purple, lilac and white wild violets edge the woodland walk and clumps of violet draw your eye on the snowdrop bank.



The marsh marigold. Introduced by us from a wild form further up in the gardens, it is flourishing in the ditch on the snowdrop bank.



Native ladybirds. When the big brute of an american ladybird arrived here we thought it was curtains for these little fellows but they seem much better adapted to our climate than their cousins and continue to flourish.Now they are coming out of hibernation.

At this time of year even a glimmer of sunshine is enough to take me outside to weed, if its too cold to work for long there is always pricking out in the greenhouse.

The Queen and the Crocus

An early and very hungry queen bumblebee covered in pollen from Crocus tommasianus in the Cottage Garden.

Snowdrops Facts

woodland walk in February

I have been outside on a cold grey day to see check on our snowdrops. At this time of year I get twitchy about their progress and watch weather forecasts, hoping that they will peak when our visitors arrive in mid-february. Their noses are poking through and, in some cases, the flowers are showing. Here is some snowdrop miscellany accompanied by pictures of our snowdrops:




According to the old proverb "The snowdrop in purest white array, first rears her head on Candlemas Day." (2 February)

 

Galanthus nivalis

 There are 18-19 species of Snowdrops (Galanthus) and more than 500 named varieties.

 The Species name Galanthus comes from the Greek: 'Gala' meaning milk and 'Anthos' meaning flower.

In the 19 century, a Dr. Prior wrote that the common name cannot mean snowdrop since 'snow is a dry powdery substance that cannot form a drop.' (I suspect the good doctor was also a train spotter in his spare time) It is more likely the name comes from the pearl drop earrings worn by women in the 16th and 17th centuries, as in the painting 'The Girl with the Pearl Earring'

The flower is formed in the bulb the previous March and waits nearly a whole year before pushing through the soil.

The best way to divide snowdrops is to lift a group every second year, split all the bulbs and then plant them separately with a pinch of bonemeal in the hole.

On a sunny day, snowdrops are highly scented and give off a honey smell. If you have enough plants the perfume will fill the garden.

Cedar meadow

Snowdrops contain their own anti-freeze. They were harvested during the First World War to make anti-freeze for tanks.

Snowdrop collectors and enthusiasts are called 'Galanthophiles' not to be confused with Snowdropping which is an entirely different type of fetish (apparently.)

For more information on our open days and Jackie's talks please see our events pages. We look forward to seeing you.

With all the best

Ursula Cholmeley

Birdlife at Easton

Winter is a good time of year to watch our native birds.There are no leaves to obscure them and some of the smaller species are easier to spot. Here is a selection of images taken in the gardens over the last few years.

The chaffinch is one of our most abundant and visible birds.In the spring, he sits on a branch while we are weeding calling in a loud monotone.

An assortment of tits. Long tailed tits, great tit, blue tit and willow or marsh tit (I am not sure how to tell the difference between these two but his long shiny black cap should help an expert) We feed the birds during the winter down at the birdhide.

Goldfinches have increased noticeably in the gardens since we started 10 years ago. Here they sit on the high points of the gardens watching and chattering.In late summer, Goldfinches and Greenfinches feast on the sunflower heads in the pickery.

The pied wagtail. In the summer we see grey wagtails busy around the river.

Out in the park that surrounds the gardens are lapwings, buzzards and the french partridge. The buzzards compete with jackdaws, rooks and sometimes, red kites for the skies.

The swallow arrives in April and shown here are two fledglings on the potting shed where they hatched. When we first started reviving the gardens we were down to one pair but since then there has been a steady increase. We cut holes in the doors so they can fly in to nest and the meadows we have developed have bought in plenty of new insect life. Since 2001,we have become a stopping point for migrating swallows, house martins and swifts.