By special request (part 2)

Hi lincolnitess, how did you cope being out of commission all winter? That's the worst time! You must be busy trying to catch up! My spirits were revived today too after haveing a freezing cold day yesterday, it was only 4C, (40F), with wind chill of -3C!

The sun shone most of the day today although it was only 7C (45F), with very little wind it felt good and I managed to get some more cleaning up done. The dahlia bed is now nearly done, the soil with the broken down compost is good enough to eat! I had to tread down many mole runs as usual, but the soil is so friable and had few weeds, it was only a matter of clearing up some leaves and dead dahlia stems. It is a pleasure to do!

My black gold,

The Primulas I grew from seed off P x bulleesiana, and turned out crossed with others I have, are still flowering their hearts out. They have been flowering for weeks, strong winds, sleet showers, nothing fazes them!

They looked so pretty this afternoon with the late afternoon sun shining through them I had to wash my hands and grab the camera! The largest mounds are probably aproaching a foot across, I can't believe how robust they are. The largest flowers are easy 2" across.

This is not the best of pics, but shows the size, and my garden clog!

Those primula are amazing! I soooo wish the large flowered types would do well here. I love the way you have them dotted through the bed :)

Neal, the large flowered types don't do well here either, these are a super hybrid! I think they have crossed with an old type I have which is fairly large in habit but the flowers are not like the modern hybrid. The fowers on the parent were a yellow with bronze tint, and a candelabra. Some of the colours I can see in a bright red Polyanthus I have, and a couple of scrappy primroses that just survive.

They got dotted aorund because I couldn't find anywhere to put them, I had a shrub where the peonies are now but took it out. Many of my plantings are just accidental!

Well - those are gorgeous accidents Wallaby! And gorgeous primulas.

I'm gonna have to do a walkaround tomorrow. My crocus & iris reticulata are
in full bloom. The primulas have to be coming out soon too.

Tam

Those are gorgeous, Wallaby!!!

I have 6 pots full of primrose seed I wintersowed with nary a sprout coming up! I'm sure they're all dead and I'll have to start over now. I do have 24 plants that I started from seed right before Christmas and planted out a couple days ago. I also have 6 other plants under lights that need to be brought out, hardened off, and planted out. BUT I wanted 1000s, okay 100s, but not a lousy 30! I love these!

Suzy

Janet, Your primroses are really lovely, my favorite flower of all time are the pale yellow ones we use to see growing wild in the woods when we were kids.

Your primulas are wonderful Janet. I've given up on them here. Winter wasreally the perfect time for me to be out of commission. Here in Nebraska we can't do anything outside in the winter except shovel snow and build snow men. . This would be the time I would not be able to stand not being outdoors. So much clean up work to do in the next few weeks.
susan

I'm extremely happy with the primulas! I have bought seed more than once only to find it hasn't grown, but my own fresh seed did, late autumn sowing to early winter I think is best. Suzy you have done OK!

I got a mix of candelabras from an ebay seller I thought would have good seed, but none grew and I wanted lots! I may just take some divisions off mine if I want some in other places, at least I know they do well.

Tam what sort of Primulas do you have? I have tried others but many seem to die, one was a red variety of a yellow one, I think P florindae, I tried P marginata seed which didn't grow, P capitata ssp mooreana which grew well, flowered and completely disappeared over winter!

Vi I had some lovely yellow ones with a bronze tint that I grew from seed off one that was already here, it looked like a Wanda hybrid, and they seemed to do OK but not as well as these. They got dug up, grrr, never let a male dig unattended! I loved the subtle shades, some Wanda hybrids do keep returning and are perhaps a good cross pollinator.

Susan, I hope your weather is treating you better than ours is at the moment, I have made good progress but the weather just isn't behaving itself, dull, windy, cold! I'm just not getting the days I need to do all I want to do!

Can you all see my Pheasant visitor in the shrubs? I took it on zoom through the kitchen window, then went close and it was sitting under the hedge, but it ran off when it saw me. They come into the garden sometimes, they are bred for shooting but I haven't seen a shooting party for a long time, just as well!

Janet/Wallaby - nothing blooming yet (did the walkabout today) but I have denticulata & japonica that are
happiest. And veris, juliana & scotia too. And some not quite as happy auriculata. Probably others too -
not sure what's survived. Tried a variety from seed and from NARGS sales.

Here's the japonicas from a few years ago. I've got them all along the spring/pond beds now. Very happy.
Tam

That's the type of candelabra Primulas I would like to have! They do like it quite moist though, the only place I could put any now would be the drain, and the water level in that is high so they would get drowned. Under the conker tree is too dry for summer.

I have hopes of building a pond, it would have to go in front of the middle small bed with campanula etc. I have Hemerocallis in pots waiting, plus a few other things.

I don't think I've shown this shot, looking across the Campanulas to the Dahlia bed, 6th July last year. The Delphiniums fill in until the species dahlias flower, the dwarf Dahlias around the edges start earlier.

Janet, your garden should be in gardening magazines.

I don't recall the rules about mailing seeds to the UK but I do have seeds Janet.
Let me know if you want some. They definitely love the moist cool sunny conditions
along my spring. When I put the bid in on this property I dreamed of the primulas
I could grow by the spring. It was the first flower bed I put in.
Tam

Thanks Vi, but I don't think I would want the camera crew and all the bother! Besides, we have DG! Now if they were willing to give me a good amount of money for the privilege, to spend on the garden.......

Tam, I would love some seeds, thanks, fresh seed always grows! They would be best sown later in the year now, December I have sown others but could try some in a shady spot in the greenhouse now, night temps are low. No problem with seeds to here! I'll dmail you my address.


The yellow asiatic lilies in the last pic, Dahlia Bishop's Children foliage in front.

I've not been keeping up on my threads the last week or two, but just now enjoyed all the photos of your gorgeous yard - such a delight!

Well here's something which always gives me a lot of pleasure, some of the many self set pansy/viola crosses which give an amazing array of colour every year.

I have grown a few from seed some years ago, bought a tray of half dead ones from a supermarket, and had self set wild heartsease. All of these keep making beautiful crosses, some grow large like the heartsease but with stronger foliage.

This is at the bottom of the red lily bed, around the Nectarine tree, they never fail to make a good show. You can see some in the rose bed behind, it also has some large and bushy plants but with small flowers.

just wonderful!!!

;)

Susan

I had a nearly black one once, it keeps showing up in crosses. They are mainly on the bank behind the bath tub, this one flowered forever. The flowers ahve a velvety sheen.

See the looping striations.

This was probaby the parent, end of May 05.

The red influence probably cam from the one in this pic behind the aquilegia, 27th May 05.

That is the parent of all those self set aquilegias!

Beautiful flowers and so are the photos. You make me green with envy everytime I see one of your pictures.

wallaby sure have been enjoying your photos. Wonderful show of pansy/violas

Donna

Glad you like them!

My Mallard ducks have returned, these come every year and sit on the grass. They swim in the water drain, and seem to feed on old acorns from the bottom. Last year I had another pair as well, both males, one was a farm yard white duck!

You can see the old fashioned primroses, the row isn't as good as it was. The last two summers have been too dry but they have self set, one's yellow.

A little later they were having a sleep by the water, I took this from upstairs.

I couldn't see the female until I went back to have another look, I took the pics on zoom then cropped. He was preening his feathers, I got him wagging his tail feathers! She's well camouflaged!

I was looking all over that picture for the female. LOL I finally found her. She sure is camouflaged.
Good pictures. : )
~Lucy

Awwhhh... what a happy couple. Do they ever raise any babies at your place?
Tam

I really do like the dark pansies. How cool is it, that you keep getting great crosses. You must have found the perfect spot for them because they certainly have grown big.
toofew

Yes BlueGlancer, well camouflaged, and that is a close up!

Tam, I have seen some babies once, another time there was a lost baby, only a hatchling, cheeping and running around. No sign of the family so I called the RSPCA, they take them to a rescue centre with others. They adopt you very quickly and snuggle, difficult to give them up!

toofew, it is great to have the pansies set around, I think the crossing with the wild ones make them such big growers, and they have the long flowering of hybrids. I've never had very good plants from growing hybrids.

I also had a red-legged Partridge going past the window a few days ago, I posted this on the bird forum. They are rarely seen, and of course bred for hunting, shame.

My Narcissus Thalia is in bloom now, they are in the bed with Delphinium, you can see the Aquilegias growing too.

Your photos wonderful as usual. Loved your pair of Mallards and the Red Legged Partridge. Don't think I haave any Thalia any more, they are so pretty.

Donna

Now for some artistic pleasure!

I shot some pics last night as it was getting dark, if you point the camera to the sky there is enough light to stop the flash from going off and still make a good picture. Many were crisp, but I really like this one of Narcissus Sealing Wax. It has a soft effect, rather like a watercolour.

Thanks Donna, Thalia have increased well for me but were slow for a start. Perhaps the compost mulch that was put on the bed a few years ago helped them, it helps everything!

Another to the sky shot of a Primula denticulata which I got reduced from a supermarket, it was a large and lush plant so I risked it. This is it's second year and it's still around!

You can see theTrachycarpus fotuneii palm fronds behind.

Those are beautiful and amazing shots Janet! Sealing Wax is stunning, and I love the clumps of Thalia. A big patch of what I thought were Thalia started blooming here today, and turns out they have doubled cups. I have to look it up, but it is a sport of Thalia. These were from my childhood garden, so I was surprised to see the doubled ones had not reverted.

Thanks Neal! Were the Thalia doubles just sports from your own, or were they sold as another name? I'd love to see a pic.

How about this for atmosphere? It was Sunday night, the sun setting was deep red but it didn't come out that way. This view was from my lounge window, but I went outside to take the pic on zoom. It's looking through a hay shelter, there's the backside of a horse in it.

I went over the road and took some more over the gate at the side, the red came out as the sun got lower. The horse said nay.

Oh, lovely sunset....

When more blossoms open I'll get some pics of that sport of Thalia. I purchased it years ago and read that it was a sport, but having just done some searching I am finding nothing so far. They have multiplied beautifully.

Thank you Wallaby 1.Your photos are always ...fantastic!!

wallaby wonderful sunset. This thread is much too long for my dial-up. Had to pick up the White Flower Farm catalog while waiting. Don't order from them , I just look at the pretty photos.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Donna