Once again, a large degree of editing was required to get today’s selection down to six or thereabouts, to meet the rules of Jim’s Six on Saturday meme. Why not visit his blog to check out his six and those of other bloggers around the world?
Let’s start with the burning bush, shown above – Nandina domestica ‘Obsessed’. I picked a sprig of this a few Mondays back to accompany my first tulips in a vase, but it was barely smouldering then – I don’t think I have ever seen it as fiery as this before. Likewise, I don’t think the rhododendrons have ever been as colourful or as prolific as they seem to be this year, and they are not yet at their peak – I know they don’t appeal to everyone, but in a garden the size of ours they make a huge impact.
Snowdrops have also made a big impact, but back in January, February and March, so a snowdrop blooming at the end of April and into May is a curiosity at best and at worst an unwelcome intruder into spring. The bulbs (Galanthus ‘Polar Bear’) were bought from eBay at the tail end of the season, and I rather expected them to be in growth and ‘in the green’, but clearly hadn’t read the description as they arrived as dry bulbs. They are a later flowering variety, but ‘later’ as in March, and I wasn’t particularly optimistic of them flowering this year, but the bulbs seem determined to do so. There was no point planting them outside, as they wouldn’t be seen under the spring growth in the woodland, but they will be in due course where hopefully they will revert to a normal timetable next year – I certainly can’t get excited about snowdrops in late spring!
I have trawled through emails and online catalogues to see if I can identify some of the tulip mixes I am currently enjoying, but with
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