Daily Perennials: 22nd to 28th April 2019

Daily perennials this week.

Monday 22nd April - Fragaria x ananassa 'Samba'
It might not look like it, but this is a strawberry flower!

This has smaller fruit than the typical strawberry, however, it also flowers and fruits for a much longer period, from April until about November. I'm growing this as one of the ground cover plants in my mini Forest Garden Border. Beautiful and edible - what a combination!


Tuesday 23rd April - Tulipa 'Abu Hassan'
If you want to liven up a Spring border, T. Abu Hassan will do it.

The colour palate of my front garden is to primarily use bright reds, yellows and oranges, with blues and purples, along with green foliage, as backing support. This is the most fabulous, totally over the top, flamboyant tulip, and I adore it.

Wednesday 24th April - Myosotis sylvatica
The ever pretty common forget-me-not.

Ok, some of you might say, isn't that a biennial? Well, yes, but it can also be a short-lived perennial. And despite it's diminutive size, it's well loved by bumblebees as well as butterflies. There is nothing common about M. sylvatica if you ask me.


Thursday 25th April - Narcissus Falconet
A later flowering narcissi, coming into bloom around early to mid-April.

This is another fragrant narcissi and brightens the border after many other daffidols have faded. I have this along the path to the front door, so others can enjoy the colour and fragrance too.

Friday 26th April - Anemonella thalictroides
A delightfully dainty little flower.

Other names include 'Rue Anemone' and 'Mayflower'. It might look rather delicate, but this little plant will survive the hardest of winters. They count as alpines, so instead of growing them in a border, I grow this and other species in pots, which I then move around the garden to show off when they flower.

Saturday 27th April - Primula vulgaris
The common Primrose.

You can find this everywhere in Spring, even along the banks of motorway, yet I never get bored of it. I've planted about 50 around the front and back gardens, and look forward to drifts of Primulas in future years.

Sunday 28th April - Anemone blanda
Sweet little Anemone, also known as windflower.

There are a lot of great Spring 'blues' in the plant world, and this has to be one of my favourites. I've planted a bunch under my Quince tree and as it spreads, it will turn into a sea of blue that I can view as I look out my lounge window.



And wow, I've managed to do my first full week of Daily Perennials :)  However, I'm going to stop doing them for now. I've realised that with the ME still being so bad, and the fact I have other blog posts I want to write, that I don't have the energy for both at this time. It was fun though!

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Daily Perennials: 15th to 21st April 2019

Between health and being away on holiday, I've not been posting Daily Perennials for a couple of weeks. I've decided that previously it was requiring too much work/energy researching each plant, so I've decided to simplify it with a picture and a fewer words.

Friday 19th April - Tulip Humilus Eastern Star

This is species tulip: Tulip Humilus Eastern Star. It's the last of the species tulips (meaning, closest to the wildest ones) flowering in my garden this year. Great colour, and loved by the bees.

Saturday 20th April - Ajuga reptans 'atropurpurea'

I have this in my mini Forest Garden Border. It's a good evergreen mat-forming ground cover plant and helps cover bare soil so there are less weeds. Another one loved by bees. It also has purple leaves and flowers. I love purple.

Sunday 21st April - Pulsatilla vulgaris

It seemed appropriate to post the Pasqueflower, the Easter flower, on Easter Sunday. Do stroke this plant, the flowers and leaves. It's so tactile with it's silky fine hairs; like stroking a cat. Mmmm. Another purple flower :)


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Photo Essay: Llanthony Priory, 8th April 2019

Our recent holiday was in Pembrokeshire, but on the way there we stopped at one of my favourite places, Llanthony Priory (Welsh: Priordy Llanddewi Nant Hodni), in the Black Mountains, between Hay-on-Wye and Abergavenny.

It was a day with really low cloud, so much so that we had to drive very carefully through the clouds, up the single-track road to the priory, where sight was often no more than a few metres ahead. So this is the priory on a darker gray day, which I think gives you some idea what it would have been like when it was first built in the early 12th century.

 

Kevin here gives you some sense of the scale of the priory

The building on the left is now a hotel, and has a bar in the monks old cellar.

Moi!

Daily Perennials: 1st April to 7th April 2019

Monday 1st April - Pulmonaria 'Blue Ensign'

Pulmonaria are commonly known as lungwort.

This species has the deepest blue of all Pulmonaria and is my favourite, but you can also get them in blue-pink, pink and white. The leaves are usually green with  spotted grey-white patterns on them.

You can grow Pulmonaria in part or full shade. It grows to c. 30cm high and wide over time, and looks good at the front of the border.

It's best to cut them hard back after they have finished flowering. This will rejuvenate the leaves, which will otherwise become less attractive. The leaves may remain during milder winters.

Pulmonaria are called lungwort because traditionally they were used medicinally for lung conditions. They are an excellent plant and are very easy to grow.

***bad ME, so missed a few days***

Saturday 6th April - Viola odorata
This is a semi-evergreen perennial and flowers at the end of winter/early spring. Not only does it have pretty lilac-purple flowers, the leaves are pleasingly heart-shaped.

 
I have planted some both in my new Forest Garden Border, but I've also inherited a large patch under the beech hedge between us and our neighbour, which catches the midday sun rather nicely.

On top of this, both the flowers and leaves are edible and can be added to salads. And it's well loved by bees.

Sunday 7th April - Fritillaria Uva Vulpis
This is also known as fox's grape fritillary.

Flowering in early to mid-Spring, this has an upright habit, and one stem can hold up to seven flowers. It is happy in part-shade as well as sun, but it doesn't like damp soil when dormant.

I feel it's an elegant addition to a border.


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