My bulb order from Peter Nyssen arrived yesterday and, like many fellow bloggers, I can now begin to put off planting them…does anybody enjoy this particular gardening task, I wonder? Actually, I don’t mind the indoor planting, and there are several packs of bulbs destined for the Coop; even planting in outdoor tubs is OK, but it’s the ferreting about trying to plant bulbs amongst permanent plants in the border I don’t enjoy. By the way, if you think there is an excessive quantity of bulbs in the order, they aren’t all for me and there are five separate heaps in the above picture – although admittedly the biggest pile is mine!
Recent garden tasks have mostly involved deadheading and general border maintenance, with several new plants planted up and some older ones rearranged, and there is plenty more of this to be done as an alternative to bulb planting. Time and weather also permitted a small project this week, creating the raised planting area for a new rose (Gabriel Oak) that I referred to last Saturday, with just enough bricks and mortar mix found to complete the task. As is to be expected, the Golfer did a brilliant job of cutting and relaying the block paviers to fit around it.
In the course of border maintenance I wanted to move established Persicaria ‘High Society’ further back in its border, and eventually discovered why it was so difficult to lift – the root shown in the picture below was at least 18″ long and perhaps 2″ in diameter, and having been curved into a U shape, this was just part of it!
Having bought seeds of Cardiospermum halicacabum (‘Love in a Puff’) on impulse earlier this year, I find them distinctly underwhelming, growing no more than 24″ in height and so far only producing a single puffy seedpod, although it does contain two seeds rather than the usual single one. When ripe, the seeds are black and marked with a white heart, so I was too optimistic in peeling open this one.
Having frequently said I never have success with asters, I then found this little example minding its own business in one of the borders. It may only be a few inches high, and these two blooms may be the only flowers it has, but it’s still an aster (Aster ‘Azurit’ if you are interested)!
It has made good sense to plant as many roses as possible where they can be seen when glancing out of the kitchen windows; not only have I been able to enjoy the late flushes of Lady Emma Hamilton and the pink spots Rural England in the apple trees, but distinctive Munstead Wood continues to produce its near-perfect blooms for our delectation (the extra tall stem propped up by a stake also supporting crab apple ‘Golden Hornet’). Why not visit Six on Saturday’s host Jon the Propagator and see if he or other bloggers are also still enjoying some of their roses too?
Rambling in the Garden 
My roses continue to bloom also, but they are mostly hybrid tea roses, and it is normal for them to continue to bloom late in this climate. In the Los Angeles region, they are still blooming when I prune them in winter!
Occasionally there are still some blooms much later in the year here too
They do not want to stop.
Munstead Wood is a gorgeous colour with a delicious scent if I remember rightly. My Gertrude Jekyll is also flowering again! Must be something about her.
Yes, a delightful fragrance indeed
I wouldn’t have thought your bulb order was excessive if it had just been for you, that seems about normal for me. I always plant mine in pots as I don’t know where my bulbs are in the soil until they poke their noses through early in the year, then the new ones get transferred from their pots to their permanent home complete with compost.
I did deliberately cut down a little this year, but our total order was still well over £200, but it was over £300 last year!
I haven’t gotten my bulb order yet; it’s scheduled (according to the status email) to ship early next week. Which means that I will probably get it on Thursday or Friday. With a little luck, I may not aggravate my apparently newly-acquired carpal tunnel syndrome until AFTER I get them planted next weekend. There are 130 bulbs in my order, but thankfully, most of them are small (Chionodoxa, Muscari, Cyclamen, Ipheion.) But the Erythroniums will need to go into the ground ASAP as soon as I open the box.
Sorry to hear about your carpal tunnel – will you be scheduled for an operation? Smaller bulbs are certainly easier to plant, as they don’t need to be so deep – are yours going in the ground, or pots?
It’s at a very early stage, so with ‘judicious use’ I should be able to avoid any surgery. There’s also some disagreement between 2 doctors as to whether it is actually carpal tunnel, or something cervical-spine oriented. And there’s always the opinion that starts out “Well, you know, most people your age…” 😉 The bulbs are destined for the ground, as I do not have a good track record with anything in pots, LOL
Seems too easy for doctors and others to play the age card, doen’t it?! Hmm, I wonder how you define ‘judicious use’….