There has been a hiatus in recent days where there depressingly doesn't seem like much to do. I hear the phrase 'low-maintenance garden' bandied about but it's really the opposite of what I would like. Gardening is my favourite activity and I wish there was more!
These 2 pictures have been placed here at the whim of the blog because I cannot really work out how to move them. Anyway, I collected seed from Icelandic poppies last summer and tried to sow a tray of them to no success. This one like its position by the gas meter and I am cheered by its flowering in this ridiculously un-May-like May. The Peoniolas (Pansies by another name) are quite interesting. I am not generally attracted by yellow and orange, but when I decided to go for the hot and bright coloured front garden, I went for it. And they are very bright. Jamie has always said he likes the idea of bright colour leading to the door, which I have always politely ignored, but these are definitely bright.
Part of the problem of moving to a different coloured planting scheme is living with what it already there. These lovely blue flowers come from nowhere every year and have verdant foliage as well as electric blue thistle like flowers to recommend them. I have no idea what they are called as I have never seen them anywhere - perhaps Stachys? Even if I did physically relocate them to the back would they be happy? So I think I'll leave them. My colours are meant to be jewel (copying Monty there) so these could be the sapphires. But the lavender next to them is no jewel in a million years and yet the most precious of plants to me. So sod the colour scheme, I'm having the scent of lavender leading me to the door. With a small garden, if you want to have a rich variety of plants without an over-arching theme I think it becomes incoherent. So to give the front life I went for a jewel scheme and to give the back a peaceful monastic air I went for a white planting scheme with spots of blue and purple and generally plants with small leaves. I have a pinky clematis and a pink Compassion rose that pre-date this but in generally they do not ruin it. So what the hell are these?
A few weeks ago I was allowed to go to Dobbies and picked these beautiful plants, Aquilegia on the left and Anenome in the middle. The Anenome frankly stunned me and was exhibiting only white flowers with a lilac centre. The Aquilegia gave me the impression it would be creamy white with pinky tinge. So, I currently have 2 lovely plants slap bang in the middle of a coloured planting scheme they do not fit with. Oh, and the Anenome has started to develop bright red flowers. Answers on a post-card? What I think I'll do is leave these jarring but beautiful individuals where they are for this year and when the Aquilegia stops flowering I will move it to the front, where it doesn't really fit either but at least it's pink. The Anenome I think is a deal-breaker - like the Compassion rose, I don't care if it it breaks my colour scheme but it's the only one allowed to.
How do you solve a problem like this Acer? Not the first time I have wittered on about my general dissatisfaction with this poor specimen. I saw an amazing Acer in a Tollcross garden on Friday that have foliage like waves of washing up foam gently overflowing from the sink. Mine unfortunately was a bargain one from the Dying plants section of B&Q and is the only one we could afford. In reality at least we got one and it comes back each year because they are very expensive when in good nick. This year you can see 2 of the 12 bluebells I planted have come up, so that was a bonus (giving up on bluebells this time definitely).
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