The warm weather is certainly bringing the plants on quickly in the garden this week.This photo is of a clump of Leucojum aestivum "Gravetye Giant" which is flowering 3 weeks earlier than last year.
Leucojum is also known as the summer snowflake or Loddon lily and looks from a distance rather like a snowdrop in size, colour and grace. This variety - named in 1924 by the garden writer William Robinson after his home, Gravetye Manor - is about twice the height of the normal species and is super-model elegant.
It is a very useful bulb to have growing in Scotland as it likes having wet feet - seemingly you can even plant it as a marginal plant in a pond. It would look wonderful reflected in the water.
It also - surprise surprise - makes an excellent and long lasting cut flower. I first saw it is a magazine article about the florist Shane Connolly where he had about 30 stems simply displayed in a pottery crock. It is so elegant on its own, it doesn't really need any other embellishment.
Though one clump is flowering this week, I expect others to hold on until we open the van again on 20th.
3 comments:
Such elegant, dainty little flowers! I love the bits of yellowish green on the tips of the blooms!
I love smowdrops, but I've never thought of cutting them for inside.
You are inspiring me to start a patch for cutting flowers - You are obviously an inspiartion to all us lazy fairweather gardeners:)
I want a few chickens, but I'm going to wait until Harry dies - although he has stayed with people with chickens, but they had real attitude and used to attack him - the chickens not the poeple!
I had an interesting result with the chickens this morning - The chicken that tends to fly over the netting is called Peblo. She is one of our original hatching of chickens, a black maran with an attitude problem and great flying skills.
She survived the fox attack - presumably by flying into a tree - and although she rubs along happily enough with the newer chickens she has a tendency to leave the run and doesn't like sleeping in the hen house unless it is very cold.
Well Peblo was out and squawking about the chickens in the run having food when she met Jasmine - a chase ensued, I was just about to go and call Jasmine in when Peblo suddenly stopped, turned round and pecked Jasmine on the nose.
Jasmine didn't know what to do so she just stood stock still for about ten minutes then slunk back into the house.
Perhaps I worry too much.
J
Post a Comment