Sunday, February 17, 2013
Mark and Gaz
Back to Blighty now and garden business as usual! The time we spent in tropical Singapore flew by so quick, it was a blast and the experience of going there hasn't fully sunk in yet. Fortunately we did take hundreds of photos to help us remember our visit , and it's just a matter of actually taking the time to gradually sort them all out (it still amazes me how time consuming sorting out photos can be!). So more photos of our visit to this wonderful and amazing city will be coming up in the next few weeks.
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| Iris histrioides 'Katharine Hodgkin' enjoying some late winter and early morning sun today |
Meanwhile, now that we're back (and recovering from jet lag) it's time to face the garden once again. Luckily the weather has been great this weekend. Although the temperatures are far from tropical compared to the place we just recently have been to at least it was sunny and dry this weekend, making it conducive to spend some time outdoors and in the garden.
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| Sun, sun, sun! |
And that's what we did. To add to the lovely ambience, signs of new growth and plant activity are more noticeable, even the odd bloom here and there, with Iris histrioides 'Katharine Hodgkin' looking at its flowering best this weekend.
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| Another clump of Iris histrioides 'Katharine Hodgkin', peeking through the base of a Kniphofia caulescens |
Despite the jet lag, we still came home mentally revived and refreshed with ideas, with that extra zest to carry on gardening and look forward to the growing season ahead. Taking advantage of that, as well as the good spring like weather we have started our spring tidy up. So lots of cutting here and there, and lots of mess to get rid off too. But it's a ritual we're used to now. It's not just spring flowering bulbs and fresh growth we associate spring with, but also huge piles of trimmings and cuttings piled up everywhere. Most of them will end up in the green recycling facility near us.
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| Yucca linearifolia enjoying the sun |
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| and so is this Yucca rostrata |
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| Not to forget this Yucca faxoniana |
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| The Kniphofia northiae had its yearly foliage trim today. The long, wide, and razor sharp edged leaves sprawls all over by the end of winter so needs to be trimmed back every so often. |
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| And so did this other Kniphofia northiae. Both look very odd now but growth should speed up in the next few weeks to replace most of the old foliage. We might even get a flower this year! |
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| The Yew tree (Taxus baccata) beside the Trachycarpus fortunei in the photo above have had a major trim today. The tree is now in a better shape and is letting in more light now in that area. |
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| No flowers from our Foxglove Tree (Paulownia tomentosa) this year. The frosts and snow early last week have zapped all of the flower buds. This tree has had a trim today, to keep the size under control as well as.... |
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| Give us a better view of this clump of Phyllostachys bambusoides, which after several years on the ground is now beginning to send out larger culms. The smaller culms from previous have been removed today too. |
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| Several trips to the tip will be needed. If we had the space we'll compost them all... |
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| Oops! |
It's been a productive weekend, although we made a huge dent on our spring tidy up there's still loads more to do but it all adds up. It might get cold here again next weekend (hopefully it won't) but at least it's comforting to know that spring is definitely just around the corner now.
Mark :-)
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
You two can make quick work of it can't you? It feels so good to get out there and start cleaning up. That's what I spent all day last Friday doing here (sunny and warm!). Hate to admit it though when I got out of bed on Saturday morning my leg muscles were screaming. It's obvious I haven't done much in the way of "gardeners squats" over the last few months!
ReplyDeleteWe try to although we did come back in the house relatively early, 4pm. It's nice to be able to go out there and garden isn't it? Especially on the first days of decent weather late winter after hibernating for awhile. Hope your leg is feeling better now, you'll get used to garden squatting again soon :) as for here, I think my back is not entirely happy of our activities today. I'll find out for sure tomorrow....
DeleteThat is a lot you accomplished for one day. It's nice to be getting through so much right now though. Still at least a month before I can get out and maybe start some clean up work.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Thanks Cher! A lot to clear out too, it'll involve several car trips to the green waste centre :)
DeleteHooray for late winter sun and clean up time. I also got out for a while on Saturday - My garden's not the only thing that needs to get back into shape!
ReplyDeleteWith spring just around the corner there's plenty of opportunity to be active coming up soon :)
DeleteLiked your pictures; my Katherine Hodgekins iris are a bit behind yours, covered with buds but none opened so far (a couple more days of sunshine would speed the process). I have my first Musella lasiocarpus up from seed and about 2 inches high, and I'm SO proud of her!
ReplyDeleteCould you please tell me, 1, what is so great about schleffleras and, 2, which variety is the hardiest for you?
Thanks!
Hi Gordon, your Iris will soon catch up and you'll enjoy its blooms soon :) preference for plants is a subjective thing and if you like the look of a plant that should be the one of the main considerations when buying a plant. As for Scheffleras, for most of us we grew up aware of these plants as just house plants until recently that there are types out there that can be grown outdoors here. Two of hardiest are probably S. taiwaniana and S. rhododendrifolia.
DeleteThat little iris is a beauty! Unfortunately here we are still buried under over a foot of snow.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the snow will melt soon :)
DeleteIt's so nice to get away for a while and return refreshed, recharged, and ready to begin gardening again! Your little irises are so adorable. They wanted to welcome you back home! :)
ReplyDeleteIndeed Holley :)
DeleteHauling away the debris used to be our biggest chore. Large properties are a mixed blessing, but plenty of room for composting falls in the plus column. You're obviously putting that shot of vacation energy to good use.
ReplyDeleteStill feeling jet lagged last weekend but tidying up helped a bit with the recovery :) wish we had the space to compost the trimmings!
DeleteI'm impressed, not even jetlag can keep you guys away from the garden! Pruning can be very therapeutic, but I am always amazed at the amount of wastage that then has to be dealt with. beautiful irises.
ReplyDeleteIndeed Janet! And yes, even small trimming jobs seems to produce lots of waste...
DeleteI've been doing a lot of trimming here too and much more to come. It's still pretty cold here at least for the next few nights. I am hoping the warm weather comes soon.
ReplyDeleteI hope so too Candy! All part of spring prep :)
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