Last weekend was a mixed bag of activities for us, especially on the Saturday where we somehow managed to fit in lots of different things all in one day, and yet it didn't feel hectic.
The weather on the weekend was on the whole very nice especially the first part of it so we got stuck in doing some gardening in the morning. By noon we had to stop and go to the monthly meeting of our local HPS wherein the guest speaker was Bob Brown of Cotswold Garden Flowers fame. Now we were really looking forward to this as not only Bob is a very engaging speaker but he will be bringing with some plants to sell too. So plant knowledge gained and plant shopping to follow, always a winning combo! We were expecting to take home lots of plants with us after the talk.
The talk was great as usual but we ended up buying not a single plant! Lots of nice things were there but they were either plants that we have already, not into, or the sort that is best picked up later in the year. So we went home empty handed. We do visit his nursery at least once a year anyway so we'll do our purchasing then.
Leaving the meeting venue we opted to pop round and check out a couple of nurseries that were en route home. Not expecting to find anything interesting (it's still very early in the new growing season), we went home picking up a few items from these two nurseries.
The first lot was a tray of hardy ground ferns that were all planted out on Sunday. The others were (apologies for the quality of the pics, took them at twilight today as otherwise it would have been a photo free post):
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| Grevillea lanigera 'Red Salento' - will go in a blue for the front of the house. Liking the foliage and potentially profuse flowering in the winter. At the moment it also reminds me of a conifer (Abies in particular) |
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| Hydrangea macrophylla - big leaves, easy, hardy, would be a great filler plant for that lush look |
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| Double headed Yucca rostrata 'Sapphire Skies' which I believe is a Sean Hogan of Cistus Nursery selection (or is that introduction?). I'd like to believe it is double headed by nature but more likely it's two seedling in one pot. But who knows! It's a bargain at £8.99 |
Then from there off to town we went for a nice Saturday night Italian meal.
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.
Glad you have joined The British Cacti and Succulent Society (BCSS) as these folk have such vast knowledge. Please do not go down the route of collecting thousands of cacti in one inch pots I'm surprised you have the time to garden whilst attending so many different events.
ReplyDeleteYour comment made me laugh as always Don! Unlikely to go down the collecting cacti in one inch pots route although as you know we're more into succulents in bigger pots :) you're right, they come across as very knowledgeable lot!
DeleteAre you increasing the number of plants in the front, or is the Hydrangea a replacement for something else?
ReplyDeleteThat Y. rostrada at £8.99 is *really* a bargain! Well done! (I've paid that much for a 4" seedling!)
There's a pot at the front of the house that's remained empty all winter Alan, and thought the Grevillea would be perfect for it, as well as the aspect :) the hydrangea will be squeezed in somewhere...
DeleteOk, that is a very busy but nice and fun Saturday! and you purchased nice plants. I´ve been tempted to buy a Grevillea lanigera once, I like it´s foliage.
ReplyDeleteFoliage is nice isn't Lisa? Apparently it's getting popular for use as display in christmas due to its red blooms and flowering season :)
DeleteNothing better than making unexpected finds. A great haul.
ReplyDeleteIndeed Jessica, nice little surprises over the weekend :)
DeleteI'm very fond of Grevillea lanigera. The best cultivar in inland Northern California is 'Mt Taborintha'. It's heat- and drought-tolerant and looks great year round. Excellent choice!
ReplyDeleteThat two-headed Yucca rostrata will be great. We saw one at John Kuzma's garden in Portland, Oregon last summer! Yes, Cistus introduced 'Sapphire Skies'.
Ohh I'll keep an eye on that one too as I fancy exploring more of these Grevilleas Gerhard :)
DeletePerhaps that Yucca r. is a two for one deal..a delicate separation and twin pots on either side of a doorway, path etc. !
ReplyDeleteSomething to consider indeed Kathy but have to be feeling brave if we do :)
DeleteSo strange that that cool conifer-like little thing is a Grevillea! For me the genus is always associated with the tree-sized Grevillea robusta.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, looks like a conifer but is actually a protea, cool!
DeleteWhat a great Saturday! And excellent purchases too.
ReplyDeleteIt was Amy :)
DeleteI was fooled by that grevillea, too! I thought it was a podocarpus or other conifer until you said what it was. Sounds like a fun Saturday.
ReplyDeleteIt was a fun weekend Evan, nicely topped off with little purchases :)
DeleteYou guys can squeeze so much into a day! I've loved, and lost, that Grevillea lanigera. I'm sure you will be more successful.
ReplyDeleteMight be worth trying again Loree? :)
DeleteWhat a fun-filled day! Your first image of Grevillea lanigera had me wondering what conifer would have pink buds/berries like that. Looks like a gorgeous plant!
ReplyDeleteIt is, and yes one can easily mistake it for a conifer Peter :)
DeleteGreat buys! I have a Grevillea lanigera - it's a wonderful plant!
ReplyDeleteI'm liking its promising hardiness too Kris :)
DeleteYou guys set the bar very high both for accomplishing things and having fun...no grass growing under your feet.
ReplyDeleteThe itinerary last weekend was partially unplanned Ricki which made it extra fun in the end :)
DeleteI also thought that the grevillia was a conifer impersonator when I saw that first photo and not a plant that I would associate with you :) You have obviously stumbled across the recipe for the perfect Saturday.
ReplyDeleteQuite pleased with how the weekend turned out Anna :)
DeleteGreat buy on that yucca. And it's okay not to buy plants every once in a while, just as long as you don't make it a habit. :)
ReplyDeleteNot buying plants is a difficult habit to take Gail :)
DeleteI recognise that grevillia. We have one in our yard. It's a tree now. It is covered in flowers during Winter but then our climate is slightly different from yours. Hope it does well for you. It's a great plant.
ReplyDeleteThis Grevillea seems to be a winter flowering here too, apparently getting popular as a display plant during the festive season :)
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