SOS 23/7/22
Back in the little Matchbox garden this week for SoS. My main garden is having a rotten winter with chill rain and wind and it’s reassuring to see it survive; spring will be a lovely reprieve for it. But in the meantime, the tiny city patch has its own microclimate. When the streets, hedges and gardens beyond the garden fence have been white with frost, this little space is showing that it’s moving forward quietly and with no fuss.
Starting with catalogue purchases: 2 sanguisorbas of different colours (white and deep burgundy black) and one plume poppy (white Macleaya Cordata). I’m glad they said they’re not dead just dormant, ‘cos they look really sad.
Snowfalls early in the week – down as far as Ferntree on Kunyani/Mt Wellington and I thought what irony that one of the very maudlin-looking auriculas, ‘Ferntree Border’, had popped out a white flower some 6-7 weeks before normal.
And despite the week of snow and then frost, this lovely little clematis is flowering. I think it’s C. Cirrhosa, Wisley Cream. I gather it flowers late autumn to spring so it’s certainly giving it a best shot.
My slowly expanding fern garden in the Matchbox – complete shade – and I picked up some pretty ferns which seem quite happy in that spot beneath the arms of Dicksonia Antarctica which we prefer to call a manfern.
The hellebores are taking off and I just love the slates and blacks. I decided to show a single black this SoS. But the whole back path now has whites, blacks and slates of different styles on either side.
And I’m cheating with my last – it’s self-explanatory and I came across it on one of my dogwalks this week. It made me excited that spring is so very close even tho’ we haven’t reached the end of July yet.
As usual, I invite you to visit Jon’s SoS where some of the world’s gardeners place links for everyone to walk through their gardens.
Cheers.
Nice to see the start of hellebores.
I can’t wait to see the flowered sanguisorbas too !
Me either, Fred. Actually all three looked lovely in the catalogues.
Like your dark hellebore, they are so sophisticated aren’t they? How lovely to see the magnolia while walking the dog, I used to have a peek at all the gardens too when I had my old dog!
It’s a highlight of a city walk, Pauline. Very snoopy. I have been known to collect seed or cuttings from things that droop over or peak through fences into public space. But that’s just between you and me!
I think the labels in the plant pots are brilliant. I could use one on my head after I collapse at the end of the day! Ha ha
Sooo true, Rosie. Especially after your heatwave and our freezing winter!
Those hellebores are a fantastic colour!
The slate greys are amazing, Barbara and the supplier is always so reliable with such sturdy, healthy stock. I’ve never had a failure and they’re all mail order from Victoria. Not sure if they ship to NZ – it’s called Post Office Nursery if you’re interested.