Monday 28 May 2012

Colour in May in and (just) out of the Garden, with a Sock thrown in for Good Measure


I tried to get all literary and show fewer photos, whether of the garden or anywhere else; but it's not going to work. My garden and the South Shropshire Hills are too beautiful to keep secret. My photos may not be much good, but I like to show off. As always, all photos may be enlarged by clicking on them.


Perhaps I've relaxed and/or matured, but I've decided not to worry too much about what Americans so aptly and endearingly call 'volunteers': that is self-seeders in the more prosaic English English. These are Welsh poppies, hugely prolific, they appear everywhere and are well-nigh ineradicable, unless you poison them. I don't want to do that, and in previous years I've gone round, either digging them up, but always necessarily being forced to leave a bit of their fleshy roots behind, or snipping them off above ground and thereby leaving the lemony green. deeply serrated leaves but not the golden flower cups. Leaving them alone I have both leaves and flowers and, no doubt,  twice as many of them next year. Que sera, sera.




Laburnums are very hard to photograph in their full splendour. This one is only just out and will turn even more dizzying in a day or two. Their German name is 'Goldregen', (golden rain) and that is exactly what they look like, a shower of dripping, shimmering, golden tassels, gently swinging in even the lightest breeze. For most of the year the tree is boring but for three or four weeks in late spring it is a wonderful sight. Beware, blooms and seeds are toxic.





More gold: this time a large leaved hosta and a golden grass, both do well in semi-shade (like most gold-leafed plants) and both bring a darkish corner to life like a golden neon light. Hostas and ferns are my favourite plants; I like shade gardening although dry shade is considered to be among the harder areas to cultivate.




Now for a bit of red: my Peppe poppy, my very own cultivar of a poppy which doesn't exist anywhere else - I have given it away to other gardeners. It was developed in this garden in Valley's End. It is a spectacular, tall, blowsy primadonna, which, if left unstaked like here, flounces and spreads its skirts over a large space, smothering everything around it, proclaiming brazenly "I'm worth it". Once it's finished flowering, I cut it down, leaving maybe just one seed head for propagation. The plants around the poppy breathe a sigh of relief when Madame has been pruned back to manageable proportions.





The long rainy spell in April and the recent heat wave (we have a week of warm sunshine and it's called a 'heat wave') have brought everything on in leaps and bounds. Shrubs and herbaceous plants are occupying every inch of ground, which is good: they swallow up and hide weeds, which saves me a lot of back-breaking work.





 This sock is not home-grown, it came in the post from a blogger whose Mutti produces such excellent and colourful socks by the dozen, with no effort at all, not something I could claim for myself. I was lucky enough to be one of the winners in Meike, The Librarian's giveaway. The moment the weather goes back to English temperatures that sock and it's companion will be worn. The foot is home-grown, it's mine.





And finally, the castle. How could I show you photos of my garden without showing you what is just outside the hedge. I've made it look far away, but it isn't;  that's the wonder of digital photography.


60 comments:

  1. Hello:
    Although in our gardening days we did have a manic attention to detail, our hearts just could not bear to witness the 'weeding out' of Welsh poppies. They are so cheerful and one really must applaud their incredible resilience to even the most hostile of weather conditions. Your look absolutely delightful and twice as many next year will be heavenly!!!

    Your superb photographs really have captured the glory of the Shropshire countryside at this most bountiful time of year, it really is a most enchanting part of the country and so very, very English.

    We love your blowsy, deliciously brazen Poppy and it looks so wonderfully happy growing with gay abandon in your borders. Yes, she is worth it!!!

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    1. Perhaps deadheading before the seed ripen might help to keep numbers of Welsh Poppies down. But they grow such incredibly strong roots which will get into all my clumps of treasured herbaceous plants. The number of times I have had to dissect hostas and such to extricate the poppy root!

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  2. Why would you want to weed out those beautiful yellow poppies? I've never seen yellow poppies before. red, orange, pink. purple, white...yes. my poppies have all gone by for weeks now. I wonder if the yellow ones would do here?

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    1. Welsh poppies grow anywhere, Ellen. Once ou have them in your garden, you'll never get rid of them. They'll probably even put up with your desert conditions.

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  3. ah you have lifted me up with your beautiful poppies
    glad you have mellowed toward them
    such a sanctuary you have tended all these years
    just marvelous

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  4. I'm afraid I'd encourage the Welsh poppies; they're beautiful. We may have to look for seed. And we call it "Golden Rain," as well. There was a pair on either side of the entrance to a building where I once worked. Pretty, but messy.

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    1. I think I might start a collection of poppy seed (very easy, there are many seeds in each individual pod) and post them to my blogging buddies.

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  5. The photographs of your red and yellow poppies have really lifted me -- they are riotously joyous! I've not read your blog since the 4th of May when you gave yourself a break, and have a short while ago started catching up and what a lot of thought-provoking catching up I have let myself in to do! :0

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  6. Hi Friko - gosh I'd love some the yellow poppy seed, and Valley's End Red .. both stunning flowers .. the garden does look good - and how much has come on with our warm weather after that freezing interlude.

    I had a trip to Cornwall last week .. and it was magical driving westwards across England .. loved it. Lots of ferns there ...

    The sock looks fun - and I'm sure will keep you toasty and cosy come a much colder day, as too will its pair ..

    Cheers Hilary

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    1. If you really want some, you shall have some; all you need to do is send me your address. My email is on my profile.

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  7. What a pretty garden you have. The red poppies are so vibrant; they would uplift anyone’s spirit. The view of the castle is a great gaze stopper I imagine. While we were away some animal – could be a deer – ate all my husband’s lovely planted pots of flowers. I showed them on an earlier post – they are all gone, eaten to the root. So we don’t know whether we should start from scratch. I say, let’s go to the Smith-Gardens and look at their flowers and forget it for this year – a pity.

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  8. A section of my flower beds has gotten way out of hand while I've concentrated on the veggie garden. I'm thinking of letting that section go and accept what happens. One thing I've noticed is far more butterflies this year and more varieties of birds. I'm going to use them as an excuse, and tell myself it's for the good of so many other things. It might actually be true.

    Your photos are great and I can't imagine cutting down those yellow cups of wonder, no matter how prolific.

    All that and a castle on a hill. Just beautiful.

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  9. These golden rain trees are just amazing, a pity that you don't see them that often.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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  10. Dear Friko,
    I really thank you for those wonderful photos - and wonderful they indeed are - of your beautiful and so well cared for garden. I looked at them again and again and once more!
    That Goldregen is another of the good things I remember from childhood in Germany. And those poppies with their flaming red color and their sturdy blossoms are a feast for the eye!
    Truly I have no idea how to cultivate a flower into something new - but you did a fantastic job, that's for sure! :-)
    Kind regards!

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  11. Oooops - with all that excitement and praise of the garden, I forgot the sock: it is lovely AND so useful, and I am sure it has a partner for the other homegrown foot! :-)
    I by myself have three pairs of hand knitted socks, gifted to me by three different friends, and another pair, the most cherished one, from my sister, who left this world three years ago and was a fantastic knitter. They are worn by me in winter at home, each day another one in turns, and after the laundry I start again...

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  12. Your garden looks gorgeous. I've never seen a golden rain tree!
    The sock--I love crazy, wild socks!! That made me grin right off. Lucky you! They will keep you warm in winter.
    Always love shots of your ancient castle. Have a great week, Friko! :)

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  13. I have hundreds of Welsh poppies in my garden - how wonderful, I didn't know they were Welsh poppies before - but now I will make doubly sure not to destroy them! Thank you.

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    1. Which means that hundreds will become thousands.

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  14. I started with 3 Welsh poppy plants given me by a friend in the Welshpool Choral Society several years ago, and now they're vying with the lilies of the valley to take over our front garden! But they're so beautiful - ours are yellow and orange. As I can't bend down to thin them out, and neither can the Better Half, they're just going to have to continue to multiply. Never mind - they're a joyous sight, and go on flowering almost all year round. Lilies of the valley are a different matter - their flowering season isn't very long and then they disappear, to re-appear the next year in vast numbers more. And we need to get rid of them, as the BH is gettign allergic to the perfume, sadly. Would you like a couple of roots - by the looks of your castle you're not very far from us, and we must pass you when we visit friends in Ludlow via the back road! If you would like my e-mail address, ask Perpetua for it. Oh yes - love the sock (want a pair like it!) and the red poppy. All good wishes.

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    1. You could get in touch via my email address on the profile page. I'd love some lilly of the valley roots, I haven't managed to keep any alive in my garden. Swap you for red poppy seed?

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  15. Have scattered poppy seed on this side of the border but none has taken. I suspect it will only take one midget seed to start an unstopable 'papava' dynasty though.

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    1. Not taken? That's amazing. Would you like to pop across the border and dig up a few roots? A dozen roots wouldn't make any difference to my garden.

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  16. Why would anything as pretty as the Welsh poppy be considered a weed?

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    1. Sure, they are pretty, but they will grow where they want, in all the wrong places. Their golden yellow can spoil any colour scheme you might wish to create.

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  17. I would love to live by a castle! And this is one American who thinks poppys are beautiful.

    --d'Artagnan

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  18. As much as I love your English garden ( you English know how to do it so well) I have to admit that the castle shot is breath=taking. Do you have access to a history of the royal owners?

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    1. You English? It's an English garden made by a German gardener. the castle was never owned by Royalty but by Marcher Lords; it was built by the Norman Picot de Say, who came over with William the Conqueror in the 12th century. The last and present owner is the Duke of Norfolk. English Heritage, an organisation which looks after ancient monuments, looks after what is left. Access is open to all. Two of our gates lead directly into the castle grounds, which is where I walk practically every day.

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  19. Those brilliant, yellow Welsh poppies are gorgeous and this American, who loves volunteers, would likely let them grow in wild abandon. Our ferns have taken over in much the same manner. We keep diving them, Friko, and giving them new space in other parts of the garden. They reward us by spreading even further. I love the golden hued hostas and have them in darker parts of the garden. Is that grass a Hakone grass? I have one and love the way it cascades and brightens up the shade garden. Lovely post.

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  20. So viel Schönheit und Raum zum atmen ... Danke für diesen Ausflug. Heute sind die Extrem-Rechten durchs Stadtzentrum gefahren, mit Fahnen usw. Ich war dann noch am Abend mit dem Kind im Garten und habe Blumen gegossen.

    Den Dienstag schön dir.

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  21. There are lots of golden rain trees here on my island. I love them. And the oriental poppies are out here too. I love your yellow poppies. I am always grateful for volunteers and I let them be as much as possible. I have to root out some of the lineria, but the humming birds love it and it even crowds out other weeds, so I let a lot of it live. We also have huge volunteer foxgloves which I welcome and California poppies too. In addition, here on our island there are opium poppies in various forms said to have been imported in the 19th century by Chinese workers in the salmon canneries that once existed here. They are amazing.

    Thank you, Friko, for the thoughtful comment you left on my blog. It inspired me to write the post I had been putting off.

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  22. How phenomenal to have your very own cultivar of poppy, and it is a brilliant specimen. Your sock is also a brilliant specimen, by the way. Your garden is so beautiful. Here, we have a gorgeous view, there is no doubt of that, but gardening proper is really impossible, given rocky soil, deer on the move, and poison ivy lurking wherever, it seems, I put my hand down to weed, to name but a few. We have a little fenced in plot (and this had to be built!) for growing a few vegetables, but, aside from that, the land belongs to the wild.

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  23. The German name for the laburnum tree is so apt. And it appears that Golden Rain is used in English as well, according to some of your comments. Those red poppies are stunning. I've never had much luck with poppies, may have to try again.

    Your garden, created by a German in England, close to the Welsh border, is beautiful. Beauty has no nationality.

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  24. I just asked about the name of that golden rain one last week; I was told it is called a "golden chain tree." These are so cool, Friko. And the poppies are so RED! :-)

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  25. Oh Friko, I think that I soon must find time to send you an email, but meanwhile would like to apply as an apprentice to your Gardener. I've got references that won't advance my cause, but my heart is true.

    xo

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  26. These shots of your beautiful garden take me back to the days of my childhood, when my grandmother would serve tea and biscuits on her lawn, in the shade of an apple tree. You've obviously caught the warmth of the sun for all of us. Thanks.

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  27. Hello Friko, thank you for showing the sock on here! I'll let my Mum know, she will be well chuffed and no doubt be at her knitting needles with even more vigour :-)
    The Welsh poppies and the Goldregen are so beautiful, not only because yellow happens to be my favourite colour.

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  28. Frico, it's wonderful your last photo, so colorful! and I loved the tree 'Goldregen', the really yellow rain!

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  29. Yellow poppies suddenly appeared in our back yard a few years ago and have been welcome ever since . They spring up between all the flagstones and grow between the wheel spokes of any bike not ridden daily . I love them !

    P.S. After three little cousins were rushed to hospital after a "tea party" of laburnum seeds , I'm very wary .... but it is stunning .

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  30. Your photos are fabulous! Love the sock!! Ha!
    And I too have the Golden Rain tree and I love it...mine doesn't bloom until August!!
    Bees love it!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  31. Oh..of course! How could you possibly resist and not show us these color-filled photos from your garden!

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  32. So glad you gave into temptation and posted these. Friko. Your garden is looking wonderful and I particularly like your glorious Peppe poppy. How satisfying to have produced something so vibrantly beautiful, even if it does grow with the vigour of a weed. As for the castle practically in your back garden....

    Meike's Mutti knits lovely socks and they are actually much easier than they look. It's why I so enjoy sock-knitting.

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  33. Be kind to those Welsh poppies, Friko. Be kind. Though I suppose a flower is a flower so long as it doesn't become prolific enough to turn into a tiresome weed. We now have red poppies in flower in our garden too. I agree with what someone said above about lilies-of-the-valley, and, as for aquilegia, well, what a bane! Their deep, tough roots are well nigh indestructible. And if you get me on the topic of ground elder, God forbid, I'd be commenting all week...

    I'll let others comment on the socks, as I've already said quite enough :-)

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  34. How absolutely beautiful. Re: your Welsh Poppies--we have them here, only we call them California Poppies (go figure), and they are usually bright orange. Everything looks lush and gorgeous...oh, and I got a big smile when I got to the socked foot :)

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  35. Oh my.. your garden is so lovely.. your surroundings spectacular. I love that golden rain tree and your poppies just pop right out of the monitor. And that castle.. sigh. Thanks for the breathtaking views.

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  36. I do enjoy having a look round your garden - so much inspiration for the one I hope to create one day! Pretty socks, but hope you won't have to wear them for a while yet.

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  37. As always, I enjoy the trip through your garden. My little urban plot is almost overrun with "volunteers." I take my swoe to them and trim them back to the ground. Got to make room for the perennials. Powdery Mildew will move in if I don't. Mom always said, nature abhors a vacuum. What vaccum?? Did you see a vacuum? Dianne

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  38. I am so thankful you succumbed to temptation. Your glorious garden and castle photos, your words and the accompanying comments eased my frustration at losing several seasons due to a health issue. Perhaps I will be back outside this fall, a prime gardening season here. In the meantime I enjoyed visiting your garden and listening in on the discussion among some accomplished and committed gardeners!

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  39. I'm a big fan of those self-seeders (we call them volunteers), and I love your Welsh poppies! We're also trying to grow some hostas in the shady corner of our backyard -- but I think the deer have sniffed them out, so they may not be long for this world. Anyway, love your photos; keep 'em coming..

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  40. your spirit seems to be more effective and important than the photos!
    Lovely Spring ramble. thanks


    Friendly Aloha from Waikiki
    Comfort Spiral
    > < } } (°>

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  41. I was just thinking about your garden, and here it is. I'm quite impressed with that poppy cultivar, holy cow. I love shade gardening too (I'm no expert though). I have a shade garden book by Ken Druse that I adore and could look at it by the hour. I'm happy for your prolific garden. Our weather has been a nemesis in Michigan. The fruit trees were looking to be wildly abundant, due to an early warm (hot) spell in March. Then frost killed the fruit. No pears, no plums, no apples. And in the state of Michigan, which supplies cherries to the world, almost no cherries. It's devastating. But it is "God's business" apparently, and out of our control.

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  42. Dein Garten ist wirklich sehr schön, besonders, weil er so natürlich aussieht, so als hätte die Natur alleine ihr Werk getan. Dahinter steckt bestimmt sehr viel Arbeit?! Wirklich schade, dass ich so gar nicht gerne im Garten arbeite...!
    Dir liebe Grüsse und hoffentlich habt ihr einen schönen Sommer!
    Renée

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  43. Beautiful photos -- even the one of the sock! Lol. You live in a nice environment.

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  44. Thank you Friko, I'm just in from discussing garden with Leo, it is a lot (lot) wilder than yours, but we are going to try kerrs pinks this year.
    Lovely lovely photos.
    XO
    WWW

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  45. It is called "Golden Rain" here too and although it can be seen in old gardens, few young people seem to plant it - probably because of its poisonous reputation. It's not in my garden either but that is because I actually don't like yellow flowers. This makes the current invasion of dandelions a double irritation. So, if your Welsh Poppies had been red, I would have happily given them the run of the whole garden in the hopes that they would choke-out the weeds.

    Anna

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  46. I have deep gardener's envy here, especially with regard to the poppies. We have tried them from seed for years--to no avail. I've put in a few poppy plants; fingers crossed that the one I stuck into the ground yesterday actually takes. We are in early stages of the season, so only the bleeding hearts and a few other things are out and showing themselves. I anxiously await the Siberian iris.

    Teeeeerific socks. Are you sure it's not too hot there to wear them--and that maybe you don't need to send them to my colder clime?

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  47. Friko, I've enjoyed this garden stroll with you. I've been busy working in my own the past several days and have 6 bags of clippings and weeds to show for my efforts. My poppies are budding but nothing is blooming as yet. We're still going to freezing overnight here at altitude. I like that blowzy red!

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  48. Oh, I am so glad you shared your garden -- it is just beautiful! I wouldn't mind volunteers like that one! And also love the poppies -- I just planted a poppy and with luck, next year it will grow and self seed. Not so pretty as yours, I'm sure, but a start. As for the socks -- three cheers! Love 'em!

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  49. Home-grown feet & colorful, inviting flowers. You do not disappoint.
    Those poppies...I keep looking for a lipstick exactly like that. ~Mary

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  50. A stunning garden walk. I hope you have a lovely place to sit in order to enjoy all this splendor.

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