Some years you can feel spring in the air but with few sunny days and the lingering reach of a cold winter, this year I’m forced to look harder for signs of spring. Plenty is happening in the garden…
Paeonia daurica subsp. mlokosewitschii – Peony ‘Molly the Witch’
The nickname ‘Molly the Witch’ is a charming simplification of this Peony’s tongue twister botanical name and only adds to the appeal of an already sought-after gem. If you’re on garden social media in May you’ll see a smattering of pictures of this glorious yellow herbaceous peony posted by proud growers. I doubt I’ll have flowers any time soon as mine is still a tiny plant, but fortunately I have some pictures taken at Borde Hill Garden two years ago to you show all.
These plants are a cross between the yellow tree peonies and pink herbaceous perennials and are a gorgeous clear primrose colour. One flower at Borde Hill was bordered in pink but labelled Molly The Witch. Was she a mutant molly or something else entirely? It’s a mystery I never solved but here are pictures of both.
Anemone nemorosa
I’m very keen on wood anemones and planted lots of lovely worm-like rhizomes a year and a half ago. If you want to know how I planted them you can read more here. Very little happened and last spring there was just a smattering of leaves. I was disappointed. Salt was rubbed into the wound on seeing a fabulous display in the grounds of a local hotel last March, just ahead of lockdown. These may be a variety called Anemone nemorosa ‘Robinsoniana’ as they have a beautiful blue glow.
This week I was surprised to see several healthy-green clumps of wood anemone leaves under the base of the tree where I’d planted them – hope is not lost. I’m reminded how much gardening is about patience. It’s just as well I’m pretty patient as this area is yet to sing in the way I hoped.
Anemone blanda
Anemone blanda are much less tricky than wood anemones and they are popping up everywhere at the moment either side of my woodland path. The first are in flower but I’m sure the peak display is a couple of weeks away.
Rock Garden Tulips – Tulipa humilis Violacea Group black base
These short-stemmed tulips are early spring beauties and have even beaten the miniature narcissi into flower. They are a very strong magenta and are shouting “look at us” so loudly, they are visible from every window of the house.
Tomato seedlings
I have too many tomato seedlings as I think I shall only grow 6 plants this year. I have ten times that number taking up valuable space in the greenhouse. A friend from my gardening club is running plants sales in May for the local Scannappeal and says tomatoes are popular so I’m sure these seedlings are destined for good homes.
Sweet peas
Mostly sown three weeks ago, the sweet peas are going great guns, although a few are taking their time. I grow these for cut flowers and also for the local show. The show is cancelled again this year which means I will have had the sweet pea cup in my house for three years before it is next contested. Lockdown has much to answer for and I feel like a fraud every time I see it on the shelf.
I choose my sweet peas as good ones for the show bench, germinate them in tubes in a warm place, before moving them to a colder spot in the greenhouse to grow on. They need heat at first but afterwards it’s definitely worth moving them somewhere cold. Treating them mean keeps them healthier and stockier. I’ll pinch out the growing tips this weekend and will probably move them outdoors soon.
This seasonal diary is part of a weekly link-up of garden bloggers from around the world, called Six on Saturday. For more information and links to other blogs crammed with gardening activity, check the blog of host The Propagator.
I’m glad your wood anemones are looking more promising this spring. Plant patience is something I struggle with sometimes. The little tulips are lovely.
I don’t know where my patience comes from but if the wood anemones are still sparse in a year or two I think it may run dry!
I love quirky names of plants like Molly the Witch and Brazen Hussy – it gives them a personality! Enjoy your champion’s cup for Sweet Peas. You earned it.
Hi Linda – trouble is I have to polish the cup!
That is a fine tulip to be adding to your alpine garden.
It’s a superb one isn’t it. I think I’ll seek out some more little ones to plant next autumn. They’re so cheerful on a grey day.
First tulips, first peonies …! Bravo !
The tulips are really making me happy right now!
Curious what growing peas in tubes entails. I agree that the wood anemones are worth the wait. I couldn’t possibly like the name “Molly the Witch” any more than I do. Friendly yet magical, like these lovely yellow flowers you shared. I confess I like the mutant, pink-rimmed variety even more.
Hi Erin, I should have said more about the tubes. They’re basically thick paper circular tubes and are about 12cm long. Sweet peas have deep roots which want to grow straight down so planting in shallow pots doesn’t give them what they want. I put the tubes into old washing up bowls to keep the tubes close together and upright. People also use cardboard loo roll inners as a cheap alternative.
I had a go at potting up Wood Anemone rhizomes in pots last Autumn and have kept them in the greenhouse (because otherwise the squirrels tip out the contents of the pots looking for bulbs). So far nothing has appeared, so I’m not holding out much hope. Thanks for writing about how you grew yours. I’ll try that next year.
Don’t give up on your anemones yet. I thought the ones in pots had come to nothing and put them at the back of the patio in disgust only to discover lots of healthy leaves when I next looked at them in autumn. They do keep you guessing…
There seem to be a few references to Molly hybrids on the internet, with no info about what they are hybrids with. I’m guessing open pollinated seedlings of Molly that have picked up pollen from something red. I’ve been planting wood anemones for quite a few years and they seem to have just reached that tipping point where the clumps suddenly seem to be spreading almost worryingly quickly, plus seedlings are appearing all over the place, miles away from growing plants.
Good to hear the anemones have come through for you. Before I planted them I read they take their time and it is proving so in my garden. I, like you, am a bit confused about the provenance of some of the peonies and have only researched on the internet, which isn’t always reliable. I found references to this interesting chap in Japan though, who bred a series called Itoh peonies, which sound interesting…
Those little tulips are very pretty, I do like magenta, especially so early in the year. Hope the wood anemones live up to expectations, we can see their potential from that lovely hotel display.
The anemones really so take their time but as long as they keep coming back I’m optimistic they’ll come good in time…
Love those short stemmed tulips – would work at our place I think.
I think they’d be lovely in so many settings – front of border or in a pot or trough. I did plant some in a small terracotta pan but the squirrels dug them up. Luckily the ones in the rockery stayed hidden from them!
The Tulipa humilis is very striking – great colour.
I hope the wood anenomes come good for you. Patience is a virtue! On a slight tangent, I once spent an inordinate amount of money on an Anenome nemorosa from Janis Ruksans named ‘Explosion’. It had a mutated flower which he put down to radiation, as it was collected from near Chernobyl. The sci-fi potential of it appealed to me! Needless to say, it didn’t do well for me and soon died out.
What a story about that anemone – no wonder you gave it a go!
I’ve just come across some loose tulip bulbs in the garage that I forgot to plant and they are all shooting. Is it too late to plant them now.
Hi Marianne, I sent you an email. It is a bit late but I will always give things a try. You never know and you’ve lost nothing by trying.