Happy Birthday Rock Garden
A year ago, the highlight of early lockdown was planting up my lovely new rockery . I look back at the pictures of how happy it made me and yet I couldn’t have dared to hope how wonderful it would look now.
Jolly little spring bulbs
Very few of the rock garden plants are yet in flower, although the primulas are on their way. It’s the spring bulbs that are adding valuable spikes of colour amongst the rocks and gravel right now. A miniature narcissus called ‘Lemon Drops’ is looking fabulous, as is a pure white Chinodoxa luciliae gigantea alba.
Finally, something I’ve never grown before – an Olsynium, with harebell shaped white flowers on fine stems with thin chive-like leaves. It’s a little delight.
Conifer Conundrum
The rock garden was a challenge to put together. Now I’ve set myself another tricky task – a conifer backdrop between the base of the hedge and the path below. I’ve talked about this in a previous post but this week the idea passed the point of no return. I splurged on a whole load of conifers.
My local independent garden centre is closing down, which I am very sad about as it’s where I buy so many things. However, the stock is being cleared at reduced prices and knowing they had a good collection of conifers I headed up there. Many were reasonably priced even before the 20% reduction. Some are pretty much rescue missions but I’m optimistic all will survive.
It’s the placement that worries me. A good conifer garden is a joy but not easy to pull off. I move them about, scratch my head, then move them about some more. The soil needs some work before they’re planted as it needs a thorough going over to remove any perennial weeds. This gives me a bit longer to move them about and scratch my head some more.
Greenhouse display table
Just inside the greenhouse, with cold fresh air drifting in through the open door each day, is my little table display. The narcissi are looking particularly cheerful and the primula auricula are putting on rapid growth with a couple of flower spikes starting to develop.
Fritillaria davisii
This fritillaria is a new one for me – bought last autumn from Potterton’s nursery. It’s a beautiful claret colour with golden snake-skin markings. What a little treasure.
Chinodoxa luciliae ‘Violet Beauty’
Similar to the white chinodoxa flowering in the rock garden is this delicate lavender coloured one. Potted up in the greenhouse it’s slightly more advanced than some others just breaking the gravel in the rock garden. Plants this colour can seem to glow and this one is no exception.
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.
The rockery was a wonderful project and a great success. The miniature conifers certainly roll back the years to the late 70s – 80s. We still have a few dating to that time which did remain dwarf, as was the promise then. Others have been removed over the years.
Hi Paddy – yes both these projects are quite retro aren’t they? I was a child of the 70s and 80s so maybe that’s the appeal!
Your rockery is a delight, and I am sure that with good spacing and placement your conifers will form the perfect backdrop.
Thanks Noelle – It’s a challenge but the best things are. Luckily my husband has bought into the idea but keeps referring to my new conifer habit!
One year already ! What a success this alpine garden … You created that one really well and the plants are really a success. 👍🏻😍
Thanks Fred – I honestly think that sharing these projects with you all on this blog helps to spur me on and really feel like I’m making progress. You must feel that too with your projects – not least your new pond. I look forward to see that develop too…
Really love your rockery and the little wonders that you grow there. And I was just going to ask about the plant on the table top that looked like a diddy fritillary and you answered my question. What a darling! (the plant and you of course.
Aw, thanks Gill. The fritillaria is indeed a darling and I’ve got some more to share next week…
Is it really a year since the big rock garden project? Such a transformation. I’m looking forward to seeing the final conifer placement.
I know, a whole year has sped by but at least it feels like some things have moved forward – the development of the rockery plants. I’m still feeling nervous about the conifers but I like a challenge!
As others have said, you’ve done a wonderful job with the rock garden, I love the stones you choose and the dainty little plants really have a chance to shine. Very pretty.
Hi Sel – yes I think a rockery is like a stage set – the stones and gravel provide the perfect scenery for these dainty flowers. Sometimes you have to peer closely to see them though!
Happy Birthday to the rockery. I hope you find time to write about your conifers in more detail. They seem to have fallen out of fashion (along with rock gardens to some extent) and I would love t know more about them.
Hi Hortis, I promise to feature the conifers some more. Sadly some have been in the garden centre so long the labels have faded or are missing entirely. I do think conifers are becoming more popular again though as they can add all year structure and colour to the garden. I’ve struggled to find good advice on planting combinations though – I think I need to visit some gardens that are heavy on conifer usage to get some ideas.
Have you seen the short free video on Vimeo ‘Fergus talks about the exotic garden’? It looks like there are conifers in there now.
Great Dixter Exotic Garden that is.
Everything looks so neatly labeled and tidy in your rock garden. I am impressed. I love the idea of a conifer backdrop and your selections – lined up in a row fresh from the nursery – look wonderful, setting each other’s textures and colors off nicely. I sympathize with the stress of making “big” decisions about placement. I personally like to set them about with minimal pressure and then tweak the arrangement over the course of the next several days, though I end up having to move enough specimens down the line that my process is obviously far from flawless!
Your approach to placement is identical to mine Erin. I think it’ll be a while before I’m ready to plant these conifers! With the labels in the rockery – it’s a new habit I’ve got into as I’m not historically the most organised gardener. Despite the size of this rockery, there are now few planting places available to me and when the bulbs die back I’ll lose where they are and plonk a plant on top of them this summer. I always think I’ll remember where things are but never do!
The rock garden looks great, some really nice things coming through. I was never particularly keen on conifers as a general rule, but a customer of mine has slowly been adding more and more to their garden and they’re really growing on me. I look forward to seeing yours.
Great photos going up on Twitter, by the way!
Hi Andrew, I think my love of conifers was rekindled by a trip to Japan 2 years ago. I realised how diverse and beautiful they are and how some careful pruning can really enhance their appearance. I do worry I’ve bitten off more than I can chew with this though – it could look amazing but also could look dreadful if I get it wrong. Yikes!
Gosh that year has gone quickly given the turmoil the world has been in, your rockery is looking good. I love the white Chinodoxa they are so pretty. When I complete my gravel garden I must move the ones I have into the gravel, they will probably love it there.
Hi Jude – the chinodoxas do seem happy in the rock garden. I just looked at yours on your blog and they’re looking really lovely – you have plenty to transplant!