It has been a beautiful week, a week of recovery, of new flowerings and the start of a new season.
After an extraordinarily wet period, with two storms and a great amount of damage done to plants, it has been wonderful to have a week of beautiful weather and the opportunity to work again in the garden and to see some things make a bit of a late recovery and others make their seasonal appearance. It is all a reassurance that our gardens are inclined by nature to recover and that, by and large, the setbacks which come along are generally only temporary.
Some people can be taken aback by the flowering of snowdrops at this time of the year. Some even consider it somewhat unnatural but, it is perfectly natural and starts a season of six to seven months of snowdrops in the garden. Few plants give such a long season of interest and it is not surprising that snowdrops have become very popular in recent years. These are Galanthus ‘Rachelae’ (Click on this link for a previous blog on this snowdrop) – though some experts will challenge that! It was a very early introduction of the Greek species, Galanthus reginae olgae, and was by an Irishman, a Dr. Mahafy who was Provost of Trinity College, hence my particular interest and wish to continue to grow this snowdrop which came to me through the hands of three outstanding snowdrop enthusiasts.
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The colchicums have continued to develop over the past week. We have had some for quite a few years and they have bulked up well. Others are more recent introductions which, hopefully, will grow in numbers over the coming years. A special delight this year was to see Colchicum ‘Waterlily’ flowering so well. We planted a few bulbs twenty or so years ago along with three young hornbeam trees. The trees grew well but drew the moisture from the surrounding soil so the colchicums dwindled through drought. I rescued them two years ago – a fiddly job taking them out from among the roots of the trees – and transplanted them to a new spot in the garden and they have responded brilliantly. This is one of the better cultivars for the garden as it has a short stem and very full flower. It is in the habit of colchicums, unfortunately, to flop about a bit. Their natural growing situation is in riverside meadows with lush grass to support them.
Click on the first photograph to start a slideshow:
Another of the “naked ladies”, those autumn-flowering bulbs which have flowers but no foliage is the nerine. They have just come into flower in the middle of this week and will continue for some time to come. These are Nerine x bowdenii. We have a number of more tender cultivars in pots in the glasshouse and some have just shown the first signs of flowers appearing.
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Kniphofia caulescens and K. ‘John Benary’ are bringing a good splash of colour to the garden at the moment; both good garden plants, easy to grow and reliable year after year.
Click on the first photograph to start a slideshow:
There are some roses which are unsociable, perhaps, because they are of a colour which doesn’t fit in well with other roses or simply because we have decided they should be planted alone rather than in a rose bed. They are at the end of their season at this stage, a sort of last rose of summer, I suppose. Rosa ‘Souvenir du Docteur Jamain’ is a firm favourite; though a martyr to blackspot it is a fabulously rich deep red and has the most delicious fragrance; ‘Frensham’ is a red I adore. ‘Graham Thomas’ is a gorgeously soft yellow and named for a great plantsman and rosarian; ‘Little Pet’ came back from a holiday in England and a visit to David Austin Roses; ‘Soleil d’Or’ came from Great Dixter; ‘Olivia Rose Austin’ we call “Olivia’s Rose” as it is our granddaughter’s name; and ‘For Your Eyes Only’ should have been left that way!
Click on the first photograph to start a slideshow:
Finally, some little hints of autumn colour are appearing in the garden and the leaves are certainly falling. Best wishes to everybody. I hope you have a good week in the garden and stay safe and healthy.
Click on the first photograph to start a slideshow:
To read more contributors to the Six on Saturday theme go to The Propagator’s entry for today: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2020/09/19/six-on-saturday-19-09-2020/ ,scroll down to the comments and you will find other bloggers have posted links to their Saturday entry there. Lots to read!
Paddy Tobin, An Irish Gardener 
Lovely photos as usual. And yes the weather has been kind to the garden this week and plants have responded to the sun and warmth with heartening vigour.
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I had no idea snowdrops could flower over such a long period. Another beautiful selection of photos.
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Those shown are glasshouse grown. They need high summer temperatures and absolute drought – which doesn’t happen in an Irish garden, though I have some only a little behind growing in a trough against the house wall, sheltered and hot. Those in the glasshouse, I water in mid to late August and they flower four weeks later.
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It was a learning experience for me reading about the snowdrops and the long bloom period they have for you. If only that would happen here! I just adore their dainty blooms. They are my earliest blooming bulb here, the harbingers of spring in New England. I enjoyed all your photos, as always.
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Many thanks. You must seek out the autumn-flowering species and cultivars. G. reginae olgae ‘Tilebarn Jamie’ is one of the tougher and more reliable ones.
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Thanks, Paddy, I’ll check it out!
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Snowdrops and roses!
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You and your wife have created a special place. The variety of flora is really something. In the bottom sequence of photos, what is the plant with a cluster of yellow balls?
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LOL I’m surprised you didn’t recognise them – these are for scratching!!! Botanically, they are crabapples, Malus ‘Golden Hornet’!
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Good luck with those green tips! It will be a wonderful snowdrop if it is stable.
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Yes, it would indeed. This is the second year with them.
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Lovely photos, as always. I had heard a rumour that there were naked ladies on your post, and what beauties they are!
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Paddy, it’s fun for me to view your photos of plants I do not grow, from nerines (which I look at longingly) to kniphofia (which I dug out and gave away!). A climbing Graham Thomas has had a stellar first year here. I’m challenged to find many differences between it and Golden Celebration right now, although perhaps GC’s blooms are a bit deeper and more fragrant? What is the name of the final, single peachy rose?
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The last one in ‘For Your Eyes Only.
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When I click on any of the photographs they go into a slideshow mode and the names appear at the bottom – the names I put on the photographs on my laptop when sorting them appear during the slideshow. Does this happen when you view them?
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Yes, and it is so helpful! Thank you. You really have an incredible garden(s), and such variety. It’s always a treat to see on Saturdays.
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You are very kind. Many thanks!
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I’m among those who are surprised to learn that snowdrops can flower over such a long period of time. How nice if you can name a new variety of snowdrop. The colchicums are lovely – I must keep these in mind for next year. I like the way you’ve used them for underplanting the hydrangea. Of your roses, Rosa ‘Souvenir du Docteur Jamain’ is my favourite.
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Oh, ‘Souvenir du Dr. Jamain’ is really beautiful. It needs space to give it good air to help prevent blackspot. The fragrance is gorgeous.
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Your pictures of Nerines and Kniphofias hit my ‘must do better’ button pretty hard. I try to squeeze too much in and I don’t think either of them like being crowded, they need a bit of social distancing.
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Our conditions seem to suit the kniphofias and the nerines are planted in a very dry and sunny spot, are now very overcrowded, and are doing well there.
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Your photos are beautiful! I hadn’t realized snowdrops would want summer drought – now I’m wondering if I might be able to grow them. Just lovely!
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This summer drought applies to the Greek species, Galanthus reginae olgae. Other do not demand it. I had tried G. reg. olg. in the garden over a long number of years without success – the bulbs would dwindle over a few years and commented to a Greek friend that this was happening despite my following the general advice – excellent drainage, hot position etc until he replied that Ireland does not have the 40C that is common in Greece in the summer and rarely goes without rain in summer so I changed to growing in pots in the glasshouse where they can be stood in full sun and left parched. It has worked perfectly for me and I am delighted to have flowers early in the season. I have several other cultivars of G. reg. olg. coming along also, a little later but already in bud.
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My galanthus were all leaves and only one flower this spring which was very disappointing. Probably the climate here is not right for them and I should be looking at the Greek variety. I certainly have dry summers! Nerines are plants that I can grow, although the emergence of the flowers seems to coincide with the first frosts which do damage to the petals. This year being quite a lot warmer, the flowers lasted longer.
The views of your garden are spectacular. I do like its leafiness, and shaded walks.
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Another incredible selection of stunning flowers for us to look at Paddy. I’m very keen on your early snowdrops and the colchicums. So pretty.
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Many thanks, Katharine!
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Beautiful photos Paddy and very enjoyable to read too.
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That was n interesting read on the snowflakes. Your slide shows are amazing and showcase many gorgeous flowers! Thank you for sharing!
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Many thanks!
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Lovely photos and descriptions Paddy. I brought back some bulbs of red neurones from Japan last October and planted them in a gravel bed. No sign of them. Should I have kept them in the greenhouse I wonder or are they just building up their strength?
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At this time of year, you would normally have flowers but no foliage so it may be a case that they are not going to flower for you this year – bulbs too young/small, perhaps. They like to be planted high in the soil, necks above ground, in a hot, sunny and dry position. I wouldn’t give up on them yet. You could have foliage in spring.
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i can definitely get behind the naked ladies, as it very much were, but i have never seen the fuss about snowdrops, I just don’t get it. i mean they are pretty little things, but they all look the same to me. having dropped that heresy bomb, i’ll back away carefully!
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LOL It is a bomb which has been dropped many, many times and there is a HUGE amount of truth in it. Snowdrops are a fashion plant at the moment and what sells is a new name – not necessarily a new snowdrop. People collect names and the older varieties are very quickly forgotten. It is a money game with new names costing £50 – £100 and more, much more at times. However, parallel to the other world is the usual world of ordinary gardeners where these frightfully priced bulbs are simply passed around, swapped, given as gifts etc etc – I am in the latter bunch!
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My mam had nerines in her garden and I borrowed a few but they have not thrived for me, Paddy. I do have six or seven in bloom in a small pot but I’ll need to do better.
I’m very late catching up on all my SOS reading this week. I can see that you’ve had a good gardening week, as have I. Thus the late completion of reading.
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They need the hottest and driest spot to do well.
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Makes sense, when I see where mam had them. I was always amused to see part of the bulb above soil.
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Yes, planted very high in the ground and as they become congested the bulbs rise further.
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