Eric & Anthea's garden at different times of year.

[Eric Hardy]

Our Magnolia Stellata is doing well and it has a beautiful delicate scent. Here are a few shots









And a couple of shots of Snake Head Fritillaries by the pond





And a Marsh Marigold in the pond

[ideasguy]

Excellent work again, and thank you for posting and sharing with us Eric.
I had a really good specimen of Magnolia stellata and I recall the scent was delicate but just beautiful. Sadly it died in a winter which really wasn't too severe. My replacements don't seem to have the same quality, but they are only a few years old.
Ive been admiring the plants in my own garden, but we are having some building work done and spring is passing me by. I spent today weeding so perhaps I'll risk a few photos
I have a feeling that the garden is a few weeks earlier this year. What do you think? Its been a very mild March over here, and this past week has been sunny and warm. I can see that your plants are basking in sunshine

[Lyn and Malcolm]

Superb control of the whites on the stellata Eric. 

George. The garden down here is 3 weeks earlier than last year. Last year the garden was 3 weeks later than the previous year. 

Malcolm

[Eric Hardy]

Thank you very much for the compliment, Malcolm.

George: I do not keep records but I have just thought of a good way of comparing. I can view the EXIF on each photo I take which gives the date and time the photo was taken. I have been comparing shots I took last year with ones I have taken this year and I would guess we are about 2 weeks ahead.

[ideasguy]

Thanks Guys. I thought so
Problem is, I'm four to six weeks later than I'd like
Too much has been happening here since just after Christmas.

[NightHawk]

Superb photos as usual again Eric - a fantastic display you're getting too.

We are also getting a combination of very mild, hot, sunny, cold and damp, rainy days.  Our new neighbours here are saying that these 'hotter' days at the moment are unusual.
As this is our first year here we've got nothing to compare it to yet - it's all new to us.

Keep up the great work Eric.

Laurie.

[Eric Hardy]

Thank you Laurie. I hope you are getting settled in now and finding some gems growing of which you were previously unaware.

We have been having much the same weather as you, hot and sunny alternating with cold and grey. We have not been getting the rain though and we have actually been watering!

[NightHawk]

We haven't found any gems as such (yet  ) but things are starting to bloom now.

Some shrubs, that were otherwise just twigs, are starting to get some foliage on them.  Too soon to identify what they are, but hopefully we'll see some flowers appearing.

Got the first grass cut done last week, so that seems to be a good indicator of the growing season getting underway.

Laurie.

[ideasguy]

Good to see you back Laurie! I'm sure there will be some pleasant surprises now the plants are beginning to bloom.
The ones that look like twigs in winter can be breathtaking in spring and summer. My Japanese Maples look pathetic in winter but they are leafing out now. My favourite time of year. Another spectacular in my book would be the deciduous Azaleas - spectacular when they burst into bloom, on leafless stems.

[Eric Hardy]

HURRAH!!! I woke to a thunder clap at 6 am and we have had the first rain for weeks 

[ideasguy]

It has been making an attempt for a few days now, but very little rain so far here in Ireland Eric.
Did you have much rain there?

[NightHawk]

Had thunder and lightning and torrential rain here which started yesterday evening, and continued intermittently through the night into early hours of this morning.

Also caught the tail-end of a mini tornado yesterday evening which touched down in Christchurch.  Just amounted to a couple of minutes of very strong wind and rainfall where we are a few miles away. 
I can't officially confirm that weather anomaly though, just what we were told by a neighbour this morning.  Can't find any news reports anywhere about it. 

It's dry as I write, but looking very overcast.

Laurie.

[Eric Hardy]

Did you have much rain there?

I have examined my neighbour's rain gauge and there was 7.5 mm. It has been fine all day again with patchy cloud.

[Eric Hardy]

Happy accidents of nature: I was looking out of the window towards our front hedge just now and realised how much of what I was looking at was unplanned. The Alberic Barbier rose grows along inside the hedge and emerges from time to time. It has chosen to make what looks like a hybrid bush, half rose and half deutzia. The flower in front of it is a wild rocket which chose to seed itself in the bed as did the foxgloves to the left.





The Alberic Barbier was grown from a cutting from the rose we have growing up the front of our house above the entrance porch (see below). That rose is is 55 years old having planted it as soon as the house was built. That in turn was grown from a cutting Anthea took from a rose belonging to her father and mother. Her parents' rose was ancient so I believe the two plants span a period of over 100 years.

[roiphil]

as always great photos eric and it just goes to show in gardening that what is not planned out or accidental looks great, my planting out so far has been bang that in there stick that one in there but it is just a boundary hedge anyway  , keep the photos coming
Phil

[Eric Hardy]

Thanks Phil. Gardening is often one pleasant surprise after another  tempered with one or two disappointments 

[NightHawk]

It's great to see your garden looking so good in bloom Eric.

'Happy accidents' in gardening (of which we have had a few), are what makes it so much more enjoyable.  You just never know what's going to pop up and surprise you 

Photos are fantastic as always, and as Phil says, keep them coming.

Laurie.

[Eric Hardy]

Thanks Laurie. I haven't been taking many shots of the garden recently, thinking of them as repeats, but of course, every year is different.

[NightHawk]

... thinking of them as repeats, but of course, every year is different.

I think that's exactly the case Eric.  You could take a photo of, say a particular rose, one year - then the same flower next year could have a slightly different look to it.
If that happens then it's good documentary evidence to show to everyone how a particular plant is evolving.

Of course, it's still nice to show a beautiful plant again even if it hasn't changed, just as a comparison to show it isn't evolving - purely for the beauty of it 

Laurie.

[ideasguy]

Great photos Eric, and great tales to go with them.
That Deutsia looks really desirable Eric, and it seems to live in perfect harmony with your Alberic Barbier.
That Rose sure does have pedigree! It must be very dear to you both and a lovely source of fond memories.

Youve captured them all perfectly in your photos. Thank you for sharing them with us on the forum and I echo Phils comment - keep them coming Eric. You take fine photos on your travels and they are always welcome when you post them here.

[Eric Hardy]

Thanks George. Yesterday I meant to take up the challenge of ?keep them coming? but unfortunately I was a bit off colour and didn?t emerge from the house (much better today, thankfully). It occurred to me that I could take one or two shots from the upstairs windows. The first you will recognise as the front hedge posted the day before. If you look carefully in the top right hand corner you might make out two cricketers in white. That is the village cricket pitch.



I took one from our bathroom window where we look down on a hydrangea petiolaris in full flower covering the old stable roof. The pink blossom is kolwitzia (beauty bush)



The last one is taken from the window of our little office. It looks rather strange and almost luminous in the shadow where that circular brown patch occurs. That is where daffodils and narcissi grow and I have only just strimmed it. It will green up if we keep getting a bit of rain. It looks a bit unexplained but that is where a lovely old cherry tree grew and the daffodils grew round it. It got a bit dangerous with limbs dropping off so sadly it had to come down  . The little glimpses of red are Paul Scarlet

The veg patch is out of site at the bottom of the garden but we have just enjoyed our very first spinach of the year.



As a finale, I just walked down the garden a few minutes ago and the sun was shining through this delphinium 

[ideasguy]

I'm sorry to hear that you were housebound for a day Eric. Its good to see you have managed to think of us and take such fine photos.

Your garden is looking very well maintained, and much further on that mine. I have a Paul's Scarlet, but no blooms yet! 
The Rose on your wall in the first shot is blooming away merrily!

Are those foxgloves I spy in the first photo? No sign of mine yet!

Hope you are recovering quickly Eric, and thanks again for making the effort to take and share your photos with us.

[Eric Hardy]

Yes, recovering well, thank you George  .

 We have had this plant for some time but I have never known its name. I took a couple of shots a few minutes ago and here they are. I am sure one of our knowledgeable members will be able to identify it for me, please.

[ideasguy]

My first guess would be Sisyrinchium striatum Eric. Google that and see if the images match.
Hopefully Eric (Palustris) will have a look and comment.

I have one in my garden. In one spot, it chugged along for a number of years and was very poor. I moved a division to another bed and it gave a fine display last year in its second year.
Yours is looking very happy, I must say.

[Eric Hardy]

Thank you George, I have Googled it and I must say the images I have found look very similar. I am pretty certain you are correct. It is nice to find out the name of a mystery plant. The trouble is, if someone asks me in the future I will still have to come rushing in to the computer to check  . No that's wrong, I don't do rushing these days 

Edit, 2.35 pm: I have just checked the bible (RHS A-Z) and I have not doubt at all you are correct, George.