I must have spring fever. Yesterday, I went to the local garden centre to buy a hoe and a springtine rake. I got both but I also bought a load of annuals suitable for the hanging baskets and tubs: violas (yellow, purple, and yellow/purple); petunias (F1 hybrid Sunshine); dahlias (green leaf mixed); lobelia (white; and Sapphire, a dark blue); impatiens (lilac coloured, commonly known as Buzy Lizzy); and mimulus (F1 hybrid mixed). They are all far too tender to go outside, so my breakfast room (below) has now become a greenhouse during the cold late evenings and nights. The reason for this particular selection of annuals is that they all tolerate partial shade. My hanging baskets are on a more-or-less East facing wall and only get sunshine in the mornings.
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| Violas for hanging baskets |
My young Japanese maple (above) (Acer Palmatum 'Garnet') that I bought recently for half the price I see it in most garden centres, looks splendid already. What a bargain! What I like about Japanese Maples is that they look like large bonsai trees. They make a 'statement' in the garden and they show off their wonderful colours right through to winter. They are deciduous trees/shrubs, but pretty hardy.
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| Acer palmatum Garnet |
My honeysuckle, Lonicera periclymenum Scentsation, looks as if it is going to be a winner. It is full of buds already and one or two are opening. I can't wait for the fragrance to come through my kitchen window.
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| Lonicera periclymenum Scentsation |
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| Lonicera periclymenum Scentsation |
