Ivydene Gardens Bulb Flower Shape, Bulb Form, Bulb Use and Bulb in Soil Gallery: |
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The following comes from Chapter IV of Bulbs in the Small Garden from Bulbs for Small Garden by E.C.M. Haes. Published by Pan Books in 1967:-
"A Tour of the Garden This garden is assumed to be in a not particularly mild or well-favoured district and nothing in it is likely to be very difficult or expensive. Nearly all the bulbs suggested in the table during 1967 are bulbs you should be able to grow successfully right from the start. Many are so attractive that you may never wish to be without them. I have not tried to give descriptions of the bulbs I mention here, but do so in Chapters V and VI. Assume that the ground has been cleared of rubbish and perennial weeds and is prepared for planting. The main features, such as borders, together with specimen trees and shrubs, are in place. The time is (ideally) late August). Bulbs are appearing in the shops. Decide how much you can afford to spend; then step into the garden to see (on the actual ground) where you would like to plant the bulbs. On first impression, a typical modern garden in 1967 often seems rather tiny; while the picture on the cover of the bulb catalogue suggests that you ought to posses an acre or two of naturalized narcissi, beneath neat, mature trees; or broad beds massed solid with several hundred tulips or hyacinths apiece. Hoever, bulbs, if well cared for, increase, and more may be bought each year. Two or three dozen tulips in a small bed are just as effective withinn the scale of an eighth of an acre of garden as are tulips by the thousand in the infinitely greater expanse of a public park. Moreover a small garden is a perfect setting for the smaller bulbs - the confetti bulbs and crocus, that may fill so many little pockets around trees and shrubs or against walls and in window-boxes, or in the scale-less alpine garden.
Bed A - Shady Places A shaded border needs planting with the sort of vegetation one would see by a woodland path. Ferns, hostas (funkias), choicier ivies and hellebores are prominent and there may be a bed of lily-of-the-valley and violets. All these plants relish a porous, peaty soil, that drains freely but does not desicate. The secret is to make this shaded bed deep. The prepared soil well laced with peat should go down 24 inches (60 cms) or more. If the bed is small this deep preparation is a perfectly practical proposition. The bulbs for this kind of situation need choosing with care, but they include some of the most beautiful flowers of spring and early summer. A few of the easier lilies such as the Lilium martagons and Lilium regale and its hybrids are excellent in shaded as well as sunny places. Plant also some of the quaint hardy arums; a selection is given in Chapter VI. The hardy cyclamen (also in Chapter VI) are equally suitable for shady places; but perhaps the best of all bulbs for shade in most gardens are the snowdrops. Few garden plants give a greater thrill to a flower lover than a shimmering carpet of snowdrops against the frost-seared ground of late winter. The snowdrop's natural companion is the winter aconite, which does just as well in shade as in sun. Later, in early spring, shaded places may be brightened with woodland anemones and the unusual cyclamen daffodil (See Chapter V). These may be followed by dainty fritillaries and the little lily-like erythroniums, plants to please the most fastidious of gardeners. Most daffodils are as satisfactory in shade as in sun, but I think, myself, that the pale yellow or white-flowered kinds are more attractive in dark places than the bright yellows. Hybrid tulips and hyacinths grow quite well in shade, but they tend to be rather lanky and to bloom late. If you must grow your tulips in a shady place, it is best to use the shorter stemmed earlies rather than taller stemmed later varieties. Crocuses are little use in shade as they rarely open their blooms properly unless they get direct sunlight on their petals.
Bed B - The Warm Border
Bed C - Bulbs in Formal Beds Here is a bed of good soil, in a conspicuous position, that is reserved for mass display. This is achieved by choosing really effective and reliable plants of neat habit that produce masses of colourful flowers simultaneously, and spacing these equally over the bed. When the plants are over, they are lifted and replaced by later-blooming plants to give a second display. One may use a number of different plants in a bedding scheme, but it is wisest to stick to a simple scheme with one or two really dependable kinds and be certain of good results. Many bulbs are used for spring flowering bedding schemes, as you will see in your local parks. Generally, large-flowered hybrid bulbs are more satisfactory for formal bedding than wild species, except in the case of tulips. Tulips are best of all bulbs for bedding. They may be used on their own or may be bedded with well-pinched wall-flowers, or forget-me-nots, for a mixed display. As a change from the usuall florist's tulips, plant a bed of the short or tall stemmed forms of the quite startlingly brilliant scarlet Tulipa fosteriana, or the smaller, but more shapely and equally showy, grey-leaved Tulipa eichleri. The striking Tulipa greigii, with leaves marked like a lizard, and Tulipa kaufmanniana are also very distinctive in early spring bedding schemes, as are hybrids raised from them. Hyacinths Not many people seem to think of using summer-flowering bulbs for bedding. Gladioli are too uncompromisingly stiff and top-heavy for the purpose, but the white-flowered summer hyacinths (the tall and graceful Galtonia candicans), pushing through a ground cover of tuberous begonias, make a striking study. The Technique for Bedding Bulbs Begonias should not be planted until late May, so that they may follow early tulips or hyacinths, which at that time may be lifted and heeled into a reserve bed to dry off. Tuberous begonias go 15 inches (37.5 cms) apart. Summer hyacinths, if used with begonias, should be planted in autumn with the early tulips, at a depth of about 8 inches (20 cms) and 30 iches (75 cms) apart. They will be comming up when the tulips are lifted, so be careful not to damage their shoots.
Bed D - Bulbs in Borders Gladioli and dahlias, however, which need planting each spring and lifting each autumn, fit into the border scheme satisfactorily, where they will be additionally useful for cut flowers. Early colour is easily supplied by groups of daffodils or tulips, as they are planted in autumn after any overcrowded perennials have been divided (Permanent plantings of herbaceous perennials tend to grow sideways as well as up during the growing season. Many gardener's do not bother to lift and divide them either to elsewhere or back into the same DEFINED area that they were designed to be in when they were originally planted from a planting plan for this bed. As happened in the Mixed Beds at Wisley, they kept on becoming wider - I think the posts for support of these tall perennials were moved out each year after they had been removed, the perennial section maintained and then put back to be outside the cleaned up clumps - and then the plants which were behind them became invisible at flowering time and that was a contributory factor to the loss of either the visibility of those flowers or their plant label). Large-cupped daffodils such as 'Fortune' are especially effective. The elegant lily-flowered tulips and the beautifully coloured Breeder tulips are also particularly suitable for grouping in perennial borders, as are the Spanish and Dutch Iris. They bloom in May, just before most of the typical beared iris start to come out.
Bed E - The Mixed Border The garden we are touring is an idealized one, so the mixed border is in a reasonably sheltered position and has been planted with a collection of good quality shrubs and long-lived perennials, such as peonies, hellebores, spurges, astilbes and sea hollies. None of these much attention once established. There are plenty of spaces between the shrubs and the perennials and into these spaces will go the bulbs ( If the bed is not maintained, then the space between these shrubs disappears and the growth of shrubs becomes a uniform dense hedge with everybody desperate to grow upwards to get the sunlight. When I have seen this in a client's garden, I have asked if they do not like any of the shrubs that are in this 'hedge'. If they say no, then I cut through all the branches of each pair of shrubs to divide them and provide 2-3 inches of space apart. Then, I start at the base of a shrub, and go along the first branch from the base until I reach a crossing branch - if the shrub is generally looking as if it is composed of horizontal branches, then I dispose of the vertical crossing branch, and if the other way round, then the horizontal branch. If it is generally an about 45 degrees branched shrub, then I remove the crossing branch that may also be crossing some other branches as well and make sure that the branch that is left is still providing a good outline for the overall shrub. I then continue up the remaining branches. By the time you get to the top, then the shrub has been opened up and sunlight can get through to a great deal of the inner branchwork and create new branches there in the next growing season. Then you will see the individuallity of each shrub, which is what you bought it for in the first place. I do not like it when so called gardeners take a chainsaw to the trees/shrubs and make them into ellipsoids - why not have plastic monstronsiities instead of real plants?). The bulbs should be allowed to grow undisturbed until they become thick and obviously overcrowded by their own offsets. This means they will need lifting again, once planted, for 7 to 10 years. Therefore plant the selected bulbs with great care. Enrich the soil with about 2 ounces per square yard each of bone meal and coarse hoof and horn meal when planting, and work this well into the soil at the level of the base of the bulbs. If the soil is very heavy (i.e. clay) give all daffodils and snowdrops a little pocket of sharp sand (or well smashed brick or weathered ash) mixed with damp peat, to sit on (The combination of clay, sand, humus from peat and bacterium is how soil is bound together from Soil Structure. This is one of the 8 problems for Houseowners and builders when the new home is surrounded by clay and how to solve them as shown on the right hand side of Case 3 - Drive Foundations in Clay Page.). This is especially important for lily bulbs. The Cream of Bulbs If the soil is on the heavy side (clay) mass snowdrops and smaller narcissi whever possible; if lightish (sand or chalk), let the deilcate mauve Crocus tomasinianus and the dainty Cyclamen neapolitanum naturalize themselves where they will, beneath the taller plants. Scillas, chionodoxas and muscari (the 'confetti' bulbs) and anemones may also spread naturally to good effect. Watch for Trouble. Bulbs in a mixed border may span the seasons. Plant freely for each quarter - snowdrops, crocus and cyclamen for winter; dwarf narcissi, crocus, anemones, and other small bulbs to supplement the taller daffodils in spring; lilies, summer hyacinths, the unusual camassias, selected alliums and oxalis for summer; and crocus, colchicums, cyclamen, nerines and the new, hardy agapanthus for autumn. Even in a small garden it should be possible to grow a good selection, for bulbs take up little space.
Bed F - Naturalized Bulbs in Grass-covered Slope Suppose we have in this garden we are examining, a piece of grass (Position F) between a drive and a hedge. This would be about 5 feet (5 feet = 60 inches = 150 cms) and 25 feet (25 feet = 300 inches = 750 cms) long. Therefore we gaze at the bulb lists to see what
The suggestions I would make are to plant
For spring, plant grape hyacinths to contrast with the semi-dwarf narcissi such as pale yellow 'W.P. Milner'. If the soil suits snowdrops, it should also suit the native 'snakeshead', fritillary. If there IS ample space, any of the taller daffodils named in Chapter VI would be just as suitable. When planting these bulbs in grass, use either a special bulb-planting tool that takes out a plug of turf, or a trowel. If using a trowel, cut the turf neatly on 2 or 3 sides so that it lifts like a little lid, break up the exposed soil at the bottom of the hole, sprinkle it with the bone meal and the hoof-and-horn mixture and place the bulbs carefully so that their bases are 4-5 inches (10-12.5 cms) below the surface. Open up the soil on the lower side of the turf 'lid' with the fingers so that, when you replace it, the neck of the planted bulb pushes easily into the base of the living turf. Lower the turf back and firm it gently. The larger daffodils are best planted singly in each of these 'pockets' but the smaller bulbs of all sorts may be put 3 to 6 together, so that they start off as a nice little colony.
Bed G - Hedge Bottoms - Soil at base of Hedge In each prepared pocket plant 3 or 4 Cyclamen neopolitanum or 12 to 24 crocuses. The Dutch crocus are vigorous enough to grow here, and so is the deceptively dainty-looking Crocus tomasinianus in its several forms. Allium moly, the rampant Ornithogalum umbellatum and the showy, easy grape hyaciinths are also capable of thriving at the base of a hedge. If the soil is deep and rather heavy (clay) the common snowdrop may be planted with a reasonable chance of success.
Bed H - Bulbs in the Rock Garden - Alpine Garden At once the perspective changes. Here is a garden within a garden. A rock garden is easily ruined if over-sized bulbs are planted among the alpine. Indeed the question of bulbs for an alpine garden is so important that a book has been written , specifically on this subject by Mr E.B. Anderson, in Dwarf Bulbs for the Rock Garden (Nelson, 1959). Alpine gardening is a wonderfully absorbing hobby, calling for patience, imagination and the skill that comes with willing practice. There is no real reason why any of the scillas, muscari or even Dutch crocus should be excluded from the rock garden; but if these familiar kinds are used, the rock garden tends to lose that exclusiveness that sets it apart from the rest of the garden. If you are not sensitive about this and merely want colourful alpines, grow them in a simple alpine bed, and mix any of these small bulbs with them. When planting bulbs in it make sure you plant them in natural groups of 6 or more, rather than in ones and twos - or in rows and circles, as any formal pattern is quite out of keeping with a collection of alpines. |
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The Plan in Detail Key to Plan
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Position |
Season |
Recommended Bulbs |
Recommended Planting |
A Shaded Border |
Winter |
150 Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) |
Scattered over border |
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12 Giant snowdrops (Galanthus elwesii) |
In 1 group |
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6 Cyclamen orbiculum |
In 1 group |
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Spring |
50 Fritillaria melagris |
Scattered at front |
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24 Narcissus 'Thalia' |
In 4 groups of 6 |
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24 Narcissus 'La Riante' |
In 3 groups of 8 |
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50 Anemone appenina |
Scattered |
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12 Erythronium tuolumnense |
In 1 group at front |
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Summer |
6 lilium martagon album with |
In 1 prominent group |
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3 Arisaema candidissimum |
In 1 group in special pocket |
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6 Cyclamen europaeum |
In 1 group at front |
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Autumn |
12 Cyclamen neapolitanum |
In 2 groups |
B Border by Warm Wall |
Winter |
24 Crocus laevigatus fontenayi |
Scattered |
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24 Crocus sieberi |
Scattered |
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24 Crocus susianus |
Scattered |
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12 Cyclamen coum |
At front |
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12 Iris reticulata |
In 2 groups |
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6 Iris reticulata 'Cantab' |
In group |
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6 Iris histriodes 'Major' |
In group |
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Spring |
12 Tulipa eichleri |
In 2 groups |
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3 Tulipa saxatilis |
Against wall |
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12 Triteleia uniflora |
Scattered |
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12 Cyclamen repandum |
In 2 groups |
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6 Anemone fulgens |
In 1 group |
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24 Narcissus jonquilla |
In 2 groups |
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Summer |
3 Lilium candidum |
In 1 group |
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12 Ixia viridflora |
In 1 group at front |
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12 Allium cyaneum |
In 2 groups at front |
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12 Tigridia pavonia |
In 2 groups against wall |
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1 Crinum powellii |
At back against the wall |
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Autumn |
6 Nerine bowdenii |
Along wall at back |
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12 Zephyranthes candida |
In 2 groups at front |
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6 Leucojum autumnale |
In 1 group at front |
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6 Sterbergia lutea angustifolia |
In 1 group at front. |
C Formal Bed - Border for Bedding Schemes |
Spring |
50 Tulip 'La Tulipe noire'and 50 Tulip 'Glacier' |
In alternate planting evenly spaced over bed |
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Summer |
25 Double Begonias |
Evenly over bed |
D Herbaceous Border |
Spring |
36 Narcissus 'Beersheba' |
In 3 groups of 12 |
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24 Narcissus 'Carlton' |
In 2 groups of 12 |
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24 Lily tulip 'Yellow Marvel' |
In 2 groups of 12 |
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36 Lily tulip 'Fire lily' |
In 3 groups of 12 |
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12 Iris 'Wedgewood' (Dutch) |
In 2 groups of 6 |
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12 Iris 'Mont Blanc' (English) |
In 2 groups of 6 |
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Summer |
25 Gladiolus 'Spitfire' (dwarf) |
In 1 or 2 groups |
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25 Gladiolus 'Elf' (dwarf, butterfly) |
In 1 or 2 groups |
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12 Monbretia 'Goldfinch' |
In 2 groups of 6 |
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12 Gladiolus 'Snow Princess' |
In 4 groups of 3 |
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6 Lilium 'Enchantment' |
In 2 groups of 3 |
E Mixed Border |
Winter |
100 Crocus tomasinianus |
Scattered over border |
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100 Snowdrops |
Scattered |
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50 Aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) |
Scattered |
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100 Hyacinthus azureus |
Scattered |
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12 Hyacinthus azureus albus |
Scattered |
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100 Scilla sibirica |
Scattered |
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Spring |
25 Anemone blanda |
At front of border |
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25 Crocus 'Yellow Mammoth' |
Scattered |
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25 Crocus 'Little Dorrit' |
Scattered |
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100 Narcissus bulbocodium |
Scattered |
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24 Narcissus 'February Gold' |
Scattered |
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24 Narcissus 'Tresamble' |
In 2 groups of 12 |
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3 Fritillaria imperialis |
In 1 prominent group |
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50 Fritillaria meleagris |
Scattered |
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12 Tulipa fosteriana 'Princeps' |
In one group at front of border |
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50 Erythronium denscanis |
Scattered |
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Summer |
12 Camassia esculenta |
In 2 groups of 6 |
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12 Allium karataviense |
In 2 groups of 6 |
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24 Allium ostrowskianum |
In 3 groups of 8 |
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12 Lilium regale |
In 2 groups of 6 |
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6 Lilium maxwill |
In 1 group |
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6 Lilium 'Enchantment' |
In 1 group |
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12 Galtonia candicans |
In 2 groups of 6 |
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3 Agapanthus 'Headbourne Hybrids' |
In one prominent group |
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Autumn |
24 Cyclamen neapolitanum |
In small groups of 2 or 3 |
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6 Cyclamen neapolitanum album |
In small groups of 2 r 3 |
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50 Crocus speciosus |
In 2 groups of 25 |
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12 Crocus speciosus albus |
Together with 1 group of above |
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6 Colchicum speciosum album |
In 1 group |
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6 Colchicum 'Lilac Wonder' |
In 1 group |
F Grass-covered Slope |
Winter |
50 Double Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis 'Flore Plena') |
scattered all over lower edge of slope |
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100 Crocus tomasinianus |
Scattered all over |
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Spring |
50 Narcissus 'Spring Beauty' |
In bold groups of 10 |
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50 Narcissus pseudonarcissus |
In groups of 2-5 |
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50 Crocus 'Yellow Mammoth' |
In groups of 10 |
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100 Muscari 'Heavenly Blue' |
In groups of 5-10 |
G Soil at base of Hedge |
Winter |
Galanthus nivalis |
Widely scattered along hedge |
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Spring |
Ornithogalum umbellatum |
Widely scattered along hedge |
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Summer |
Allium moly |
In groups of 6 or more |
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Oxalis floribunda |
In groups |
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Autumn |
Cyclamen neapolitanum |
Scattered in groups of 2 or 3 |
H Alpine Garden |
Winter |
12 Narcissus asturiensis |
In 1 group |
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3 Narcissus bulbocodium romieuxii |
In 1 group |
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12 Leucojum vernum |
In 2 groups of 6 |
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24 Crocus susianus minor |
In 2 groups |
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12 Crocus fleischeri |
In 1 group |
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6 Cyclamen orbiculatum album |
In 1 group |
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Spring |
6 Tulipa tarda |
In 1 group |
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6 Tulipa aucheriana |
In 1 group |
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12 Narcissus triandrus albus |
In 2 groups of 6 |
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6 Arisarum proboscidium |
In 1 group in cool corner |
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Summer |
12 Oxalis adenophylla |
In 3 groups of 4 |
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6 Cyclamen europaeum |
Separately |
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6 Allium caeruleum |
In 1 group |
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Autumn |
6 Allium flavum minor |
In 1 group |
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12 Leucojum autumnale |
In 2 groups of 6 |
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6 Galanthus reginae-olgae |
In 1 group |
I Window box |
Winter |
3 Galanthus scharlokii |
In 1 group |
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6 Crocus chrysanthus 'Snow Bunting' |
In 1 group |
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3 Cyclamen orbiculatum |
In 1 group |
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3 Narcissus bulbocodium romieuxii |
In 1 group |
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Spring |
3 Arisarum probiscidium |
In 1 group |
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6 Narcissus bulbocodium obesus |
In 1 group |
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3 Tulipa linifolia |
At one end of box |
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2 Erthronium revolutum 'White Beauty' |
In central position |
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Summer |
2 Oxalis adenophylla |
Separately |
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3 Cyclamen europaeum |
In 1 group |
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Autumn |
6 leucojum autumnale |
In 2 groups of 3 |
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6 Galanthus reginae-olgae |
In 1 group |
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Topic |
Topic - Bulb Climber in |
Topic - Both native wildflowers and cultivated plants, with these
You know its Each plant in each WILD FLOWER FAMILY PAGE will have a link to:- |
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All Flowers 53 with |
Plant Colour Wheel Uses Uses of Bedding |
Nursery of Nursery of Damage by Plants in Chilham Village - Pages Pavements of Funchal, Madeira Identity of Plants Ron and Christine Foord - 1036 photos only inserted so far - Garden Flowers - Start Page of each Gallery |
Topic - |
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Bulbs - a complete handbook of bulbs, corms and tubers by Roy Genders. Published in 1973 by Robert Hale & Company.
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The Daily Telegraph Best Flowers to Grow and Cut by David Joyce (ISBN 0 7112 2366 1) groups plants according to defined characteristics of flower simple shape, elaborated shape, flower details and flower textures. Using that system, this plant gallery has thumbnail pictures in:-
A thumbnail of a plant can be in 4 of the above 5. From the total of 525 bulbs linked to in this gallery with Bulb Form, Bulb Use and/or Bulb in Soil from:-
Floral Diagrams: An Aid to Understanding Flower Morphology and Evolution by Ronse De Craene Louis P. (ISBN-10: 0521493463 and ISBN-13: 978-0521493468) ." Floral morphology remains the cornerstone for plant identification and studies of plant evolution. This guide gives a global overview of the floral diversity of the angiosperms through the use of detailed floral diagrams. These schematic diagrams replace long descriptions or complicated drawings as a tool for understanding floral structure and evolution. They show important features of flowers, such as the relative positions of the different organs, their fusion, symmetry, and structural details. The relevance of the diagrams is discussed, and pertinent evolutionary trends are illustrated. The range of plant species represented reflects the most recent classification of flowering plants based mainly on molecular data, which is expected to remain stable in the future. This book is invaluable for researchers and students working on plant structure, development and systematics, as well as being an important resource for plant ecologists, evolutionary botanists and horticulturists." from Product Description by Amazon. Very useful book if you understand the language of botany. |
The following is Chapter III Bulbs in Cultivation from Pan Piper Bulbs for small gardens by E.C.M. Haes. Published by Pan Books in 1967:- "Bulbs in Cultivation The Horse before the Cart Should you have dunged a piece of ground (as you should to roses and herbaceous plants), allow a year before planting bulbs near the site, as unrotted dung is apt to damage their roots. Most bulbs, however, have a long life in the garden and do need well-prepared fertile soil. Thorough preparation often means a few weeks of sustained hard work, but there is no short cut if you want good results. I remember I once selected a nice little corner in a new garden for a specimen tree to stand in a 'meadow' of daffodils. It was autumn. The rough grass was sickled down, a hole was dug, cleared of some old tins and some rather yellowish roots, and the tree (a standard maple) planted in a pocket of screened soil, mixed with ample peat and bone meal; while 36 'Fortune' daffodils were carefully randomized around it, and planted in the grass, each with a good pinch of bone meal. By the time they were in bloom the following April it was clear that I might have overlooked some nettles. By June these were obviously thankful that I had opened up the turf for them. They clustered fondly around the little tree, and playfully hid the leaves of the daffodils so that I should not see them when I tried to sickle. By August it was ovious that this little piece of landscaping would have to be scrapped until the site had been purged of those grateful nettles. I should have cleared the site properly in the first place. I know of someone else who chose to plant a small group of costly Lilium auratum bulbs close to the place where the builders had mixed concrete and thoroughly limed the surrounding soil in the process. Not many bulbs dislike lime but this lily is that does, very much. If only the site had been systematically dug over the cement lumps would have come to light; but to save time the garden had been planted in pockets, with the result that ?£3 worth of lily bulbs were ruined (this book was published in 1967, when £20 a week was a good wage). Perennial weeds and soil contaminants may prove an endless source of trouble, so put the 'horse before the cart'; clean and prepare the ground FIRST and then plant afterwards, even if it means delaying planting for a year.
Well-drained Soils With the return of rains in autumn the soil becomes damp and the ripened bulbs quickly send out their thin, wire-like roots to tap the moisture, while competition is at a minimum. Few bulbs, except narcissi of the tazetta group (from which 'Paperwhite' and similar forcing varieties have been derived) are swamp dwellers, and, although all need ample moisture in the winter or spring, this moisture must not be stagnant and contaminated. It is also essential that bulbs should be able to root quickly and deeply, and they are best able to do in porous, friable soil. Most bulbs consrqienyly grow best in sandy soil.However, a severe spring drought when bulbs are in active growth may result in the comparatively delicate roots drying out. The sudden check in growth that invariably follows is particularly damaging to lilies and tulips, but all bulbs are more or less prone to sufer. Consequently soil for bulbs must not only be porous but albe tp hold moisture reasonably well. If your soil is clay it will be difficult to do more than prepare special pockets for the bulbs that need really free-draining, porous soil, and in clay it is therefore best to concentrate on the woodland type bulbs, such as narcissi, snowdrops and certain lilies, rather than on bulbous ieis, tulip species or certain miniature narcissi. On the other hand, a light 'Surrey' sand (Perhaps this is the slightly acid sandy soil under the Greensand in Surrey) is ideal for these bulbs and for winter-blooming crocus and suchlike, but not very good for most narcissi, dog's-tooth violets, fritillaries or snowdrops. Nevertheless both sandy and clay soils give better results if an effort is made to bring them reasonably near to the gardener's ideal - the well-drained loam.
Clay Soils Then cover the exposed subsoil at the bottom of the first trench with weathered ashes, clinker, smashed bick, old turves (if free from buttercup or other big weeds), or lime-free rubble, to a depth of up to 4 inches (10 cms). Fork this layer into the subsoil, but do not tread down. Next, spread a thick layer of garden peat over the rest of the plot. Then cover the peat with a layer of sharp grit (with the feel of demerara sugar). Do not use fine sea-sand, as this is limy and also too fine to open up clay soil. Rotted lawn mowings and leaf soil may also be spread over the plot. Fork the peat, sand mixture into the top few inches. Then tackle the next 15-18 inch (37.5-45 cm) of the plot, by turning this spit of soil, with its 'icing' of peat and sand, into the first trench. Treat the second trench thus exposed in the same way as the first, and continue right across the plot, filling the last trench with the barrowed soil from the first dig. While digging, be meticulous about picking out roots of perennial weeds, and rubble left either by the builders or the previous owners (one client was burgled and so when he added an extension; simply spread all the builders detritus in the 0.20 of an acre back garden and left it to its own devices - took me some months to clear). If bulbs are to be planted, get this elaborate preparation done by the end of August so that planting is not delayed. When the plot has been dug over, allow it to settle for a week or so, and then tread systematically to consolidate before planting (After digging, rake the ground level, raking off stones as you go. To firm up the surface, tread the ground on your heels, shuffling up and down in one direction, raking the ground again, then treading again at right angles to the first direction, before raking level again. The treading produces a firm surface.). Never attempt to work clay when it is really wet. If you have an unworked clay soil, this elaborate preparation will prove its worth over many years. If you can only manage to collect a certain amount of rubble, peat and sharp sand at a given time, concentrate on peparing the most important places and keep the rest of the garden under a cheap grass mixture, kept mown to about 0.5 inch (1.25 cm), until you have sufficient material to treat it thoroughly. In an established garden on clay, new bulbs should have a good helping of peat and sand dug into their sites before planting (one of my clients had a back lawn on clay which squelched when it rained. I cut the grass very low and spread a light dressing of Top Dressing on top. I repeated this monthly twice more. This then converted the soil to a sandy soil and stopped it from squelching - see how soil is bound together from Soil Structure). This is one of the 8 problems for Houseowners and builders when the new home is surrounded by clay and how to solve them as shown on the right hand side of Case 3 - Drive Foundations in Clay Page.
Other Soils.
Chalky Soils. However, there are bulbs which are not worth trying to grow in limy soil - nor indoors if they have to be watered with hard tap water. The ones not worth trying in limy soil include the commoner liliies: Lilium auratum, Lillium canadense (and indeed virtually all lilies from North America), Lilium speciosum and Lillium tigrinum (the familiar tiger lily). A number of the South Africans dislike much lime, an important point, because these include many bulbs ideal for growing under glass in pots. The North American dog's-tooth violets (Erythronium revolutum and the others), Sternbergia lutea angustifolia and the quaint little Narcissus cyclamineus are also lime-haters. The spectacular tigridia is border-line. I have grown it in chalky soil satisfactorily, but some writers say it is a lime-hater.
Feeding for the Future It is not difficult to keep a sound bulb in good condition for many seasons. The first requirement is a good porous, but moisture-holding soil. Sun-loving kinds, such as tulips and crocus, deteriorate unless planted in sunny parts of the garden where they may ripen properly, but most narcissi, lilies and other woodland bulbs keep blooming from year to year in partial or even total shade. All bulbs, however, need feeding from time to time, unless the soil is really fertile. They are best fed by means of slow-acting fertilizers. The 2 ideal substances for feeding bulbs are hoof-and-horn meal and coarse, slow-acting bone meal. M about 1 part by weight of the first with 2 parts by weight of the other and sprinkle about a handful per square foot (12x12 inches = 1 square foot = 30 x 30 cms = 900 square centimetres = 0.09 sqare metres) of this mixture over the ground just before planting. If the soil is tacky and you are planting lilies, Mediterranean or South African bulbs, or delicate woodlanders, such as North American erythroniums, apply about a heaped trowelful of0.75 inch (18 mm) grade charcoal per square foot and work this in with the peat, sand and slow-acting plant foods. Charcoal is a soil sweetener, not a plant food, but I know of few more valuable substances for guarding against the rotting of sensitive plants. Once bulbs are established they benefit from an annual top dressing of bone meal at about a handful (2 ounces) per square yard. If plants are inclined to grow lush in your particular soil, add a heaped teaspoonful of sulphate of potash to this mixture, and apply around the bulbs as soon as they aregrowing strongly above the soil. This top dreessing is recommende for bulbs in permanent positions. Where bulbs are bedded out for a season only, there is no need for a top dressing, provided that the planting mixture has been given. Ihave not recommended chemical salts (except sulphate of potash) for feeding bulbs, because, unless these are applied by an experienced hand it is all too easy to damage the plants by giving too much." |
"Bulbs (which are referred to as "true bulbs") grow in layers, much like an onion. At the very center of the bulb is a miniature version of the flower itself. Helping the bulb to stay together is something called a basil plate, which is that round and flat hairy thing (those are the beginnings of roots) on the bottom of the bulb. Bulbs reproduce by creating offsets. These little bulbs are attached to the larger bulb.
Image via University of Illinois Extension Service
Corms look a lot like bulbs on the outside but they are quite different. They have the same type of protective covering and a basal plate like the bulb does, but do not grow in layers. Instead the corm is the actual base for the flower stem and has a solid texture. As the flower grows, the corm actually shrivels as the nutrients are used up. Essentially the corm dies, but it does produce new corms right next to or above the dead corm, which is why the flowers come back year after year. Depending on the type of flower, it may take a couple years to reach blooming size.
 Image via University of Illinois Extension Services
So a corm is a swollen stem base that is solid stem tissue rather than layers (the modified leaves)." from the Butterfly Jungle. ------------------ "Bulbs have a tendency to die out unless lifted every other year, the divisions
separated and planted out to maintain vigor. My plants eventually died out from
neglect, but bulbs are freely available wherever large selection of Holland bulbs
 are sold in the autumn." from PlantBuzz - Plantbuzz.com is the starting point to Mark McDonough's eclectic horticultural musings and illustrated plant studies on the web. From here, you can access several areas of horticultural study that monopolized my attention over the past 30 years. The section for which I have greatest ambition is Allium Central, the goal being the most complete resource on the web dedicated to the genus Allium. With similar scarcity of on-line information as Allium, the hardy hibiscus are a wonderful group of woody shrubs and herbaceous perennials worthy of greater prominence in gardens and literature. Visit the Hardy Hibiscus Home to learn more about these late blooming plants, and to access pertinent links. To round out the miscellany of horticultural topics, Cleome Studies provides links and information on this large genus of showy annual plants, for which only a few species are known and grown. And last, there is the Rock Gardening page, a miscellany unto itself, exploring any and all alpine, rock garden, and woodland plants that interest me.
A bulb is an under ground storage organ consisting of a series of scales attached to a basal plate ,such as tulip , allium ,lily. A corm is a solid tissue mass with specific points for growth nodes and roots, such as gladiolus, crocus. A tuber is and underground stem capable of producing buds and roots, such as begonia or calla. A rhizome is a swollen root modified to be come a storage organ and capable of the same, eremurus, lily of the valley,aconitum. They are in general called "bulbs". They are underground storage organs developed to overcome adverse climate conditions and capable of producing above ground plants at certain times and survive mostly by division.
DDD Foundation |
Being a National Trust Member, I travelled to Sissinghurst Castle Garden on Thursday 12 April 2018, in order to take photos of the plants in the garden -
I took photos in the cutting garden, which is open each Thursday.
The orchard was still shut down to visitors due to the effects of rain. The daffodil season is not long. Knowing that the visitor numbers of 2 a day might do too much damage to the ryegrass in that orchard and the turf elsewhere, perhaps the National Trust could put out another appeal to bolster their miniscule budget to use Grass Reinforement Plastic Mesh on all their turfed areas - the following is one company:- "Suregreen Ltd provide a range of GR11 and GR14 grass reinforcement plastic mesh. Plastic mesh is ideal to reinforce grass as it can be fixed to the ground, and when the grass grows, the roots and sward of the grass intertwine with the mesh filaments to create a strong, stable, protected and reinforced grass surface. Suitable for areas that get worn, rutted and become muddy by excess traffic (cars, vans, people, trucks). Suregreen offer two products, a turf reinforcement mesh for occasional frequent traffic and grass reinforcement mesh for more regular and heavier traffic". Many of the spring bulbs were in flower in the Lime Walk, but were unidentified. A piece of paper was available to state the names of the bulbs in the pots scattered throughout the garden and where the pots were. The flowering bulbs in the remainder of the garden were also unidentified.
The prepared supports could then educate you in informing you how to support your own roses and other climbers.
The emerging foliage was great to see as long as it had a label with it.
A new bed had been created beyond the Lime Walk with new plants and mulched with bark and a new bark path, but with no plant labels.
When one inspected the labelling in the remainder of the beds which were bounded by paths ( the others bounded by lawns were roped off due to the rain); one found broken plant labels and more than 30% of the plants unlabelled.
When I spoke to 1 of the gardeners, I was informed that visitors steal the labels and that they were in discussion as to whether they would label any of the plants in the future.
Now, this is a famous GARDEN with PLANTS in it that visitors come to see and you have a plant shop that sells plants grown and shown in the garden. IF you have no labels on the plants in the garden, how do you expect your visitors to know what to ask for when they do not know the name? A possible solution is that you replace all the plant labels with a label with a bed identity followed by a plant number starting with 1. A ringbinder book with 2 pages facing each other will be produced for sale to the public. The plan of a bed with the permanent planting will be on the left and the bedding or changed permanent planting will be on the right. The Book will be updated to the next version in October each year. An Appendix with the Bedding and changed permanent planting will be produced in June for buyers of the ring-binder to change the relevant pages. Since the gardener specified that most people are not interested in the names of the plants and just simply enjoy the garden, then for those who wish to use the garden for what it was designed for when first opened to the public, then the public can learn and start to copy better practice and be able to see the name of the plant they like in the garden before the possibility of buying it in the shop. This would hopefully upgrade the handwritten scribbles on paper plans and one would hope that a valid history of each of the plants in the garden could be produced to aid the cultivation of the same by the public when it is released. Otherwise, what is the garden for and why do the gardeners and volunteers work there? Simply to provide employment?
I have indicated what I think is wrong with the labelling system at Wisley including the Trade Name (Retail Name) label for roses in the a large Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden and the fact that being 6 inches away from a plant in the Alpine House, then you still cannot read that alpine's plant label. Why do we have people who put plant labels in 7 rows in a public garden in the Spring and then the tulips grow and hide those plant labels from Rows 2 to 7? Then in July; the public are asked to choose which tulip they prefer (Each Tulip occupies an area 36 x 36 inches - 90 x 90 cms - with a 6 inch - 15 cm - gap between each tulip area). Do the designer's never look at the result? I suppose as a member of the British Public, we have learnt to withstand being treated like 3 month old babies - being sold a tumble dryer - designed and made by people from Germany - that if the condensed water does in fact clean the condenser, then you will need to buy another since you cannot get to the matchbox-sized waste in the water trap and that stops the machine from working causing £200 bills from the maintenance engineer - with the British Stiff Upper Lip. Once you need another machine, you can still go to the shops and buy the same design fault again!!! That is why a 1 year course for students at Wisley is so crass - they do not provide a history of what has happened with the work that they have done, so that they cannot correct it the next year; and then also not correct their pruning technique to what should be done to buddlejas rather than haircutting them? The students should also question the plant labelling system and if they cannot find an answer, then consult the American Universities who perhaps found the answer back in 1872. Since I am as thick as 2 short planks, I do not realise that foreigners might be more intelligent than us superior British idiots.
I wonder what would happen if members only attended these gardens of The National Trust or The Royal Horticultural Society, brought their own water with bread/dripping and no money or credit cards for the shops/cafes/restaurants, until all plant areas were properly labelled or some other non-electronic method (for ancients like me; who do not have laptops, tablets or mobile phones with the internet on them with them) like the ring-binder above was adopted at all the garden properties of that organisation? Perhaps on my birthday of 7 August. |
I visited The Salutation - The Secret Gardens of Sandwich in April 2018.
Currently in August 2023, I have given up looking at Royal Horticultural Gardens or National Trust Gardens, because what am I going to gain by it except see collections of unidentified flowers, with no relation to when the original owner did their design and is shown in their book for sale; but which bears little relationship to the current state of the garden. So I have given up on the RHS, since I expected them to at least do - for instance the pruning of the shrubs and climbers in their gardens according to their own pruning guides; the red secateurs flying through the sky remind me about pigs flying. |
A list which gives the meanings of many flowers and foliage that can be used to create special symbolic meanings on your wedding day. |
Now, if you want a low maintenance garden, where you could relax with a cup of Green Tea without the harmful effects of caffeine, whilst cavorting with your pet rabbits, then:-
Of course, it might be better to build an Alpine House, then:-
This could be used by wheelchair users, retired people in retirement homes and those recuperating from illness or accident. |
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These are the galleries that will provide the plants to be added to their own Extra Index Pages
The following Extra Index of Bulbs is created in the
Having transferred the Extra Index row entry to the relevant Extra Index row for the same type of plant in a gallery below; then
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Index of Bulbs from Further details on bulbs from the Infill Galleries:-
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Bulbs and Corms with
Index of Bulbs from
Website Structure Explanation and
There are other pages on Plants which bloom in each month of the year in this website :-
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Functional combinations in the border from the International Flower Bulb Centre in Holland:- "Here is a list of the perennials shown by research to be the best plants to accompany various flower bulbs. The flower bulbs were tested over a period of years in several perennial borders that had been established for at least three years. In combination with hyacinths:
In combination with tulips:
In combination with narcissi:
For narcissi, the choice was difficult to make. The list contains only some of the perennials that are very suitable for combining with narcissi. In other words, narcissi can easily compete with perennials. In combination with specialty bulbs:
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UKButterflies Larval Foodplants website page lists the larval foodplants used by British butterflies. The name of each foodplant links to a Google search. An indication of whether the foodplant is a primary or secondary food source is also given. Please note that the Butterfly you see for only a short time has grown up on plants as an egg, caterpillar and chrysalis for up to 11 months, before becoming a butterfly. If the plants that they live on during that time are removed, or sprayed with herbicide, then you will not see the butterfly. |
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Plants used by the Butterflies follow the Plants used by the Egg, Caterpillar and Chrysalis as stated in |
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Plant Name |
Butterfly Name |
Egg/ Caterpillar/ Chrysalis/ Butterfly |
Plant Usage |
Plant Usage Months |
Egg, |
1 egg under leaf. |
10 days in May-June |
||
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant. |
Hatches after 18-22 days in April. |
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Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
- |
||
Egg, |
1 egg at base of plant. |
Late August-April |
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Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
- |
||
Egg, |
1 egg laid on underside of leaflets or bracts. |
7 days in June. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg laid on underside of leaflets or bracts. |
7 days in June. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg laid under the leaf or on top of the flower. |
7 days in August. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg under leaf. |
10 days in May-June. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
2 weeks |
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Cabbages - Large White eats all cruciferous plants, such as cabbages, mustard, turnips, radishes, cresses, nasturtiums, wild mignonette and dyer's weed |
Egg,
|
40-100 eggs on both surfaces of leaf. |
May-June and August-Early September. 4.5-17 days. |
|
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of leaf. |
May-June and August. 7 days. |
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Cabbages:- |
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of leaf. |
July or August; hatches in 3 days. |
|
Cabbages:- |
Egg, |
1 egg laid in the tight buds and flowers. |
May-June 7 days. |
|
Cherry with |
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant. |
Hatches after 18-22 days in April. |
|
Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
- |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
10 days in May-June. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
6 days in May-June. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg under leaf. |
|
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(Common CowWheat, Field CowWheat) |
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 16 days in June. |
|
Currants |
Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
|
|
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 20 days in July. |
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Dog Violet with |
Egg, |
1 egg on oak or pine tree trunk |
15 days in July. |
|
Dog Violet with |
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf or stem. |
Hatches after 15 days in May-June. |
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Dog Violet with |
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf or stem. |
Hatches after 10 days in May-June. |
|
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
||
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant. |
Hatches after 18-22 days in April. |
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False Brome is a grass (Wood Brome, Wood False-brome and Slender False-brome) |
Egg, |
1 egg under leaf. |
... |
|
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 20 days in July. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg laid on underside of leaflets or bracts. |
7 days in June. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf or stem. |
Hatches after 10 days in May-June. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg laid under the leaf or on top of the flower. |
7 days in August. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. 5 or 6 eggs may be deposited by separate females on one leaf. |
14 days in July-August. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg laid in the tight buds and flowers. |
May-June 7 days. |
||
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 20 days in July. |
||
Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
|
||
Egg, |
1 egg under leaf. |
1 then |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg at base of plant. |
Late August-April. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
10 days in May-June. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
2 weeks |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
6 days in May-June. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of leaf. |
May-June and August. 7 days. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. 5 or 6 eggs may be deposited by separate females on one leaf. |
14 days in July-August. |
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Narrow-leaved Plantain (Ribwort Plantain) |
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 16 days in June. |
|
Narrow-leaved Plantain (Ribwort Plantain) |
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 16 days in June. |
|
Nasturtium from Gardens |
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of leaf. |
May-June and August. 7 days. |
|
Egg, |
1 egg on tree trunk |
15 days in July. |
||
Mountain pansy, |
Egg, Chrysalis |
1 egg laid under the leaf or on top of the flower. |
7 days in August. 3 weeks in September |
|
Egg, |
1 egg on tree trunk. |
15 days in July. |
||
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 20 days in July. |
||
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant. |
Hatches after 18-22 days in April. |
||
Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
- |
||
Egg, |
1 egg under leaf. |
|
||
Egg, |
1 egg laid under the leaf or on top of the flower. |
7 days in August. |
||
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant. |
Hatches after 18-22 days in April. |
||
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 16 days in June. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
||
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of a flower bud on its stalk. |
7 days. |
||
Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
|
||
Egg, |
1 egg under leaf. |
|
||
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
2 weeks |
||
Trefoils 1, 2, 3 |
Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
6 days in May-June. |
|
Egg, |
Groups of eggs on upper side of leaf. |
- |
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Egg, |
1 egg laid on underside of leaflets or bracts. |
7 days in June. |
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Violets:- |
Egg, |
1 egg on underside of leaf or on stalk. |
July-August for 17 days. |
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Violets:- |
Egg, |
1 egg on stem or stalk near plant base. |
July to hatch in 8 months in March. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. |
2 weeks. |
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Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant. |
Hatches after 18-22 days in April. |
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Egg, |
1 egg on leaf. 5 or 6 eggs may be deposited by separate females on one leaf. |
14 days in July-August. |
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Willow |
Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches encircling the branch of the food plant. |
Hatches after 18-22 days in April. |
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Egg, |
Eggs laid in batches on the under side of the leaves. |
Hatches after 20 days in July. |
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Plants used by the Butterflies |
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Plant Name |
Butterfly Name |
Egg/ Caterpillar/ Chrysalis/ Butterfly |
Plant Usage |
Plant Usage Months |
Asters |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
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Runner and Broad Beans in fields and gardens |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
April-June or July-September. |
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Aubretia in gardens |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November |
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Butterfly |
Eats sap exuding from trunk. |
April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
20 days. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-June |
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Holly Blue |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
July-October. |
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Buddleias |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
July-October. |
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Wood White |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-June. |
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Cabbage and cabbages in fields |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
April-June or July-September. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
July-October |
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Adonis Blue |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
1 Month during Mid-May to Mid-June or during August-September |
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Pale Clouded Yellow |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November |
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Cow-wheat |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
June-July |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-June |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
3 weeks between May and September |
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Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys - Birdseye Speedwell) |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
June-July |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
July-October. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
30 days in May-June. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-September |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
May-June for 18 days. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
July-October |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
1 Month. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
July-October. |
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Painted Lady |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
July-October. |
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Marigolds in gardens |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-June or August till killed by frost and damp in September-November |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
1 Month during Mid-May to Mid-June or during August-September. |
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Michaelmas Daisies |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
July-October |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
April-June or July-September. |
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Narrow-leaved Plantain (Ribwort Plantain) |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
June-July |
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Nasturtiums in gardens |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
April-June or July-September |
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Butterfly |
Eats sap exuding from trunk. |
April-Mid June and Mid July-Early September for second generation. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
June. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
May-June. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
July-October. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
July-May |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
7 weeks in July-August. |
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Comma |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
July-October. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
3 weeks between May and September |
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Trefoils 1, 2, 3 |
Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
1 Month during Mid-May to Mid-June or during August-September |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar. |
20 days in August. |
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
June.
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Butterfly |
Eats nectar |
June-July |
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Apple/Pear/Cherry/Plum Fruit Tree Blossom in Spring |
Butterfly |
Eats Nectar |
April-May |
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Rotten Fruit |
Butterfly |
Drinks juice |
July-September |
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Tree sap and damaged ripe fruit, which are high in sugar |
Butterfly |
Hibernates inside hollow trees or outhouses until March. Eats sap or fruit juice until April. |
10 months in June-April |
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Wild Flowers |
Large Skipper |
Butterfly |
Eats Nectar |
June-August |
Links to the other Butterflies:- Black Hairstreak |
Topic - Wildlife on Plant Photo Gallery. Some UK native butterflies eat material from UK Native Wildflowers and live on them as eggs, caterpillars (Large Skipper eats False Brome grass - Brachypodium sylvaticum - for 11 months from July to May as a Caterpillar before becoming a Chrysalis within 3 weeks in May) chrysalis or butterflies ALL YEAR ROUND. |
Wild Flower Family Page (the families within "The Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers" by David McClintock & R.S.R. Fitter, Published in 1956 They are not in Common Name alphabetical order and neither are the common names of the plants detailed within each family. The information in the above book is back-referenced to the respective page in "Flora of the British Isles" by A.R. Clapham of University of Sheffield, |
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When you look at the life history graphs of each of the 68 butterflies of Britain, you will see that they use plants throughout all 12 months - the information of what plant is used by the egg, caterpillar, chrysalis or butterfly is also given in the above first column.
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A FLAILED CORNISH HEDGE - This details that life and death from July 1972 to 2019, with the following result:- End note, June 2008. I hear spring vetch has been officially recorded somewhere in West Cornwall and confirmed as a presence in the county, so perhaps I can be permitted to have seen it pre-1972 in the survey mile. I wonder where they found it? It's gone from hedges where it used to be, along with other scarcities and so-called scarcities that used to flourish in so many hedges unrecorded, before the flail arrived. I have given careful thought to including mention of some of the plants and butterflies. So little seems to be known of the species resident in Cornish hedges pre-flail that I realise some references may invite scepticism. I am a sceptic myself, so sympathise with the reaction; but I have concluded that, with a view to re-establishing vulnerable species, it needs to be known that they can with the right management safely and perpetually thrive in ordinary Cornish hedges. In future this knowledge could solve the increasingly difficult question of sufficient and suitable sites for sustainable wild flower and butterfly conservation - as long as it is a future in which the hedge-flail does not figure.
CHECK-LIST OF TYPES OF CORNISH HEDGE FLORA by Sarah Carter of Cornish Hedges Library:-
Titles of papers available on www.cornishhedges.co.uk:-
THE GUILD OF CORNISH HEDGERS is the non-profit-making organisation founded in 2002 to support the concern among traditional hedgers about poor standards of workmanship in Cornish hedging today. The Guild has raised public awareness of Cornwall's unique heritage of hedges and promoted free access to the Cornish Hedges Library, the only existing source of full and reliable written knowledge on Cornish hedges." |
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Recommended Plants for Wildlife in different situations
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From the Ivydene Gardens Box to Crowberry Wild Flower Families Gallery: |
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The Bumblebee Pages website is divided into five major areas:
FORCED INDOOR BULBS in Window Box Gardens. |
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Theme |
Plants |
Comments |
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Thyme |
Thymus praecox, wild thyme Thymus pulegioides Thymus leucotrichus Thymus citriodorus |
Thymes make a very fragrant, easy to care for windowbox, and an excellent choice for windy sites. The flower colour will be pinky/purple, and you can eat the leaves if your air is not too polluted. Try to get one variegated thyme to add a little colour when there are no flowers. |
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Herb |
Sage, mint, chives, thyme, rosemary |
Get the plants from the herb section of the supermarket, so you can eat the leaves. Do not include basil as it need greater fertility than the others. Pot the rosemary up separately if it grows too large. |
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Mints |
Mentha longifolia, horse mint Mentha spicata, spear mint Mentha pulgium, pennyroyal Mentha piperita, peppermint Mentha suaveolens, apple mint |
Mints are fairly fast growers, so you could start this box with seed. They are thugs, though, and will very soon be fighting for space. So you will either have to thin and cut back or else you will end up with one species - the strongest. The very best mint tea I ever had was in Marrakesh. A glass full of fresh mint was placed in front of me, and boiling water was poured into it. Then I was given a cube of sugar to hold between my teeth while I sipped the tea. Plant this box and you can have mint tea for months. |
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Heather |
Too many to list See Heather Shrub gallery |
For year-round colour try to plant varieties that flower at different times of year. Heather requires acid soils, so fertilise with an ericaceous fertilser, and plant in ericaceous compost. Cut back after flowering and remove the cuttings. It is best to buy plants as heather is slow growing. |
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Blue |
Ajuga reptans, bugle Endymion non-scriptus, bluebell Myosotis spp., forget-me-not Pentaglottis sempervirens, alkanet |
This will give you flowers from March till July. The bluebells should be bought as bulbs, as seed will take a few years to flower. The others can be started from seed. |
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Yellow |
Anthyllis vulneraria, kidney vetch Geum urbanum, wood avens Lathryus pratensis, meadow vetchling Linaria vulgaris, toadflax Lotus corniculatus, birdsfoot trefoil Primula vulgaris, primrose Ranunculus acris, meadow buttercup Ranunculus ficaria, lesser celandine |
These will give you flowers from May to October, and if you include the primrose, from February. Try to include a vetch as they can climb or trail so occupy the space that other plants can't. All can be grown from seed. |
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White |
Trifolium repens, white clover Bellis perennis, daisy Digitalis purpurea alba, white foxglove Alyssum maritimum Redsea odorata, mignonette |
All can be grown from seed. The clover and daisy will have to be cut back as they will take over. The clover roots add nitrogen to the soil. The mignonette flower doesn't look very special, but the fragrance is wonderful, and the alyssum smells of honey. |
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Pink |
Lychnis flos-cucli, ragged robin Scabiosa columbaria, small scabious Symphytum officinale, comfrey |
The comfrey will try to take over. Its leaves make an excellent fertiliser, and are very good on the compost heap, though windowbox gardeners rarely have one. |
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Fragrant |
Lonicera spp., honeysuckle Alyssum maritimum Redsea odorata, mignonette Lathyrus odoratus, sweet pea |
The sweet pea will need twine or something to climb up, so is suitable if you have sliding windows or window that open inwards. You will be rewarded by a fragrant curtain every time you open your window. |
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Spring bulbs and late wildflowers |
Galanthus nivalis, snowdrop Narcissus pseudonarcissus, narcissius Crocus purpureus, crocus Cyclamen spp. |
The idea of this box is to maximize your space. The bulbs (cyclamen has a corm) will flower and do their stuff early in the year. After flowering cut the heads off as you don't want them making seed, but leave the leaves as they fatten up the bulbs to store energy for next year. The foliage of the wildflowers will hide the bulb leaves to some extent. Then the wildflowers take over and flower till autumn |
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Aster spp., Michaelmas daisy Linaria vulgaris, toadflax Lonicera spp., honeysuckle Succisa pratensis, devil's bit scabious Mentha pulgium, pennyroyal |
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Bee Garden in Europe or North America |
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Plants for moths (including larval food plants and adult nectar sources) from Gardens for Wildlife - Practical advice on how to attract wildlife to your garden by Martin Walters as an Aura Garden Guide. Published in 2007 - ISBN 978 1905765041:- |
Marjoram - Origanum officinale |
"On average, 2 gardeners a year die in the UK as a result of poisonous plants. Those discussed in this blog illustrate a range of concerns that should be foremost in the designer’s mind." from Pages on poisonous plants in this website:- |
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Wildlife-friendly Show Gardens
Many of our gardens at Natural Surroundings demonstrate what you can do at home to encourage wildlife in your garden:-
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Ivydene Gardens Water Fern to Yew Wild Flower Families Gallery: |
Only Wildflowers detailed in the following Wildflower Colour Pages |
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Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Blue |
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Cream |
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White A-D |
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1 Yellow |
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Flowering plants of |
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Flowering plants of |