Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Green fingers/pink tips

I did indeed have a bit of a poke around in the garden yesterday. Well, to be honest, more of a saunter and a lazy, leisurely look around - there was no an actual, active poking involved. But it was quite Spring-like yesterday, warm and sunny with the guinea pigs squeaking merrily in the background.

I'm really starting to feel like doing some gardening, clearing weeds and dead foliage and uncovering all the new shoots and sprouts. Exciting.

There are shoots and buds on the clematis and pink tips on my Graham Thomas (fnar fnar). Actually, "clematis" prompts sniggers too in my husband's family, as it is a euphemism for fanny (fanny in the British, not the American sense).

I suppose one could have a white garden, a scented garden, and/or a double entendre/phallic garden. I suppose there would need to be red hot pokers (never liked them). Any further suggestions for planting, please.....

I was always keen on buying plants for their names. I have Mrs. Bradshaw sitting in the perennial border in the summer (which is a geum, but should be a hydrangea, because the flowers look so much like old ladies hats) and I have Miss Wilmott's ghost (though I think that might have disappeared...) .
Miss Wilmott's Ghost is a lovely silvery sea holly (Eryngium) - which got its name, apparently, because Miss Wilmott - who was one of those genteel lady gardeners - thought every garden should have some, and she used to furtively scatter the seeds in other people's gardens so that it would appear some time after she had gone.


I have no flowery armadillos (except for No. 6) - nor armadillos with pink tips, but this one (No.14) has a pink nose:

6 comments:

ramblingwoman said...

oh Lettie, your dillo actually looks like it's alive, alive I tell you! Quite unnerving!

Nice that you were out in the garden. DOn't be fooled by the spring like weather it's going to be snowing again by Monday. (sob sob, boo hool). Btw up the road from us is a nursery that specializes in pelagoniums and iris's!!! Best get youself up here pronto!

Identikit said...

Thanks for your comments on my post. I feel better today.

I don't really understand it though when you lot speak gardening anymore than I do when you speak baking. But Miss Wilmott's Ghost - what a super story behind the name.

I do speak guinea pig though. Mine (well, they're the girls' really but it's me who services their needs) always squeak whenever I go out into the garden. I have quite in depth conversations with them sometimes.

Molly Bloom said...

I used to work in a flower factory and you could have an 'allium gigantium' or a 'ruby giant tulip' which is quite suggestive. I like fritallaria best - very delicate and small.

Tanya said...

It's alive, alive I tell you!! that's been ringing in my head all day...... oh and I so love 'allium gigantium' want one!

Onyx said...

LOL. I always wanted a garden that smelled nice and brought in lots of butterflies and hummingbirds.

Our current yard doesn't have much, except for the palm trees which the birds seem to love. I like to watch the birds.

Molly Bloom said...

Hello Lettuce. Thankyou for meeting me today. It was lovely to see you. I really enjoyed it. Good luck with everythingxxxx