We’re enjoying our ‘identify a plant’ game!
The gardens around her new house in Urmston, Manchester, are a haven of discovery and are gradually revealing their glories as the months pass.
It’s always a pleasure to get up in a morning and take a turn round the garden to see what ha developed during the night – weather permitting of course! This last month, the once empty spaces have gradually filled up, with plants now jostling for position. We’ve been amazed at the many different shades of green and enjoyed our now traditional game of trying to identify each new plant!
As an amateur plant-spotter, I often have to wait for the buds or flowers to appear before having a chance of recognising a plant. I’ve easily identified the roses, fuchsia, aquilegia and a beautifully blowsy peony, but need to employ a variety of research techniques to track down some others. Luckily, I’ve recently received a hefty RHS encyclopaedia to help in the search. I now have a choice of book, internet and more knowledgeable friends to turn to when new plants emerge!
There were two new arrivals that prompted investigation this month. The first was a creeper rapidly covering the back fence. I had no idea until a couple of delicate, white flower clusters appeared and a visiting friend declared it to be a climbing hydrangea. The snowy flowers contrast dramatically with its dark green leaves and I’m hopeful that more flowers will appear in the coming month.
The second arrival appeared suddenly through the pebbles covering the front garden. There were a number of bulbs throwing up long, straight stems and thin leaves that reminded me of extra tall daffodils. They developed buds that contained a number of ‘balls’ and eventually opened their papery cases to reveal hanging clusters of bell-shaped flowers.
This time it was the internet to the rescue. I managed to identify it as the rather fabulously-named Sicilian honey garlic ( Nectaroscordum siculum). Apparently its seed pods are useful for autumn displays so I plan to leave it well alone until then. We can’t wait to see what further surprises are in store over the summer!