Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature

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When I began to get interested in plants, I thought that Siberian irises were always a shade of blue or perhaps a purple-blue. In my previous garden, I grew blue Iris sibirica and Iris sibirica ‘Golden Edge’ (which is a gorgeous deep violet-blue with a golden edge to the falls). So, years later, when I saw the magenta-purple flowers of Iris sibirica ‘Currier’ I was surprised.

I shouldn’t have been surprised at all. Plant breeders have been busily creating cultivars which come in an impressive variety of colours. Now you can find Siberian irises in a wide range of reds, pinks, and yellows, as well as blues purples and white. (And I wish I had more space to grow them!)

However, pretty as many of the newer cultivars may be, I feel that some of the fancier-looking ones, especially the bi-colours, would not fit into the more naturalistic look of much of my garden. (Some of these more recently-bred Siberian irises can vie with the bearded irises for frilliness and flamboyance.) I prefer the slim elegance and more delicate look of the flowers of the plants that are closer to the original species.

The flower shape of ‘Currier’ is very similar to the blue Siberian irises that grow alongside it. The variation of the colour adds some interest to the plant grouping. That pinkish-purple colouration is picked up by the nearby magenta-pink flowers of ragged robin (Silene flos-cuculi, seen in this post). I still have a long way to go to create the look of the garden that I hope for; plants like this iris are a big help with that. (Having said that, I might still want to find a little space somewhere for one or two of the frillier Siberian irises – I can always be tempted by a plant that would make a good photograph!)

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The tulips in my garden are almost all gone now, but I did manage to photograph these flowers of Tulipa saxatilis (Bakeri group) ‘Lilac Wonder’ before they disappeared. This is a low-growing species tulip with small flowers that open into a star-shape in the sun.

As a species (or ‘botanical’) tulip, this one should come back every year and gradually increase over time. However, I have lost a few of the bulbs due to the path beside them being re-laid. (Note to self: keep bulbs away from the path or the edge of the bed in case of future change!)

To me, the name ‘Lilac Wonder’ seems somewhat inaccurate because they look much more pink than lilac. Perhaps lilac is seen as a more desirable (and therefore marketable) colour than pink? Flower colour can be named in rather wishful terms, especially when it comes to blue or black. (I’m thinking of the rose ‘Rhapsody in Blue’, which is a gorgeous purple with magenta tones, but certainly isn’t blue. You can see mine in this post. Then there’s Scabious atropurpurea ‘Chile Black’, which, photographed under strong studio lights, is obviously a deep red, not black. You can see it here.)

Actually, it’s the colour of their centres that I notice most about these flowers. That yellow glows brightly when the sun shines. It makes me think of the yolk of a fried egg…so it’s probably a good thing that the rest of the petal isn’t white!

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Here are more tiny flowers from my garden, again they’re blue. (I’m sure you’re not surprised, given my love of blue and purple.) This week’s plant is Brunnera macrophylla ‘Alchemy Pewter’ (also known as Siberian bugloss). You may be thinking that its flowers look very like forget-me-not (Mysotis) and you’d be right, because they are closely related. Brunnera and Mysotis are both members of the borage family, as is the Pulmonaria from last week’s post.

Brunnera’s blue flowers are very pretty and an excellent source of pollen and nectar for bees and other pollinators. But it’s the leaves (shown below) that these plants are most frequently grown for. They can be very attractive indeed, with popular cultivars having heart-shaped leaves with strong silvery variegations on a bright green background. Some plants have leaves that are almost entirely silver.

There are other colours, however. You can find green-leaved cultivars such as ‘Betty Bowring’, which has white flowers, or golden-leaved plants, including ‘Diane’s Gold’. Then there’s the self-explanatory ‘Variegata’, whose green leaves are splashed with a soft creamy white. But, to me, these are not as lovely as the plants with silver-variegated leaves.

After seeing brunnera’s beautiful leaves in a garden that I visited, I was inspired to try growing it in a shady spot in my own garden. It’s a plant that prefers a moist soil, so I have to be vigilant and take care to water it when the ground gets very dry. So far it is looking good, but I have my fingers crossed for it to survive if we have a very hot summer! 🍃

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We may think of flowers as firstly a visual delight, but they can appeal to the sense of touch too. That’s very much the case with these pasqueflowers (Pulsatilla vulgaris) that have just started to open their fluffy blooms. The flowers themselves are a jewel-bright purple/pink, making them eye-catching, and their soft fluff makes them enticing to the fingers too.

The backs of the flower’s petals (actually sepals – pasqueflowers don’t have true petals) are covered in fine hairs that can become almost invisible against the flower’s rich colour. Bracts below the flower are more noticeably covered in a slightly longer fluff, which, no doubt, provides protection from cold for the developing buds. The stems and leaves are hairy too, as are the seed heads later. (The hairs on the seeds help them to disperse in the wind.)

The silky hairs are a delightful invitation to stroke the plant, so I am planning to grow some right at the front of a border, where they will be easy to reach. It’s a simple pleasure, but one that brings a smile and the chance to have a closer look at this lovely plant. In fact, I’m smiling right now because I have discovered that my two original plants are surrounded by some tiny seedlings – happy (and fluffy) days!

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Ranunculus flowers are richly colourful and flamboyant. These are Ranunculus asiaticus (Persian buttercup); fabulously pink and frilly and very appealing to photograph. The plants are becoming available in garden centres now (just in time for Mother’s Day in the UK), but these are photos from a few years ago.

I find it useful to have some unused photos in my files that I can go back to at times when there isn’t much to photograph here. It keeps the blog going and gives me a chance to catch up with images that didn’t get processed the first time round.

The garden here feels a little bare right now, despite the start into growth that recent sunshine has brought. The hellebores are still in flower, but got covered in brick dust as parts of a nearby wall were being cut up with an angle-grinder. Not to worry, a good wash-off with a watering can has made them look perky again. The anemones from last week have all opened and now we have a good range of purply-blues and a few that are much paler. The pale flowers would have been a good subject if I hadn’t already posted the darker ones. There are daffodils, of course, and the first of the pulsatilla flowers have opened.

There are a few other flowers elsewhere in the garden, but they’ve already been photographed for the blog several times over the years. Only the pulmonaria has yet to have it’s tiny flowers photographed. (I’ll need my kneeler for those!) So I feel that it’s time to explore the possibilities for additional early-spring flowers. A trip to a garden centre may be necessary…😁🌿

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Warm sunshine has brought the opening of these blue-mauve Anemone blanda flowers. They’re scattered in amongst perennials that are just beginning to come into growth in a very hot and dry bed. It would probably be better if they had a little more moisture, but they are slowly spreading anyway.

I may plant some more Anemone blanda on the sunny edge of the area where the fruit trees are. They would look pretty in a mix of the blue and some white when combined with blue Scilla. I’m still on the lookout for more early spring bulbs which will suit the area around these little trees. The front edge of the fruit-tree border gets sunshine all day, but further back will be shaded by the leaves on the trees later.

There are already snowdrops in the garden which can be lifted and replanted in the area with more shade. These could be combined with yellow winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis), but I’ve read that, like snowdrops, these are best planted ‘in the green’ rather than as a dry tuber, because those don’t always establish well.

Lebanon striped squill (Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica) is another possibility for the sunnier part of the fruit tree area. It’s similar in appearance to the related squill of last week’s post, but has white flowers with a blue stripe rather than blue flowers. Another member of the Scilla family, the grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) would be happy in the same area and would provide another early source of nectar and pollen.

In my imagination, I’m envisaging an early spring carpet of mostly blue flowers, with some white and yellow….and bees! (Butterflies and other pollinating insects too, of course. They would all be welcome.) It’s a plan. I hope it’s a successful one! 🐝

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A few days ago I bought the little blue flowers that you see in the photo above as bulbs growing in a pot. They were from a local nursery that sells plants at very reasonable prices. Sometimes, however, they are not labelled with the particular cultivar.

These bulbs were labelled – as ‘Chionodoxa forbesii’. As it turns out, that’s not what they are. I had a quick look at the RHS site to check on the name change from Chionodoxa to Scilla. That showed me that my pot of flowers didn’t look like the RHS’s photo of Chionodoxa/Scilla forbesii. I don’t mind – they’re a Scilla of some sort and they’re pretty.

More importantly, they’ll be useful to any early bees that are around. Scillas are in flower now, at the same time as the crocuses, and provide lots of pollen and nectar.

I’d bought them as part of my planting project to provide more flowers to feed the first bees and butterflies to come out of hibernation. Bulbs will be one of the easiest things to use for this because they don’t take up much space. Conveniently, their very early flowering means they should suit an area area around our fruit trees, which will come into leaf after the bulbs have gone over.

What I minded most about the naming mistake was having to go back and change the name of my photo file…there’s enough confusion with plant names without me creating more! While it was probably just a mistake due to the wrong label being replaced in a pot, it can cause frustration when this happens. If you’re looking for a particular plant, you want to be sure of getting the right one. And if someone sees a plant they want in one of my photos, that plant needs to be correctly identified to allow them to find one. Ho-hum, what fun! Well, at least the bees won’t mind!

The Scilla below is a different variety to the one above, with only one flower on each stem instead of several. I don’t know the cultivar, but there’s only a few left of these. That’s because they’re growing beside a brick path and the bricks have been re-laid a couple of times. That has taught me a lesson…I won’t plant bulbs in a position that’s as likely to be disturbed in future. And maybe I’ll eventually have a carpet of blue flowers. (I can dream!)