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| Molly-the-Witch - back where she belongs |
Some years ago, a kind neighbour gave me a little of her Paeonia mlokosewitschii. It’s a yellow peony from the Caucasus, and being a bit of a mouthful for English-speakers, it’s generally known as Molly-the-Witch. I didn’t treat Molly well. She was left in her very small pot for some years, while I dithered about what to do with her; last year I finally decided to plant her in the new patio bed, along with other waifs and strays looking for a home. And, after a few weeks there, she disappeared.
Ah well, my own fault.
Not the first time that my indecision resulted in a plant dying. Anyway, the other plants in that bed filled
out and made quite a good show, without Molly.
The other day I took a break from weeding around my other
peony, ‘Sarah Bernhardt’, and putting in stakes to stop her from flopping too
much. While I had my hand fork out, I
paused to remove a couple of self-seeded dead-nettles in the patio bed, and
took a look round. Wait a minute – isn’t
that Molly, displaying a couple of very fine leaves behind the old verbena
stems?
Well, hello Molly.
It’s so nice to have you back where you belong. Now all I have to do is to ensure that the
plants round about don’t crowd her out …
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| Camellia williamsii 'Donation' |
Molly isn’t the only plant coming on apace. The pink Camelia williamsii ‘Donation’ in its pot in the front garden has several lovely blooms, possibly because last year was so wet that it was well watered. The other camellia has still done nothing, though. The late daffodils ‘Jenny’ and ‘Thalia’ are out, though ‘Elka’ is a disappointment this year; there are plenty of leaves, but only one bloom (and the Crocus angustifolia planted with it have vanished – I blame the squirrel). The cowslips are starting, and various other primulas that probably seeded from them are well in flower. The first tulips are also coming into flower – the white ‘Exotic Emperor’, now in their third year, have six blooms, while last year’s ‘Orange Emperor’ bulbs, left undisturbed in their pot, are blazing finely. And the plum tree and osmanthuses are also coming into flower; with the other spring bloomers, brunnera, doronicum, bergenia and the rest, colour is coming back to the garden!
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| One solitary Narcissus 'Elka' |
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| Tulipa 'Exotic Emperor' |
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| Tulipa 'Orange Emperor' |
