Spring has sprung down here, with the bright yellow kōwhai in bloom (unfortunately there isn’t one in the garden), tulips in the Botanic Gardens and magnolia flowers everywhere. I came back from holiday and all I could think about was how much time it is going to take to sort out the pots and weeds. I have tidied up one corner but really the whole thing needs a spring clean. Anyway, it is time for Six on Saturday when The Propagator encourages us to share what is going on in our gardens in all parts of the world. Check out the participant guide if you want to join in.
At number one, a bit of a cheat….some pictures I didn’t include last week from the Van Dusen Gardens. There was a dahlia display (and obviously there had been a competition), and I could not resist spending some time walking around as we left the gardens. Here are a few I spotted and hope I have the names right! From the top left, going clockwise: Vernon’s Obsidian, Lo-Blush, Chimiacum Troy, Mary’s Jomanda, Clearview Edie and Connie Quan Dee.
At number 2, what has been happening when I was on holiday? Well, some more muscari have appeared, looking good too, so maybe I will keep these ones for next year. The tulips – well, the new bulbs are making great progress but the lovely blousy ones from last year, which I thought were looking fine when I left, are not looking good with no signs of buds. I’ll keep watching. And…the man who comes to chop down the ‘big stuff’ at the back of the house has chopped back the ticomanthe speciosa…not just a little bit (it did need a bit of a prune) but a whole lot. The frame it twined itself around is very wobbly, so perhaps it was for the best but I have a really bad feeling. Let’s see what happens next year. At least the old and slightly sad rhododendron has buds.
There has also been some “new herb growth” with flowers on the borage, lots of fresh leaves on the lemon balm, signs of life from the chocolate mint and enough tarragon leaves should I need them. I love it when things begin to come to life again in the spring.
Over to the close-to-last of the daffs/narcissi. The white one bottom right is Thalia, the rest I believe came from a mixed bag of bulbs. All in all, very pleased with this year’s display.
The hellebores are still looking fantastic – another good display. Here are just a few of them.
Finally, I came home on Sunday to the magnolia in full bloom (featured image at the top of the post and below). What could be a better welcome home?
That’s all from me folks for this week. As usual, I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s beautiful gardens in other parts of the world. Hope you are all well and enjoying your gardens in whatever the season is with you.
You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis. As for Twitter….am totally inactive these days. If you want to get in touch, email me on thistlesandkiwis@gmail.com
Thistles and Kiwis 
I love Dahlias but have never managed to grow them.
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I had some lovely ones last year but they all got a nasty fungus and I am not sure I will have any this year. I don’t think I will bother again if they don’t come up.
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Lovely magnolia image. My little pot one has put on a lot of growth this year but seems so be suffering with brown spots and grey growth on the leaves. Probably fungal. I’m hoping it gets killed off over winter and recovers for spring.
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Hope your magnolia recovers for the spring.
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Spectacular dahlias’. I grew them when I lived in New Zealand, but they won’t grow in my current garden.
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What pretty dahlias! Difficult to make a choice to find my favourite. Another beautiful thing this week is the nice surprise you had when you came back from vacation with this white magnolia. (Otherwise, in the title of your Six, the 17 06 should be changed to 17 09…)
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Blame the date on the jet lag 🙂
The magnolia are stunning this year.
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Your magnolia is magnificent! Really lovely to see the dahlia, especially as I have Obsidian flowering at the moment in my garden. 🙂
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The dahlia exhibit was quite amazing. The Obsidian was quite striking.
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The magnolia is wonderful and that’s a lovely selection of dahlias on display. I think I lost all my pom-pom varieties.
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Wonderful to see spring bulbs and the Magnolias are a favorite of mine, my parents had a huge one.
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Magnolias do put on an impressive display.
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Yes they do, There are some stunning ones in the Botanic Gardens.
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It is refreshing to see your spring flowers as we are heading towards the autumn equinox.
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The dahlias from Van Dusen Garden and the magnolias are both so vibrant. Thank you for sharing them here.
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The magnolia was the first thing to greet me on getting home…
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What a wonderful greeting!
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Lovely to see all your spring bulbs and hellebores, and your magnolia is absolutely magnificent.
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Thank you!
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Amazing dahlias……are you sure that black one is real? 🤭🙄 The magnolia is superb, they are a beautiful shrub and worth the space they take all year for the short but stunning flowering season.
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Well….I saw the black dahlia with my own eyes 🙂 Seriously, I was very surprised.
Magnolia are lovely.
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Beautiful Dahlias and your Magnolia tree is beautiful
P
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