A lettter from Yorkshire

Hello all

While walking up to the shops in my local village here in Yorkshire and being so lavishly treated to the spectacle of natures spring displays in the gardens I passed, I thought you might like to know what is in bloom here at this time.
It really was a treat for a life long gardener now without a garden to admire the blue flowered Rhododendron praecox in full bloom; the earliest Rhododendron to flower in the suburban gardens. The young foliage of Photinia was like a thousand red candles as the sun shone through the almost transparent leaves, and in one garden such a specimen had a backdrop of Magnolia soulangeana whose large fat buds were just opening. Ribes - the flowering current is a common garden shrub here, yet so beautiful at this time; the flowers thankfully failing to confirm the dullness of it's summer foliage. Chaenomeles - the flowering quince is just past its best and the dulling red petals carpet the surrounding path, bed or lawn; hopefully fruit will follow to prolong natures gift from this useful wall shrub. Daffodils are of course at their best now and seem to be everywhere. I particularly like the miniature species and varieties which nestle nicely at the foot of shrubs and garden trees. Viburnum tinus is, as ever, flowering profusely; but at this time seems to give of its best in its salute to spring. One cottage was marked out from a great distance by masses of purple Aubrieta; not a plant one wants to dominate during its non flowering period, but so striking in mass at the moment.
These are just a few of the garden plants to delight the eye here at this time, with, I'm sure, many more treasures hidden from view in the rear gardens.
Lawn cutting is in full swing once again; evident at the week ends in particular when the sound of a hover mower in seldom absent during the daytime.
The blackbirds and thrushes are frantically busy in the gardens. Paring up, or having done so, dashing about looking for material to build their nests.
Nature has taken away our Queen Mother but she brings us the beauty of spring to lighten our hearts.

Peter.

This message was edited Tuesday, Apr 2nd 9:44 AM

Must have been a feast to your eyes, those colours! How interesting!

Speaking of Yorkshire, I can imagine that typical accent
(I have heard commentaries of Fred Trueman and Geoff Boycott since one of my major pastimes is Cricket and still get to play for my club in the first division leagues). Do you also have that typical accent?

Hello Dinu,
No,my accent is the more northerly Cumbrian. I was born in a town on the west coast of Cumbria (Cumberland as it was then called)
Berhaps my accent is hybrid now - I lived in the county of Warwickshire for some years, and have been here in Yorkshire since 74.

Sorry I can't converse on cricket - something I've never been interested in, although, to watch and hear the cricket on an English village green is pleasant.

Peter.

Peter.

Thanks so much for that eloquent scenic tour! Since I am still under 2 feet of snow up here in Alaska, it was a real whiff of spring! I took interest in the Aubretia, since I have just begun planting it the last couple years. If it is as successful as the Arabis, I will be happy. Our weather is marginal enough that the plants do not become invasive.

Ah, what I'd give for the smell of freshly cut lawn!..Thanks again, Peter63!

Sorry about the atrocious spelling 'lettter' previously; disgraceful.

You gardeners in the far north -Alaska - have my utmost admiration; your growing season seems so short,and your winters must be plant killers; yet you become keen gardeners despite it all. I wish I could give you all an English country garden together with its climate.

Peter.

This message was edited Tuesday, Apr 2nd 12:56 PM

Peter: We've been accused of having "English Cottage" gardens here, and I surely don't mind the accusation! In this part of Alaska (Southcentral on the Kenai Peninsula) we grow plants that like lots of rain and cool soil. I've been told the colors are very intense here, compared to the lower forty-eight, and I'm not really sure if this is true or why.

Here are some of my favorites: foxglove, delphinium, campanula, rockcress, dicentra, cranesbill, lychnis, primula, sedum, columbine, achillea, Asiatic lily, shasta daisy, pyrenthrum, lupine, malva...and many I've forgotten, I'm sure.

Our growing season for perennials begins in early to mid May, but annuals and veggies cannot safely be set out until June 1st. We generally begin getting killing frosts in early October. We have long days, but being on the coast, there are lots of overcast days, as well.

Peter how coincidental that you should post this. Last night I watched a BBC film - Happy Birthday Shakespeare. The plot was a bit thin, the actors so-so, but the general tour of my homeland was wonderful as ever. The film was about a tour bus driver travelling all over England with a coach load of American tourists!! Naturally they hit Ann Hathaway's Cottage and the Bronte house amongst others. Yorkshire was well featured!! I used to live in Bridlington-by-the-Sea many moons ago and I remember it with warmth and nostalgia. Another coincidence - I grew Viburnum tinus in my garden in East Anglia and loved it so much. Imagine my delight at finding it only just last week!! I would love the Ribes so will hunt that out too!! Our daffodils are still holding their own here, the late ones anyway and look so pretty with the Veronica Georgia Blue!! My favourite daffs were always the miniature ones and I have some little beauties now. The dogwoods and redbuds are about to give their wonderful show as are the azaleas and rhodos!! The cherry trees, plum and apricot are in full swing!! Magnolias with their huge, porcelain white flowers will follow soon after. Spring anywhere is a joyous season and this beautiful state I live in holds many wonders but I also miss England at this time!! I certainly miss my apple trees!! Truly the best of all!! Thanks for the tour!!

Hello weezingreens - thanks very much for the insight into your gardening there in Alaska. I just mentioned in another forum how little I knew of the USA and Canadian climates; your country is so vast in comparison to little England.

Yes, the plants you mention are indeed typically English cottage garden. Your gardening season is much as I thought.

Lots of rain and cool soil just about describes us here, but of course we don't have the plumeting winter temps you do. The lowest it gets is around minus 8C and then only occasionally in Jan and February.

Peter

Hmmmm!! Sorry I butted in!! Won't do it again - I PROMISE!!!!!

Louisa, I would've loved to have seen that film. I wonder if they will show it in these parts? I've enjoyed reading about Peters description, Weezingreens and yours too! Nothing here is in bloom, though a few crocus are starting to open, but no signs of anything else. Trees look much like they did in fall! (bare)

Hello Louisa,
I read your interesting mail last night but being 5hrs in front I was so tired i called it a day.
I'm only about 70 miles from Bridlington and when I start to pine for the salt air, that is where I go. I was born and brought up on the coast of Cumbria so I have an inbuilt desire to smell that salty air now and again.

No, I didn't see the film you spoke of but it sounded very interesting. problem is (if it is a problem) since I came back onto the Internet I've hardly been away from the diabolical machine. I'm getting to like being a member of DG. Such very nice friendly e-mails. It makes signing on a pleasure.

Just posted a pic to plant identification, then kicked myself when I remembered that I had not sent you a reply.

When I read of the plants you are enjoying at this time it seems there is little difference in our respective season. Sorry about your apple trees; I'm not a fruit man (not even fruity :)) but one day I will send you a nice pic of an English orchard.
See you again further down the line.

Best wishes

Peter.

Doris my son and his family live in Chicago and they are always slightly peeved when I tell them how Spring has sprung in these parts. However, you have to look on the brighter side and remember that your season seems to be kinder to plant life and extends further because your Fall is so beautiful. By the time July and August hits us here, the garden looks sad and so dry!! The film I spoke of was on BBC America - do you get this?? Programmes air at different times I believe depending on where you are!! For instance I saw some hitherto 'new' episodes of Garden Force yesterday but most of them have been repeats. Not that I mind, I find Alan Titchmarsh and crew such gifted people!!

Paul I was pretty tired myself yesterday after doing research on babies, so I apologise for the retort!! I've been very worried about my grandson and therefore I called it a day pretty early yesterday afternoon and switched off this machine!! I have a brother who lives in the Lake District at Grange-over-Sands!! Unfortunately he was building his house there as I was making plans to come to America and didn't get to visit him but the photos look amazing, but then that part of the UK is so beautiful. I will follow you over to plant ID but no doubt, with these marvellous people here, your question has already been attended to!! I think a good motto for Dave's Garden is - "Ask and Ye shall Receive" !!! You never go short of folk willing to help and assist in whatever shape or form!!

Hi, Peter63

It's 10pm on the 4th. I made a point of staying out of the Garden today, since I still have to work on my tax return, and the greenlings are spread over three buildings now. It seems all I do is transplant and water!

Yes, our climates seem quite similar. I'm lousy at conversions, but I don't think our low winter temps are much different. Our low temps are usually above 0 degrees F., occasionally dipping down to 10 or 15 below, but this is not typical.

We generally get a good snow cover, so the plants have a good protective layer before the cold temps kick in. I mulch with straw in the fall for the marginal plants, then use the straw in the compost the next season.

Seward has a small harbor and about three canneries that process salmon, cod, halibut, and sometimes crab. Our harbor is ice free year round due to the warmth of the Japanese current.

My husband & I live about 4 miles outside of town, in a small subdivision. We have about 1.5 acres in the woods, and the trees around the perimeter afford some privacy. However, I am always looking for a sunny spot to plant things!

We have wildlife around here... other than the neighbors! There are black bears, moose, bald eagles, ravens, and the usual little scurrying things. It's really quite a beautiful place here, rather dramatic with the snowcapped mountains and the bay.

As I look through my digital photos on the computer, I can't help looking out the window and wondering if it will ever be summer again! It will be quite awhile before I can tell all my friends at Dave's that the spring flowers are in bloom. I do, however have two sad little crocus peaking out out the straw as the temps dip to 15 F!

Yuk!! Those dratted tax returns. DH has just signed and delivered ours!! As for temps!! I just don't believe it this year. Just when we thought spring had really arrived, after many hiccuphs, it really has not done so at all. The temps have dipped below freezing again at night - daytime not too bad in the upper 50s. Crazy though, the last few days have been quite warm in the upper 70s!! My DH was in Alaska many year's ago - he loved it!!

We live a great place, Louisa. The winters are long, but relatively mild here along the cost.. that is, we don't live in igloos! From all the postings around the Garden, it looks like the South has been having it's share of strange weather. I think this warming and freezing is really hard on the plants..it confuses them...it confuses me for that matter! I guess I should consider myself lucky because it is staying consistently cold here, but I've got so many seeds planted that I've got to be able to start setting things out in the coldframe sometime... that's usually mid to late April...but not this year, I'm afraid.

lol - I think I did realize that you didn't live in an igloo!! Could be fun though!!! I wish you luck with all your seedlings who are patiently awaiting their turn in the sun!!

I just found this thread tonight and have enjoyed it so much. It's wonderful learning about my friends' roots and interests here. :) Just wanted to say hello.

It's definitely spring here in central Ohio; our forsythia blooms are fading, but the brilliant pink show of the crabapple in our back yard has begun. There are deep purple grape hyacinth dotting the lawn, and so many perennials are growing like gangbusters now that we've had warm temps and a good bit of rain. It's amazing what those nitrogen-rich thunderstorms do to green things up literally overnight. My wallflowers are blooming for the first time, and their scent is a new pleasure to me.

I feel wonderful. :)

I'll jump in here too. We had no spring...it went from 40f to 85f and hasn't looked back! This is normal weez.It may be 70f on Christmas Day and 5 below on New Years. My yard is a jungle,I have to mow every 5 days and still rake it.Everything is blooming,or has already.I saw wisteria blooming today and the lilacs are like perfume on the night air.It was 78f last night at 10 PM.I've been running the AC and the humidity is already creeping up.I have neighbors with corn up. My veggies aren't planted yet as I've seen some late frosts,but the 15th was Official Last Frost Date.We've had 2 in the last 15 years after that date.
I've got petunias and allysium in pots and the cannas and oriental lilies are getting big.I have pears the size of small marbles and the dogwoods look like they are at their peak.This is the nice time of year.

In 3 or 4 weeks it will be misrable.Temps in the 90's and the humidity the same.That will give you a heat index(read wind chill reversed)of over 100. THEN in July it really gets hot!

I've got relatives in Norway and they come to visit in the summer.Their youngest kept wanting us to 'turn the fire off'the last time they came.She couldn't understand that it was just that way.

My Goodness, Melody: That's some climate you have there! I miss some of those summers nights in Indiana when the crickets sang in the night. And I miss those hot summer days when tomatoes were fresh and warm from the garden. I don't miss the humitidy and the never ending heat. Of course, we didn't have air conditioning in those days. One of the things I appreciate about Alaska is the cool nights. We sleep with flannel sheets winter and summer.

I haven't been far in the last few days - too miserably hot!! I know that the wonderful scene of fresh blooms on trees and shrubs of last week is going to be looking pretty miserable right now!! In my garden/woods the dogwoods are not looking too bad but have seen them better!! Still waiting for Spring but I think it's coming - again!! Kimberley I'm nuts about crabapples. I remember the photo you posted last year and I nearly swooned!! lol!! I planted one last week and intend to plant more!! There's a spectacular avenue of them near our church but I'm sure they are past their best now :-(

This is an old thread I came across while searching for something else. Peter's no longer a subscriber, but his post is as fresh to read today as it was in 2002. I thought I'd bump it up for your enjoyment. :)

Thanks, GW. It was nice to re-read this one. It was interesting, also, to read my April 4 entry and realize nothing much has changed here!

So glad this post came up. Must have been a Brit in my last lifetime. :-) Love reading and watching TV and films set in England. The English are famous for their gardens, rightfully so.