Towards the Garden Opening

Anna is thinking about the garden opening at Redcroft her Edinburgh garden and the hot weather has created some problems.

Apparently we have had more sun in the last few weeks than we had for the whole of last year. Wonderful for us but it hasn’t made life easy for our plants.

To compound the problem, I decided we would open our garden 3 weeks later than usual, on Saturday 7^th June.  The rhododendrons, along with many other plants, which should be in full flower then will probably be over. The heat and drought shorten their flowering time.

We have also changed the timing of our opening – no tea I’m afraid (I know a lot of people come for the cakes) and instead there will be soft drinks and snacks included in the £7 entry fee and a glass of wine or two for a donation. The times are:  open at 4pm and closed at 7pm. I hope people will come and enjoy themselves, the No Strings Attached Wind Band is playing again this year, and we like dogs on leads and children. We are having a plant sale but it will be a bit smaller than the ‘bumper’ ones of late.

We have had a good Spring display of tulips in pots. This is the entrance porch and the photo was taken on 2nd May. These two tulips, orange Hermitage and purple Ronaldo have been the backbone of this year’s display.  Also happily picking up the orange colour there are two Fritillaria imperialis and a Clivia.  This was taken on 2^nd May. The white jasmine in the background has flowered very well this year and is still greeting people who enter with its lovely scent.

 

 

Tulip Ronaldo, photographed here on 18th May, is the only tulip still going strong as I write this. Its beautiful purple catches the sun here just inside the gate to the garden. On the left white Viburnum flowers, all seen against the young leaves of the weeping birch.

This Azara serrata has had an incredible number of these mustard yellow flowers this year. I am not sure I really like that colour, but the tree is admirable in other respects: It puts up uncomplainingly with being regularly cut back against the wall, it doesn’t wilt on these incredibly sunny days and its leaves are green and shiny all year round.

Shades of green is the theme in this photograph of a narrow bed against the house.  Growing quite quickly to a substantial shape is Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Variegatum’, the zinging green is a Euphorbia, probably ceratocarpa, and the hedge waiting for a bit more of a trim is Eunonymous fortunei ‘Variegatum’ which makes a very good low hedge.

Now is the perfect moment for this tree Peony, Paeonia delavayi, and the flowers will be almost over by the time of our garden opening.  It has been especially good this year even though it has not been watered.

This lovely iris is also rather fleeting. I thought it had disappeared even though I had added a number of new ones on one of the many no flower years, so it is a special treat to see it in flower now, even if 2 flowers is not exactly a success.  It is called ‘Langport Wren’.  Broadleigh Gardens, a bulb specialist nursery, with a very tempting catalogue, where I bought it seems to no longer stock it. Perhaps they found it inconsistent too. In front is self-seeded Geranium sanguineum.

Rhododendron wardii is a subtler yellow than the Azara. I bought it in 1998 at one of the wonderful Friends’ auctions at the Botanics.  It is leaning forward rather, but flowers consistently well, usually making a nice colour combination with the blue Camassias nearby.  This year though the Camassias were over very early.

These photos show what is in flower now and I am hopeful, even with the continuation of the drought, that there will be lots to see even, if the lawn is a bit mottled.

Redcroft Garden opening is on Saturday 7^th June, 4pm – 7pm. The address is 23 Murrayfield Road, Edinburgh EH12 6EP. More information on the Scotland’s Garden Scheme website.

Anna Buxton May 19^th2025