Primula Scotica

I took a run out across the West Mainland of Orkney on Tuesday with a friend. We started off at Yesnaby which has grand cliffs and you can see the mountains of Scotland to the South. In winter they are snow capped but in the glorious sunshine there was no snow to be seen.

We were also delighted to come across swathes of Primula Scotica (Scottish Primrose). These rare tiny primroses plants only grow in Caithness (North of Scotland) and one or two sites in Orkney. They usually flower in May and July/August, but these were either late or early as it is still June!

To give you a true impression of their size I placed a 50p coin beside one of them. They are so delightful and so easily missed. In fact I usually find I'm in the middle of them before I spot them and then am afraid to move in case I trample them!

More flowers....

.... cultivated this time! The flower border is coming along nicely with the rosa rugosa, and fuschia merging together in the middle to form shelter for some perennials. Some honeysuckle seems to be woven between it too - quite by accident but it will look pretty when in flower!

The willow trees are doing well this year too, and the grass looks neat as Mick has just mowed it!


So far I've failed to get lavender to grow in the flower border which is exposed to northerly winds, so this year I'm trying a plant in the walled garden in the hope that is more sheltered!

Wild flowers

As you will see I know very little about wild flowers! However I do know that this is some kind of hybrid marsh orchid! There were a dozen or so growing along the side of the road on Graemsay, just above a ditch. The pink (or purple?) orchids grow in abundance on Graemsay, and occasionally there are white ones too.

This is a pretty flower - think it might be red campion? Again this was growing along the side of the road and in the dunes at the links.

When I was "south" the other week I was surprised how far along the cow parsley was as it was barely evident on the island. However in two weeks it seems to have sprung up everywhere. I know it's a weed and I curse it in the flower border, but I do have a fondness for it. It reminds me of my old pony, Badger. He adored cow parsley and loved this time of year when it grew mouth height (for him) and we would arrive back at the stable yard with the equivalent of half a tree hanging from his mouth! Sadly Badger didn't make it up to Orkney but died 8 years ago at the grand age of 30 - a good age for a pony. So in memory of Badger, a photo of cow parsley (hmm or is it Hogweed? Either way it would be snack-time for Badger)!

Buzz Buzz

I've neglected the flower border recently in favour of the veggie patch, but took a wander past today and the cornflowers are in full bloom. I just love the vibrant blue - as do the bees! There were at least six bees engrossed in the blooms on just one plant.


And the Forget-me-nots are looking delicate and beautiful today too.

And could someone please tell me what this very common perennial is called? A friend gave it to me last year and I've forgotten it's name (if I ever knew it!).

The border is just coming into flower - I like to remind myself of "before" and "after" as some days it doesn't feel as if I've come very far cultivating a garden - and then I look at how it was a couple of years ago and feel I'm making progress!

Winter returns?

Today a gale has been blowing - it's so easy to forget when the first warmth of Spring arrives, just how changeable the weather in Orkney can be. One minute planting out seeds in the garden, the next running for cover as the rain starts and the wind increases! Gusts were up to nearly 60 mph in the Flow this morning. The sea looks quieter outside now, but it still sounds breezy!

I think the broad bean seeds I planted yesterday will be burrowing further into the ground, rather than reaching for the sun at this rate! Here's a picture of the veggie patch - I've dug the full length of the stone dyke (approx 100 feet x 5 ft). OK it's a bit of an odd angle but I was trying to balance without treading on newly planted seeds or hens!

The "anti-hen" devices I've been using have stood up well - though haven't been out to see how they did in today's gale. I've also bought some hanging baskets to put upside down on the earth to create a little "dome" for lettuce so that the hens don't nip off the green shoots before *I* get a taste.

Lambs are beginning to appear in the fields on Graemsay. I love watching the wee lambs all racing around together. All the birds have been pairing up and I can see a pair of oystercatchers dangerously close to Button's hunting ground - sigh. Oh - and I think Bill the Lone Goose must have wandered off and found his/her friends as there has been no sighting for some weeks now.

One thing that takes some getting used to in Orkney is that Daffodils, Tulips, primroses and bluebells all bloom at the same time here! Though "daffs" are usually a little earlier than the others. However it's lovely to see colour appearing along the banks at the side of the road. There's a lovely display of primroses down near the pier too.

Of Spring, Sunsets and Sunday

I've had a fairly relaxing Sunday today, got up late, did a few domestic things, worked a little, and sat and mused looking out at the misty landscape while drinking copious quantities of tea! This morning was beautiful, though misty, but warm and I planted some more seeds - "Love in a Mist". But I needed a break from gardening as I overdid things a bit yesterday with some digging, and general sorting out of the garden, so I contented myself with inspecting the plants emerging from Winter. I just love this time of year. Here are some photos of the willows, plus I am delighted to see that the "Forget-me-nots" transplanted from a friend's garden in Kent have survived the winter and are growing healthily in the rear border.











Button is out most of the day now. I do fear for fledgling birds later in the year though - sigh. She has already got her eye on a sparrow's nest in a wall in one of the old farm buildings. However there is a healthy population of sparrows around - they line up waiting for the hens to finish with the scraps I put out for them in the morning, then the sparrows fly down and finish off what's left (I always put out extra for the wee birds!).





And this last week we have had some beautiful sunsets. I can just sit in the conservatory and watch the sun drop below the horizon. Just magical.

Cruelty to plants.....

This winter I decided to shut off the heating in the conservatory to save energy and money. The plan has worked in those respects, but unfortunately my dear plants have suffered. Some to the point of no return. I should have kept a closer eye on them apart from occasional watering – sigh. I shall be more careful next year.

The really hardy plants like cyclamen are doing well, and the geraniums don’t mind the cold as long as protected from frost so they are doing OK too. However others have needed resuscitating and moving into a warmer environment. I *did* manage to rescue the “Money Plant” (Crassula Ovata) – a lovely large specimen which has been suffering in the same way as our money markets and dropped most of it’s leaves. I think I have stabilised the shedding now that I’ve moved it into the sitting room. I started to get slightly superstitious about it’s fate and whether this would be reflected in my bank balance!! Fortunately I have several “offspring” from the main plant which seem to be healthy and growing!


Ironically my Umbrella plants (schefflera arboricola) are doing extremely well despite one leaning up against the window. They usually like temperatures over 60 degrees F and it’s certainly been well below THAT out there! The Dragon's Tongue no longer has any fire and as for the Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina, plain and variegated) – well they’ve been sobbing their hearts out…..

However now that the days are getting longer and I shall be spending more time in the conservatory I have put the heating back on low – it’s underfloor heating so very efficient – as long as it’s not a northerly wind in which case most of the heat goes out through the windows – even though they are double glazed. But I love the view and light in this room and use it as my main sitting room from mid-March to end of September. Spring is here I feel ……… Button is yet to be acquainted with this room. I suspect she will enjoy sitting on the window sills, watching the birdies and planning her strategy for entrapment – sigh.

This is the panoramic view I have from the conservatory. THIS is one of the reasons I bought the house!

It's SPRING!

OK, so I'm slightly delusional...... but today I saw this little bulb stoically blooming in the garden border despite a freshening wind! And yes it may look a little blury - did I mention a freshening wind? But I just HAD to capture it as a reminder that Spring is on it's way even if it hasn't fully arrived. It fairly gladdens the heart.........