bear's breeches

bear's breeches, originally uploaded by London looks.

I've never had much luck photographing Bear's Breeches or Acanthus mollis. But here's some useful gardening advice.

Don't plant it unless you know you want it there and there forever more.

Today I pulled up some Acanthus I tried to get rid of several years ago. It has one of those root systems that unless you get all of it up - it will come back again and again. And it's impossible to get it all up, since the roots snap when you pull at them.

On the other hand, there's another spot in my garden (the one in the picture) where the plant is absolutely perfect and nothing else I've tried (and I tried a bunch of things) will do.

I do wish I bought a fancy, golden leafed variety though.

The daffs are out

early daff, originally uploaded by London looks.

I've planted many early varieties of daffodils in my tiny little London garden, but I can never beat the daffs in the public parks. They just get that much more light and air, I guess. (My garden is partially shaded).

Some people see early daffodils and assume that it's a sign of Spring coming earlier and earlier due to global warming. An article in the Independent looks at the many species of early daffs. Including some that could bloom as early as October! (Is that really an early daff or a very late one?)

magnolia bud and sky

magnolia bud and sky, originally uploaded by London looks.

Magnolia buds in the late afternoon. The days are getting longer, but the light is still quite "low"

I can't remember what kind of magnolia this is, but it's similar to the Magnolia stellata (which I have in my own garden).

Magnolias come in so many different shapes and sizes and are suitable for many different growing conditions. They're also suitable for gifts! I gave a Magnolia grandiflora "Victoria" as a wedding present to a gardening groom and a bride called Victoria. It's supposed to be a dwarf version of the Southern classic.

Here's a link to the US National Arboretum's magnolia q&a.

the red anemone

the red anemone, originally uploaded by London looks.

I've never had much luck with these, although I've tried to plant them on a number of occasions. If I get anything, it's just a sick spindly little thing.

What's the secret to the perfect anemone?

Here are some tips.

trio

trio, originally uploaded by London looks.

Crocus in my garden