Flowers S - U

These pictures have all been taken in our garden over the years. Please let me know if I have labelled any of them incorrectly. Some of them will be duplicated where I know both the Latin and "common" name. Apologies for not knowing the exact details rather than the generics - a lot of the flowers were here when we arrived, some of the others were from "mixed" selections etc.


Sisyrinchium Striatum
A very complicated name for stripy grass with pretty flowers! We have a couple of clumps of this in the garden and not only does it provide beautiful flowers in summer but the spiky grass stays in place all winter providing an interesting shape near one of our garden seats. It grows about 1.5-2 feet high and doesn't spread vigourously.
Skimmia Japonica is a shrub that adds a lot of colour to the garden in winter as it flowers from about November through to February/March. As you can see, it has glossy leaves and ruby red flowers. Our main shrub is near the back door so we can see it in the winter when we venture outside to feed the birds but I've added another one further down the garden to fill a gap.


Skimmia Japonica


Snowdrop
Snowdrops (Galanthus) are a sure sign that spring is on the way and therefore they would be very welcome even if they weren't so pretty. Their little nodding heads are a sight to behold in the cold early months of the year and they spread very well. Our stock came from Jonathon's Mum. They grow better "in the green" than from bulbs so scrounge a few from a friend if you want to grow some!
We grow our Spiraea bushes (several of them!) mainly for the foliage. We have both "firelight" and "candlelight" which are orange/yellow and acid yellow respectively. They are one of the mainstays in our relatively newly planted front bed. Many people aren't too keen on their flowers but I think they're pretty.

Spiraea

Sunflower
I think most people would recognise a Sunflower (Helianthus) if they saw one, not least because of their height! We've grown the "pastiche" ones for the last couple of years which are shorter (only grow to about 5-6 feet) and come in a few different colours (yellow, orange, terracotta, cream). Perhaps one year we'll try the really tall ones - Dad did and was very successful! The birds love the seeds in the autumn.
On the "D to F" page, I mentioned that Daffodils were my favourite flowers. Tulips run a close second. The fact that they are both in flower at the same time will give you an idea of my favourite time in the garden. The reasons I love tulips so much are the wide range of colours, the almost translucent feel to their petals, the way they stand tall (I could go on and on!). The specimen on the right is a Shirley tulip - they start white then gradually become more pink as they grow older (all in one season). They look great with Queen of the Night or other dark/black varieties.

Tulipa
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