This week I've got two favourites - Allium Christophii and a very old Philladelphus. The orange blossom is the single rich cream old fashioned variety which has the most gorgeous perfume that fills the garden. Much better than the modern double white varieties. What is the most interesting/beautiful plant in your garden this week?
That onion is fabulous Pat
......and the Philadelphus sounds scrummy. I've always preferred the single ones - apart from the dwarf 'Manteau d'Hermine' which is very cute and smelly and is the cream colour you describe, but double. I'm looking for Belle Etoile as I used to love that - single with purple blotches at the base of the petals and a wonderful scent.
I'll take some photos later, but one of my favourites at the moment is pickerel weed that I got from someone who is filling in their pond. It has amazing blue spikes of flowers that the bumblebees adore.
The shrubby sages (microphylla types) that I hadn't met before coming here are flowering in an array of colours from bright red through purple to soft cream and white. Again they are insect magnets.
A row of lavender by the boules pitch is just coming out and yesterday was smothered in clouded yellow, white, and swallowtail butterflies and humming bird hawk moths. Bumblebees too..
Will get the camera out when I've done my jobs ;o))
All the plants you mention in your garden are way ahead of those here. My lavender is only just sending flower spikes up. In fact a lot of plants are only just recovering from the frosts at the end of May. I've lost several lavenders and other Mediteranean plants this winter. Is the pickerel weed Pontederia cordata? I've got some of that in my pond, but never know where it is until it sends the flower spike up. They are a lovely blue if it is what I'm thinking of. Your butterflies and moths sound wonderful. We occasionally put out the moth trap on warm evenings and catch some amazingly beautiful moths. Unless you see them close up you can't appreciate their lovely markings, and don't they have descriptive names - Burnished Brass, and Peach Blossom, Beautiful Golden Underwing and Dark Arches.
The dwarf orange blossom you mention sounds lovely - I'll have to look out for it here.
Our true lavender (L angustifolia) has finished , it is the later flowering lavendins (L x intermedia) that are coming into flower We had a little rain last evening (the first for a number of weeks), but not enough to do much good.
Although that orange blossom has a french name, it is easily available in england - that's where I know it from, so good luck tracking it down.
Oooh I always fancied having a moth trap, but still haven't got round to it. Those names are just so evocative! We used to combine batting evenings with some moth trapping occasionally. Amazing the range of forms, colours and sizes that would be out and about :)
Yes, Pontaderia cordata. I drooled over it in my pond book and then a friend told me of a pond she has to fill in, so we went to rescue stuff - and there was a huge clump of it and a waterlily - that was all. But wasn't I thrilled!!
It looked so lovely growing in the clump, but, in getting it out and moving it, it now looks very scruffy of course. So here's just a shot of the flower spike
Mine at the moment is my Echium pininana, though i lost a few this winter, three have grown well, and are now at about 10-12 ft and flowering well.
the bees love them, when you stand next to them all you can hear is the buzzing sound.
A lot of my honeusuckles too are ready to burst forth, for the first time too for most of them, so I'm waiting to see if they're as scented as they say they are.
What a beautiful picture..and honeysuckles are a wonderful scent.
Goodness - well done with the echiums Sue. I remember you've grown some in past years and am green. Must have a go at those. Lovely photo thanks. I didn't know that the bees love them so much, they've gone even higher up my 'would love to grow' list :)
That's a lovely photo Sue. How big is your garden to have 12ft flowers?
I took this photo at the National Botanic Garden for Wales - is this an Echium?
I picked up an Echium webbii at our local Cash & Carry plant centre. It's a smaller version of E. pininana. Presumably it's tender, and overwinters in the greenhouse. How far back does one cut the previous 'spike'?. Mine has all but finished flowering, but, has a lot of new growth below the lowest leaves. Tallest, (of five), spikes, on mine is about four feet, ideal for my small garden.
I'm jelous Pat, yep thats like my Echium, but theirs is a lot darker coloured flower, my tallest reached about 13-14 ft, came down with a bump too when it finished flowering, luckily missing hubbys car!!....LOl
not heard of that Echium Prophet five , I did try of of the different Echiums, but they didn't survive the winter here, despite being quite large plants, and in sheltered spots.You never know what you can grow unless you try it, one advantage of getting seeds from RRs and exchanges, at least you haven't had to fork out for the seeds...just the time and effort.
My Salvias looking a bit lank and woody Philomel, and am not sure how safe it is to prune it back a bit, I thought they only came in red, that is the one they call the Graehams sage isn't it? or have I got them mixed up, as per usual.
My lavenders ytend to go a bit woody too, even though I cut them back quite hard, and I love Lavenders, but because of that am reluctant to have too many. I used to visualise sitting on my patio surrounded by them in the raised beds, but when I did try it, it failed, even tried them in pots,...even worse..guess it was too dry for them..sighs.....
If anyones interested I have discovered a pot with many seedlings of these Echiums coming up, some smalll some larger, I'd be happy to post some on if you're interested, must have self-seeded when the plant fell...I did try to find the seeds, but never suceeded, guess they must have shed before I'd looked.
I always thought lavenders like the dry, but I think they just don't like it too wet in winter. They don't seem to like my soil that much and take a long time to establish - though once they get going (a couple of years!) they're lovely.
Salvias hmmm, yes, you're right there's S graemii, but there's also a lovely one called 'La Luna' http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/54429/
and pink ones and even one that's white with red lips calle 'Lipstick'....... or is it 'Hotlips'
Age again LOL
I'd love to try some Echium seedlings if they aren't too difficult to pack. I can send you some stamps - still have some UK ones. Just the small ones of course ;)) Wonder if they'd survive the journey........
Let me have your address and I'll get some off to you, they should be the blue ones, as the white(ish) ones are only just flowering this year.
Don't worry, they're quite small, but will grow at a rate of knots!!....
Thanks very much Sue - will dmail you :o))
We've just had RAIN after a long spell of very hot dry weather. I know I've lost a lot of things, but hopefully this will help a few more to survive.
It went like midnight though it should still have been daylight. Usually here we can see the lightening playing along the Pyrenees and then see the rain clouds coming towards us, often at a rate of knots. This evening we were just swallowed up in blackness, with loud rumbling and flashes within the cloud. Very eerie :O
sounds very dramatic, do you get a lot of strorms there?
We're still waiting for rain here, it seemed to bypass my house..one of my sisters works at a garden centre about 1/2 mile from here and they had atorrential downpour, we had a sprinkling of raindrops....
The rain had been bypassing us - could see it all around on and off - for a couple of weeks.
We tend to get thunderstorms in the summer after long hot spells, more than in Kent I think, but then Kent is dryer than here. However, because it is so hot and so much more sunshine here, we really need the extra rain - it often doesn't feel wetter because the sun dries everything out much more.
It's really lovely this morning - so much fresher and a light cloud cover, so very pleasant to wander around and see all the things I won't have to water for a couple of days.
The pond is almost full now :)
I have to say I have 2 plants this week that have gobsmacked me.
One is Rose Alpine Sunset, which has been waiting neglected for about 3 years in a pot under the edge of the horse chestnut tree. I have just put it in my new bed, it had 3 buds on a tall, unpruned stem. It has had some flowers on in the past years, but not as vibrant and iridescent as this. Today they are mellowing a little, and opening into full flowers. The first year I had a huge, cupped and quartered flower, the scent is overpowering but so rose-like and gorgeous. The flowers can be 8" across.
That's outstanding wallaby, and a great photo!
I'm only sorry I can't smell it from here LOL
.............and the other plant?
Shame isn't it I can't load up the smell as well!
That took forever to upload, and I had to go out and garden. I keep changing my mind now over which I was gobsmacked by, there are a few, but the latest are the ones that stick. If I'm not careful I'll be here all day!
I also have a flower spike I noticed today on my Phormium Pink Stripe..... I shrieked in delight!
This is the other latest, Ismene Sulphur Queen, new this year ( I have a festalis) and much earlier than expected. In the morning it was just starting to look like it might open, I went in the greenhouse last night for a final check and it bowled me over! Someone had posted a pic of theirs on the bulb forum earlier, and I said I hoped mine looked as good.
Well. I love it! More to come yet, I really don't mind if they turn out freaky too!
Those are beautiful Wallaby1 I've never seen an Ismene before. One of my favourite roses is the hybrid tea Indian Summer which is a deep apricot with bronze stems and glossy leaves and a delicious scent. It isn't too tall and keeps on flowering for months.
My favourite rose this week is Constance Spry. It only has one flush of flowers, but the scent and colour are beautiful.
This should be favourite plant of the day - every time I go outside I see another favourite.
Pat, the ismene should be in a 'daffodil' circle! It's called the Peruvian Daffodil, but belongs to Amaryllis family. The white one, another name Hymenocallis, I have had for a few years and it got so pot bound I separated them in autumn 04, should have waited until spring but they were bursting the large pot. Last year not many grew, I still have 5 small ones but had at least 20 of different sizes, they do multiply and so far get through in a cold greenhouse. It makes really long tropical looking foliage but does like to be in a hot geenhouse for flowering.
I love the shape of Constance Spry, it looks inviting to shove your head in it for a good whiff. Indian Summer sound similar to Just Joey, which has a powerful scent.
OK so we have too many 'best', Guinee is one I have been waiting for years for, the wind broke a new tall stem off years ago, now it has managed to make some decent flowers on the one stalk it did make after. I have been trying for ages to get the colour, I got as close as one can when it was very cloudy yesterday, the scent is sumptuous.
My favourite plants just now are the Fuchsias. I took cuttings of the outdoor ones last year just in case they weren't as hardy as the label said. The plants left out struggled to get going again with all the frost last winter, but have all made it and are flowering beautifully now. There are arching ones, upright ones, some with gold leaves, some bright green and others wine coloured, and a lovely selection of flower colours.
The Virginia creeper is the most wonderful shocking pink and wine colour, the best colour it has been since I planted it. It is the neater variety with not too large leaves, but I'm not sure what it is called as I took a cutting off my neighbours which had sneaked over his garden wall and was growing up the street light. I noticed it yesterday and it has covered the street light stem and has grown with dangly bits all round the lamp on top. It looks like a tall thin person with straggly hair framing its face.
The Gaura are very pretty just now and make a nice splash of pink and white against their reddish leaves.
My fuchsias are doing very well too, the ones which I put by the south wall have been there now for 3 seasons and they got a little liquid fertiliser on the odd occasion, that and the warm weather made them grow big. Some varieties have been flowering for a long time but not many flowers on some, others are later to flower and don't do much until it's cool. Last year some had just started and we had an early frost.
I have also put some in the new bed, plants which I have grown from my existing ones and been in pots. The get through winters well in a cold greenhouse if vine weevils don't eat their roots, even the Californian large hybrids like Voodoo, Snowburner, Deep Purple get through but are late to flower. Bella Rosella is earlier.
I have another bed of fuchsias which has been there for several years, it usually produces some flowers but this year they have dwindled, moles have dug under their roots, they are getting too shaded, I didn't water them nor feed them so I can blame myself really. Time to rescue some.
If you plant them deep (3-4") with a hollow for watering that fills in it will give better winter protection, they regrow from the roots and stems buried deeper.
This is my fuchsia jungle
Wallaby those are pretty!
Not much growing here anymore - we've had frost for the past 3 nights - so I really don't have much to choose from. My favorites therefore are the ones that are still flowering: my Gentiana sino-ornata and Colchicums. Colchicum 'Water Lily' is flowering now for the first time and it's really pretty :-)
They are pretty rannveig, the colchicums are too, mine have finished now.
This is Sealand Prince, one I had in a pot and has regrown from the top of the stem, so it's made a mini standard.
That is a great looking plant! Love the color combo of the flowers :-)
patbarr, I have just discovered this forum. This Philodendron (Mock Orange) jas just come into flowering mode. It is a new shrub and only planted a few months ago. I love its clear shite blooms and its gorgous scent. Pentstemons behind it, which are new perrenials for me to have, they are really showy and willnow always have a place in the border.
ferrymead - that Mock orange is gorgeous and those penstemons too. They're definately a kind that won't grow here - they have such big flowers and wonderful colors!
The penstemons should do well in your climate ferrymead, they are pretty.
I have just tried penstemon again., some I bought as small plugs and grew them on in the greenhouse, planted this year. Two are correct, Blackbird was substituted, Appleblossom had some flowers, Sour Grapes is really pretty and I think you might be lucky with that one rannveig. It flowers forever, mine is still flowering and a frost didn't stop it or damage it.
I also have one called Vesuvius which had a few flowers, and has just produced another. It's very deep burgundy.
Gosh Wallaby, such definition in your pic, I just went outside and had a look at mine to see if they had any little hairs of the blooms....no, mine are all smooth.
You are so good to know all yours by name. I don't think I have purchased one of them, Pink, red and white, red, purple. I know I won the purple one in a raffle and I think the others were gifts.
Your Vesuvius looks so pretty. I have space for some more so I will be looking at the tags and keeping the tags in future
Wow wallaby Vesuvius is gorgeous. I'll have to look up "sour grapes" ! I love penstemons but alas there are only two that are known to do well here (and I have them both ofcourse) :-( They tend to like it hot and dry and here it's mostly cool and wet! lol
The penstemons contrast beautifully with the white mock orange. I have only tried them once and they all disappeared over winter. I don't know if it was the weather or the slugs or perhaps a bit of both. I'm re-planting one of the borders and your lovely photos have encouraged me to give them another try. I love rich purples and pinks. I think the ones you mention Janet are all easily available. It is good to see gardens in other parts of the world blooming just when ours are shutting down for the winter.
ferrymead, the hairs do stand out in the pics, I'm not sure if I can see them with my eye. The camera has a better eye than me! I like to know all my plants names so I can refer to them correctly, or put them in PlantFiles, which I haven't done any of lately...winter job or I'm doing too many other things.
Pat they are the ones we generally see available, I had Raven a few years ago, it had a few flowers, returned weakly for a couple of years then disappeared. It didn't get enough sun, was in a bad place with a eucalyptus tree growing next to it. They are normally said not to be perennial here, it is recommended to take cuttings to grow over winter to keep them going, but these I have now have been in pots until this year. They have grown quite well, Vesuvius is one of a new Volcano series and looks strong so I have high hopes for it. Appleblossom was OK but not like Sour Grapes, it did really well. It is said to be fairly hardy, apart from that it flowers well.
I have grown some species Penstemon from seed, P. ovatus flowered this year and should b ehardy. P hirsutus pygmaeus I grew also, it has bulked up, seed sown last year and in the ground this June but no flowers yet. It's supposed to be short lived, I bought a plant in flower once and it didn't return. Another I grew from seed from Plant World just has a collection number and was collected high in the mountains of Chile I think, so should be good but it's still in pots waiting for ground space.
Sour Grapes for you rannveig, meant in a nice way!
Wallaby, the camera is more discerning than the eye, but you ceraainly know how to get the best from your camera. I looked in at the photograpohy competition at our loacal Agricultural and Pastoral show yesterday and was enthralled with the photos displayed, I think your pics would win a 1st prize, you capture the seence of what you take and they are always so beautifully clear.
Ranny, I will have to have a look through your postings and see if you have put in any photos....your country does seem to me to be a very difficult place to have a garden, do you grow indoors. Oh, please let me see some of your plants.
Patti, I know how depressing it is to lose plants over winter. I purchase two gentians last summer and they also disappeared over our winter!
I think Sheffield is in Northern England? I always enjoy watching the British produced gardening shows on T.V. Some really awesome gardens shown.
Lol, one has to wonder at the names of some plants.... I think your pic of Sour Grapes is a case in point... sweet grapes would be more applicable as it is such a pretty plant.
This is my purple pentstemon, name unknown. I won it in a raffle and I love it.
oudh!!!.
my last pic looked passable in the thumbnail pic but so smudgy!! I went right back outside and tried again. Hope this comes out better!
I've just done a search on Google Earth to see where Nelson N.Z. is and it is a very good map. I bet you can find your house on it Ferrymead. You look to be near both the sea and the countryside. Does the proximity of the sea affect the plants you grow?
Thanks wallaby - it certainly is a beauty! I agree with you ferry - it should have a more positive name!
Ferry - that is a very nicely looking penstemon - so tall! :-)
I've posted pics of Iceland all over the place - here are links to a few threads:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/645304/
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/651028/
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/608338/
Here's one photo of my garden I took in September :-)
And here's how it's looking now :-)
The photo was taken on the 19th of November. The snow has settled a bit, but there's still no sign of the pond ;-)
Primula waltonii and Anemone sylvestris among other things. Photo taken on June 27th. I love primulas and P. waltonii is one of my favorites :-)
ferrymead thanks for the vote of confidence! I took a look at the flowers and i can see some fuzz on them, but the camera is very good at picking up fine detail. Sometimes that's not the best thing if it's a close-up of skin!
I love the deep purple of your penstemon, it flowers well too. Gentians can be difficult, I think they prefer cool climates. I tried G sino-ornata, it grew for a couple of years then disappeared. I have 2 young plants now of G cruciata I grew from seed, just going dormant so I am hopeful this one will survive.
rannveig your climate must suit primulas, P waltonii is gorgeous. I love them too, some of the dwarf older types do OK but many just disappear.
My Sour Grapes full stem
Those "Sour Grapes" are just gorgeous wallaby!! :-)
Thanks - the himalayan primulas do well here like P. sikkimensis, P. florindae and similar ..... and many Gentians too. G. sino-ornata is one of the most widely grown gentians here and completely hardy, if they like it cool the climate certainly would suit them! ;-)
