"July the month of summers prime"
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
When considering a suitable headline for this months News
item I suddenly remembered from long ago, some verse of John Clare,
the Peasant Poet. He wrote about country ways, nature and his rural
childhood who, in the 1827 published a series of poems entitled
"The Shepherds Calendar" He was a keen observer of the weather and
viewed July in Northamptonshire as the peak of summer perfection in
the age when he was writing. Fast forward nearly 200 years however
and in the recent past summers have been more variable in our
part of Wales, and from a gardening perspective this July has been
disappointing. However it is not all gloom and doom by any means as
there is always something to admire in July even if the
unblemished fullness we hope for has not been achieved.
A rare sight in July was a cloudless sky on the warmest
day of the year, graced by the silhouette of a red
kite
By way of contrast whilst we were away in Devon,
gales brought down this small conifer which by pure luck caused no
damage to border plants
Weather
Plenty of rain some very heavy, but also brief sunny spells of a
couple of days at a time, none better than in the third week when
there was a brief taste of high summer. A particular highlight was
the number warm nights we had, which coupled with the rain saw some
spectacular growth. Winds generally light. Min 7C on the 6th, max
31.4C on 19th. 11 days above 20C and 20 nights above 10C. Night
time temperature on 19th was 22C when I sat out under the stars in
shirt sleeves! until 2.30am Am I nuts? It was just so lovely I
didn't want the night to end!
Garden update
Weeds and molluscs have been a major challenge for every
gardener we have spoken to but we have just about managed to stay
on top of them, although some of the hostas have succumbed to
molluscs more than I can ever remember.
Good growth in all areas of the gardens but the frequent rain
spoiled many of the blooms especially roses, dieramas and
hemerocallis.
Roses especially those with cabbage or ball shaped
flowers are particularly susceptible
The newly sown lawn loved the conditions and apart from a few
patchy areas the seed has taken well. Taking the advice of Robert
my lawns guru, I started cutting it after just 4 weeks as it causes
the grass to grow more vigorously and that has certainly proved to
be the case.
To complement the new lawn and provide another sitting out area
I laid a small patio area to enjoy the views to the north and the
surrounding borders which had previously been obstructed by
the vegetables I had grown there for 40 years.
Reducing the vegetable borders to just 2, on which it will be
possible to practice a 4 course rotation, has not significantly
reduced the capacity to grow a wide range of vegetables (except
main crop potatoes) which have done exceptionally well in weather
conditions that has suited all but the more tender forms. Runner
beans are very slow however and the set has been poor due to an
absence of bees to pollinate them.
Peas have done well, my favourite variety "Hurst Green
Shaft" rarely letting me down except when mice eat the seeds just
as they germinate!
Even better than the peas have been the carrots.
For the first time in many years totally fly free. A strict regime
of keeping the horti fleece over them at all times, except for
maintenance and harvest. You can see my delight in this bunch of
"Purple Haze" almost black when cooked and a superb
flavour
Soft fruit production was severely affected by the
weather but we had a major success with blueberries which was the
best crop we have ever had.
The Paddock Pond has continued to stay brilliantly clear with
no blanket or duck weed and lots of happy fish that make the water
boil at nightly feeding time. The best thing of all is the
wonderful show of waterlilies with Moira counting over 100 in bloom
a few days ago. They are almost without exception white, even
though during the 23 years the pond has been in existence we have
introduced all the colour ranges available in a variety of
cultivars. including the incredibly expensive nymphaea,
"Almost Black" which is so dark you can hardly see it in the
water!!!
Late summer flowering plants are on the move with crocosmias to
the fore, and the first of the 85 cultivars of hydrangeas in all
areas of the gardens. Other favourites like roscoeas, cautlyeas,
kirengeshoma and rudbeckia "Gold Sturm" are showing colour in the
bud. More on all these next month.
A view at twilight of crocosmias seen through grasses
and blue hydrangea "General Vicomte de Vibraye" and by the seat
hydrangea Paniculata "Kyushu"
In the nursery my efforts to reduce stock are in evidence with
far less plants for sale than I would usually have at this time of
year. This has come about by a combination of good plant sales
especially at the 2 NGS Open Days at Gelli Mydog and some
unexpected losses.
Our plant stall at Gelli. We were extremely grateful to
members of Cothi Gardeners for their assistance, a local group with
whom we have a very good relationship (Elena and Brenda in the
picture with Moira)
What's looking good?
Once again there is a whole range of contenders, the best of
which are reflected in the picture gallery below. In keeping with
the theme of July Prime this is always the time of year when there
are more than at any other time of year.
Asiatic lily "Nerone" in the Red Border
Lilium pardilinum a moisture loving form commonly
called the ditch lily in western USA where it comes
from.
A superb red form of martagon lily perhaps my favourite
lily type
But wait - what's this beauty? Simply stunning species
form lilium leichtlinii. Over 6 feet tall and dripping with almost
luminous golden yellow flowers with black spots on stout
black stems. Jaw dropping!
Day lilies (hemerocallis) here shown in the Red Border
are not true lilies but have many of their attributes as Kit the
Kat appreciates!
Just 2 of the unique forms forms from seed donated
by the generous members of the American Hemerocallis Society.
Generally 2 years from seed to flowering plants
And here en masse are a collection of named
cultivars and seed grown forms.
An unusual hydrangea family member is the climbing
schizophragma hydrangoides in the form "Roseum". Selected to
quickly smother the frame of a dead rhododendron near the
house, it has scarcely reached 4 feet in 10 years! I should have
selected the plain white form which is far more
vigorous,
Angels fishing rods dierama in numerous species and
cultivars are graceful additions to the summer border in a sunny
spot and a well drained soil.
An altogether larger angel is the brugmansia
with huge intensely scented trumpet flowers on a shrub/small
tree. Better in a large pot in most of the UK and overwintered in
frost free conditions. Angel is perhaps an appropriate name as it
is deadly poisonous - ingestion of any parts of the plant will
quickly transport you to heaven or wherever else you intend to go!
This superb yellow form is almost defoliated by red spider mite
which in a way helps to show off the flowers to better
effect
Another plant which always shouts summer at me whatever
the weather, is the border phlox and although we have a good range
my all time favourite is "Blue Paradise" which takes on different
shades of blue depending on the time of day. The best time of all
is twilight when the colour is the most intense and the prefume at
it's best
This evening scented plant and a long established friend
is impatiens tinctoria, a tuberous form of "busy lizzie" but
nothing like the ones we associate with bedding displays. It is a
really impressive plant 7 feet wide and tall. Although fairly
tender we have got it through 16 winters with just a deep mulch of
leaves from the nearby beech tree.
I don't know if you watch Gardeners World on TV, but
a few weeks ago Monty Don said that he disliked begonias. Now
we all have our likes and dislikes which is only natural, but he
didn't make clear, with 1,795 species and countless
cultivars, if it was the entire genus he objected to or only
particular forms. As is often the case when watching BBC gardening
programmes (particularly the RHS shows) the TV came close the being
thrown out the window!! Only the cost of a replacement held me
back. So for Monty if he is a visitor to our website or anyone else
who doesn't like begonias, here are some in flower now at Cilgwyn
which may help to change your mind.
Begonia sutherlandii a species gently trailing
form.
A begonia rex grown for its stunning leaves in many
patterns
The stunning small tree-like beoginia luxurians
with palm like leave and panicles of slighty scented tiny flowers.
It was good enough for Christopher Lloyd andBob Brown of Cotswold
Garden Flowers gives it 10 in his plant catelogues, so by any
measure it must be good
This perhaps is like more people's idea of a
begonia but even then at 2 feet tall with almost black leave and
non stop pink flowers it makes a tremendous statement in a nice
pot. The plant label names it only as "Big Rose, Bronze Leaf"
A good perennial for me.
And if all these which are tender to a greater or lesser extent
don't appeal, look out for begonia grandis a hardy species
form and in excess of 10 cultivars and species variants.
Wildlife and countryside
It has been a difficult month for neighbouring farmers to gather
the grass harvest as either silage (most widely practised here
especially in a wet summer) or hay which needs at least 4 days to
sufficiently lose its moisture content before baling.
Whenever the fields are cut soon after comes the army of
crows, magpies and particularly red kites, as many as 18 at a time
was quite common this year and the most we have ever seen here.
Smoke in the valley? No just blown lime after the
harvest to sweeten the soil. Alun one of my farmer neighbours had a
soil test done this year which showed aPH of 5 !!
After 25 years he thought it
was about time to get some lime on.
The number of flying insects of all kinds has been significantly
affected by the weather with no summer butterflies, not even the
common ones like red admirals and tortoiseshells, no large
dragonflies and very few damselflies. Perhaps the most worrying
absentees have been hive and bumble bees which has had a
significant impact on broad and runner bean crops as they have not
been pollinated in any great numbers. This is when self fertile
French beans come into their own and ours are only now ready for
picking.
Spot this Emerald moth amongst the foliage
And the slimline form of one of the few damselflies seen
this year.
The country lanes all around have still not been cut back by the
local council and are putting up a great show in white of meadow
sweet and tall, elegant umbellifers with the odd variant in a shade
of pale pink.
The insect magnet flowers of fennel, an imposing herb we
use in some of the herbaceous borders as seen first at Great
Dixter
For the first time in some years I had a sighting of a
sparrowhawk at rather close quarters as it dashed underneath the
verandah not far from where I was sitting, in pursuit of a redstart
that had been flitting about in the shrubs close by. I think on
this occasion it escaped but it some feat to escape the
clutches of such a brave and determined killing machine.
Our major raptor is the red kite, this being one of the
18 we counted over the Lodge Field after the silage harvest.
Incredible to think that 40 years ago that was half of all the
kites in Wales!
Visits
We have really enjoyed the opportunity over the last few
months to go garden visiting on a regular basis, to gardens great
and small across West Wales and further afield to Devon. Really
inspirational and occasionally in the company of gardening
friends, full of talk, good humour and a shared passion for
plants.
Great gardening friends Liz, Paul, Peter, Moira and
Carole lost in the gardens at Aberglasney and deep in conversation
about plants!
Not even seriously wet weather on
some visits could douse our enjoyment.
The Wildside in Devon www.wileyatwildside.com
So wet when we visited it was impossible to do justice to this
iconic garden
The Garden House is just 2 miles away from Wildside www.thegardenhouse.org.uk
Moira sheltering under this truly magnificent cornus
controversa variegata one of the largest we have ever
seen
Lady Anne's garden at RHS Rosemoor www.rhs.org.uk/Rosemoor
There are 2 separate gardens at Rosemoor, the
established garden (Lady Anne's) gifted to the RHS in the 1980's
and the new garden they created. For us the old one is by far the
best
We grow 2 forms of fuchsia boliviana but this form was
unknown to us and is the form named Carriere-it just blew us
away!
Meeting up with the locals in the excellent
vegetable garden!
Marwood Hill near Barnstaple www.marwoodhillgarden.co.uk
The life's work of Dr Jimmy Smart. Lakes, stream garden,
great range of trees and shrubs and a National Plant Collection of
Astilbes in full bloom. Excellent nursery too.
Deutzia scabra, rare, later than most, impressive
flowers and good scent
Moira sharing the view down the valley so beloved by Dr
Smart, whose statue now adorns the garden.
NGS garden at Rosewood, Redberth near Tenby of friends
Keith and Jan.
An additional attraction apart from the best range of
cakes we have ever had at a garden opening, is the residue of
Keith's former National Plant Collection of Viorna group clematis.
This one is a great example of a species clematis texensis. the so
called tulip flowered clematis. At just 1 inch it isn't large but
still good to see such a perfect specimen
And this moving text at the entrance to the lovely
garden of our friend Jan in Kidwelly
The second NGS opening at Gelli Mydog, Myddfai owned by
our friends Robert and Barry was almost as succesful as their first
with just five less visitors (180). To have raised over £2,000 in
their first year is a considerable achievement and all those who
attended this year will be pleased to know that their garden
will be opening again in 2017.
We have more garden visits to look forward to on a trip to Kent
next month. Hope you find some time to get out and about even it is
to an NGS garden in your area. There are some teriffic NGS gardens
to be enjoyed with ideas, inspiration, teas and plants for sale all
in the company of kindred gardening spirits: a celebration of the
best of Britain in an increasingly troubled world.
Happy gardening!