July warmth brings explosion of summer flowers
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Reading through my rather low key News items for the last few
months I was determined, whatever the weather in this most dismal
summer, to accentuate the positive in my July news and thanks to
some recent sunshine and warmth my task has been made easy. An
explosion of growth and colour in the last 2 weeks has lifted the
spirits and my own chloryphyll levels are rising to almost burtsing
point! Even most of the veggies are starting to grow away now,
although thanks to mice and rabbits and in spite of my best
efforts, there will be no peas this year.
The red border with purple globes of allium
sphaeracephallum, monarda "Garden View Scarlet" and a bright red
gladiolus species
The shady Paddock Border looking up to the house. More
muted colours here with kiringishoma palmatum in the
foreground, about to burst into flower with many lemon downward
facing bells of flowers well into September
I am going to have to rein in my excitement to keep July News
within bounds but there is so much to inspire wherever you look in
the garden; great roses in spite of some downy mildew causing leaf
drop, cornus kousa "Norman Hadden" plastered in flowers, moisture
lovers revelling in all the rain and perhaps best of all are the
dieramas or "Angels Fishing Rods" up to seven feet of waving wands
all over the Koi Pond Border. After waiting a long time I am truly
in love with the garden again!
Cornus kousa "Norman Hadden"at 15 foot tall, making a
big statement as one approaches the main garden
entrance.
ma
Dieramas, seedlings from D. pulcherrimum in various
shades of pink
Weather
Heavy rain and strong winds in the first half of the month gave
way to the recent hot spell with max temperature of 27.8C on 25
July and a min. of 18C on the same night. It is amazing after all
the rain how quickly the ground has dried up now that everything is
in strong growth.
Garden update
Plants are really moving now even though the season is about 2
weeks later than normal. Early summer flowering plants, especially
campanulas that have usually finished by now are still going strong
and the main summer flush has really burst into life and with a
high water table there is no shortage of moisture to help them on
their way, aided by some exceptionally warm nights. Lawns are green
and lush everywhere.
A seed grown campanula that came to me a C. trachelium
var album but the flowers seem too large to me. Whatever it is a
fine plant which at a distance seems like a lilium
candidum
At the entrance to the Paddock Garden where there were some
winter damaged large shrubs that have been removed, I have planted
drifts of annuals amongst the newly established clumps of
rose"Jacqueline du Pre" a single white fading peachy pink. A good
repeat flowering form with a pleasing scent. Annuals in shades of
white/pink include papaver somniferum (opium poppy), cosmos "Sweet
Sixteen", "Picotee" and "Purity" and the dark red almost black
Centaurea "Black Ball", the dark cornflower setting off the pink to
very good effect.
My efforts in going out with horticultural fleece every night in
April and May when an air frost was forecast, to cover the
hydrangeas, has paid dividends with h.macrophylla "Merveille
Sanguine" (thank you Paul of Greens Leaves Nursery for introducing
me to this dark red/dark leaved beauty) flowering for the first
time in 6 years (it must have heard me muttering about "one more
chance and you're out!") Another pleasing success has been
with h. macrophylla "General Viscomtesse de Vibray" obtained from
Portmeirion in 2001 and multiplied by cuttings which strike easily.
Until now when it has flowered it has been in a shade of blue
because we are on acid soil with a PH of about 6.5, but one large
plant is in ground that may be lower than that because this year it
has the most wonderful china blue flowers (bracts actually but who
cares?) as good as those which made me buy the plant all those
years ago in Portmeirion. It serves to remind us how critical PH is
in determining the colour range of many hydrangeas (whites
especially and some reds are not affected by the PH balance).
Hydrangea "Viscomtesse de Vibray" at dusk. Blue colours
seem to shine through the gloom at this time of day.
Despite the ravages of mice and rabbits, the debilitating effect
of the unseasonal weather and potato blight the veg garden is
coming on although we are nowhere near where we should be in late
July, only brassicas, potatoes and salad leaves to harvest at
present and it is so frustrating and embarassing, given I am
supposed to be a good vegetable grower, to have to be buying
vegetables at this time of year ( I try to hide my face in the
supermarket check out in case anyone notices me!!) It seems however
that most people who grow vegetables are similarly affected, even
the great Medwyn Williams told me last week that it was one of the
worst years he could remember, though you would scarcely believe it
from his exhibit at the Royal Welsh Show (see also Visits item
later).
What's looking good?
Well the 3D's for a start - dieramas, daylilies and dahlias all
for different reasons. Dieramas quite simply because they have
never flowered better even though some have been planted for 10
years. They come from a part of South Africa where they have plenty
of rain in summer and dryness in winter. Challenging in the UK, but
they have proved hardy here being planted in a sheltered situation
in sharply drained ground. This year they have had rain at just the
right time they were coming into growth during April and May and
for once I did feed them well with high potash feed. The result is
magnificient and unforgettable in shades of dark and light pink,
sultry purples and red at various heights from 3 feet to over 7
feet.
This pic. does not do them justice and you will be
forgiven for wondering what all the fuss is about but don't blame
the plants it's either me or the camera and one of us has to
go!
Daylilies (hemerocallis) after a really poor year in 2011 have
come back with a vengance after treatment of the gall midge last
winter (see June news), some splitting of the larger clumps and yes
dear reader, all the rain. I have added to my collection with some
good purchases last year and the plants I grew from seed received
from the American Hemerocallis Society a few years ago have matured
well with some stunning colours and unique flowers including a
large red and yellow spider and a purple with ruffled petals and
very tall.
The superb spider form of daylily
Although individual plants don't flower for more than about
a month there are early, late and repeat flowering forms so with
careful selection it is possible to have something in flower from
May until September.
Hemerocallis "Scarlet Oak" a big robust very floriferous
form with really dep red flowers
A very good puple/blue form - loose the label of a hem.
and you are lost!
Dahlias overwintered as always in the garden, struggled with the
wet winter and many have failed to come back but fortunately I
always have some mature plants in pots to replant, and some new
plants grown from my own seed sown in late February to make
large flowering plants by mid July. When growing from seed you
never know what you are going to get as where you grow different
varieties close together they cross readily to give a wide range of
forms and colours, some better than others but unlike many crosses
you don't have to wait very long to find this out. I select the
single flower forms with dark foliage which are personal favourites
but not to the exclusion of some of the more blousy "in your face"
dahlias that typify the genus.
Seedilngs from the seed parent"Twynings After
Eight" - a very dark leaved single with pure white
flowers.Seedlings include pink, vermillion, yellow, dark leaved,
plain green leaved, tall and short forms. If such a range troubles
you take cuttings in late March which will come true to
type
Wildlife and countryside
Very little to report on the wildlife front with a distinct
absence of bees, butterflies and moths even though there are plenty
of flowers for them. I did get a brief sighting tonight of a falcon
over the Lodge either a peregrine or a merlin. It was such a brief
sighting it was difficult to make a positive identification but it
had serious designs on the large number of swallows driven lower by
the wet evening.
Blackbirds have discovered the ripening tomatoes in the
polytunnel and started to make a nuiance of themselves taking them
just before they are ready to harvest. I don't mind losing a few
but there are lots of blackbirds around and they have a voracious
appetite!
One blackbird was seen on several occasions last week in the hot
weather sunbathing on the lawn. Spread flat out it looked injured
but as soon as I went to investigate it flew off, and of course by
the time I retrieved the camera it had flown off.
One final piece of good news is that after an absence of over a
year we have a robin back in the garden. We just hope he stays
around for the winter months when they become very tame and a
constant companions whatever the weather.
On the farming front it has been a very slow silage and hay
harvest but last week's fine weather presented an opportuniy to
make hay while the sun shines and the lanes were busy all day with
harvest traffic.
Visits and visitors
It has seemed very strange to have had no visitors in what has
been traditionally the month when we have our NGS Open Day so for
the first time in 13 years, we have had the chance to go visiting
ourselves. We did however have at short notice last Saturday, a
wedding party visit the garden to have their photos taken. It is a
pleasure to be able to provide this facility and to use the gardens
in a different way.
A quiet moment for the bride and groom, looking out over
the Paddock Pond.
The getaway car wasn't too bad either (a Beaufort kit
car), which sits very well on the drive with the house and new
conservatory but unfortunately the driver was reluctant to leave it
behind!
As for us we have visited NGS gardens and been to RHS Tatton
Park for the first time, By staying overnight nearby we were in the
showground as soon as it opened giving an hour or so before
it got really busy. Some good nurseries many from the north that we
hadn't encountered before, and some inspiring show gardens, more
than any other RHS Show.
The soft fruit competition was mouthwatering, none
better than this beautifully presented basket
In the floral marquee there was this marvellous stand of
disa, an orchid group I had not previously encountered. I was
very tempted to buy some at £10.50 each but caution got the better
of me. especially as they seem to be very demanding culturally and
with my track record of orchid growing I decided to stick with
herbaceous perennials!
Last week I gave my talk entitled "Growing Vegetables" at The
Royal Welsh Show on a steamimg hot day. There was little
ventilation in the marquee and in the circumstances there was good
attendance, the audience participating well.
The "On Stage" arena prior to the talk
The horticultural element of the Show does seem to be
contracting over the years which is disappointing but there were
some good exhibits and nurseries in attendance. It was great to see
Medwyn Williams exhibiting his tremendous range of vegetables
staying loyal to his "local" show in spite of all those Chelsea
Gold Medals. I have not seen better vegetables anywhere so it was
great experience to be introduced to him after my talk and he spent
a long time talking to us. He seems unaffected by all his success
and is very down to earth. As the result of that contact Medwyn has
invited me to North Wales in the autumn to give a talk to his area
of the National Vegetable Society. You can imagine how I feel about
such an honour and I just hope I am up to it!!
The great man with his large gold medal and the backdrop
of his superb vegetables. Medwyn is on the left! If I had known I
was going to meet him I would have taken more care with my
outfit!!
Our visitor season begins in earnest in mid August with 6 group
bookings and if you would like to come there are still a few dates
left so please get in touch with us.
In the meantime on Friday Moira celebrates her 60th
Birthday with a weekend of activities planned with family and
friends coming to share the milestone event with her.