Mid August News
Saturday, August 18, 2018
There has already been a lot of news to report on this
month;several short breaks, in Devon, Gloucestershire,
Bucks, and Somerset. Broadcasting of the Gardeners'
World episode on 10 August featuring Cilgwyn Lodge, and new plants
in the borders coming into their prime. In an attempt to avoid
another monster news bulletin at the end of this month I have
decided to do a mid month post, saving some of my usual News format
until then.
Cottage Garden Picket Border
Paddock Garden
Red Border
The major event was the broadcast of Gardeners' World. It isn't
often that you get the opportunity to appear on nationwide TV, and
share you garden with the watching public. We do hope that you
managed to watch it and if you did so, we were watching it for the
first time that you were. I had no idea how I was going to come
across, having the role of presenter, which I really enjoyed, even
though the Director decided on the format and content. Having
delivered talks to gardening clubs and societies over a good number
of years, and welcomed many visitors on National Gardens Scheme
open days for 16 years, I was used to speaking to a live
audience!
In a 7 minute slot, shot over 7 hours and pasted
together, it was amazing where all the footage went to! It was not
surprising then that all the many highlights in the garden could
not be included. What I thought I would do, that you may
enjoy and give you a greater insight into the whole of the summer
garden, was to publish pictures taken by me during the course of
the month, and latterly since the programme was
broadcast.
In a great year for crocosmias, Emberglow lived up to
it's reputation as one of the best, long flowering
too.
Thalictrums and phlox in the Paddock
Garden
The approach of autumn as rudbeckia var sullivantii
"Goldsturm" comes into bloom. Just like rays of late sunshine. One
of the flowers I look forward to most for it's sheer joyousness.
For that reason it was chosen as the banner image for our
website
Hydrangea paniculata "Vanille Fraise" continues its
flowering metarmorphosis from white to deep pink - just like
that!
Late August is a good time to enjoy a range of more
unusual plants coming into bloom for the next couple of months. One
becomimg quite popular is the genus roscoea
More familiar is sedum 'Autumn Joy', now re-named
Hytolephium Herbstfreude Group. The buds are not yet open but
already create an attractive effect.
A pleasing combination of an uknown highly scented
lilac phlox, paired with hydrangea paniculata in the turning pink
phase
Nicotiana knightiana, a rare form which continues on
giving, not because it is perennial,but it is an annual that seeds
around some years, in the most unexpected places. Up to 5feet
tall.
Clematis x triternata Rubromarginata:- dainty
highly scented flowers over 6 weeks or so
Another overpowering scent, especially in the
evening, is very welcome from this brugmansia in a large pot
outside the conservatory. Overwintered in the large tunnel with
several others and cuttings as backup, it justifies the cost of
heating it in a bad winter like this year
More scent,, in the Paddock Garden this time, comes from
one of the very few flowers we have had on impatiens tinctoria this
summer. It has been ravaged by capsid bugs which destroy most of
the flowers. It has been a thorough nuisance on a whole range of
host plants for many gardeners.
Salvia "Love and Wishes" in perfect harmony with
artemesia ludoviciana "Valerie Finnis" It and other
artemesias and silver leaved plants tie in all the other sun lovers
growing in the sunny rose garden. That shot of silver running
through gives great flow and harmony to that large
border.
Going back to Gardeners' World, We were overwhelmed by the
number of e. mails we received, almost as soon as it ended, from a
wide range of correspondents, particularly of course many of our
friends and gardening acqaintances. There were also posts on social
media which I don't belong to but friends who do passed on posts to
us. I even had messages from former work colleagues, some of whom I
have not heard from for many years!! All very exciting and
enervating. Where I could, I believe that I have replied to
everyone. If you didn't hear from me for any reason, please accept
my sincere apologies and thanks for taking the trouble to do
so.
Perhaps the most amazing thing was that the number of hits on
our website was up 175% from the previous week It was the most
activity we have ever had since we started it in 2011 which makes
it all worth while. Please keep visiting us to find out what we are
doing and how the gardens are faring.
One area of the garden in particular which was rather neglected
in the programme was the vegetable area which has been one of the
loves of my gardening life for as long as I can remember! It has
been an exceptional summer for most crops, for all but runner beans
and some brassicas. Cabbage white butterflies are still like a
plague of locusts, capsid bugs, some clubroot, flea beetle and the
pestilent blackbirds on sweetcorn and tomatoes.
Caterpillars on winter savoy
Capsid bug infestation.
Cutting down all the potato haulms has opened the
cleared ground to weed seeds. More work to do!!
Clearing the ground has also provided the space to
plant out late leeks and a late sowing of autumn salad
crops
Outdoor Ridge cucumbers "Market More" have cropped
magnificently all summer. For my taste they are infinitely better
than the greenhouse forms. That is a bit of a cop out because I
have never had any success with them!!
Some freshly gathered crops for supper. French
beans in green, purple and yellow - the latter form called
"Polka", a deliciously buttery taste and very tender even when
larger.
