Six on Saturday: 14/7/18

Tags

buddleja Miss Ruby, Buddliea, butterfly bush, Cercis canadensis, Daylily, echinops ritro, Forest pansy, hemerocallis little grape, hydrangea arborescens Annabelle, Lily, six on saturday, stachys

This is a new meme for me. Simply put this is a look at six plants in my garden which are looking at their best and most interesting right now.

Cercis candanensis underplanted with stachys

Such sweet glossy heart shaped leaves become bigger and bigger and back lit their foliage is unquestionably eye catching.

Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle and chair. This is their second year and boy do they deliver.

From lime green they open to a dreamy green white, one of those colours the people at Farrow and Ball would no doubt find a great name for.

Lily

After a few weeks picking off lily beetle these are looking in good condition and smell divine. They are huge too, about 1m tall. Shall I pick them? Hmm maybe just one.

Echinacea purpurea

I planted these in 2015 and unlike my last garden they have returned each year looking bigger and better.

This is Hemerocallis Little Grape. All daylily do well on my heavy clay soil and this one is a cast off from my friend Liz. Thanks Liz! It is smaller than most at about 40cm high but the strength of colour is very good.

Buddliea love them? Or loathe them? I would not be without at least one as they definitely bring butterflies into the garden. This is Buddleja Miss Ruby a modest sized version at 2x2m but easily contained with a spring pruning The aroma is very fruity. I really like the sharp colour on this one.

Echinops ritro I love all of the echinops but some such as Taplow Blue do not do well on my soil. This however is delightful, makes a good cut flower and adds such a clear form after the alliums are over. so that’s my six on Saturday. If you have six to share please add a link #sixonsaturday The propagator

Have a great weekend. D.

Tuesday view: 1/8/17

Tags

Coreopsis moonbeam, craftsmanship, echinops ritro, EW Carter, garden building, locally made, persicaria, Persicaria affinis sweet chestnut, rustic, summer house, Thalictrum, Tuesday View

My goodness it is August, yikes our Summer is galloping along. The view in my garden is altering as the roses fade out between flowerings.

The echinops and coreopsis are flowering but the earlier hot, dry weather has stunted their growth when compared to last year. 

Echinops and Coreopsis in front of Molinia Transparent. 

On the edge of this border is a carpet of Persicaria affinis. This ground covering form has engulfed the tiny but very pretty Thalictrum. Look carefully you can just see the delicate foliage poking through. 

While I am preparing this post to share with Cathy our lovely host of the Tuesday View, I thought I could also share my recent project. 

At the bottom of my garden there was a patio which was not very pretty, having served as a base for some sheds to store bedding for the goats. I noticed that as it was west facing it was the perfect spot to catch the evening sun.  Under the trees, it seemed the perfect place for a bench.  Alas it was not to be as the birds sat in the trees above and well made rather a mess. Quickly the seating was relocated and I made a mental note to get the patio taken up. 

Then when out and about I spotted a shelter for smokers in a pub garden and that got me thinking ( not smoking). Four posts and a lid that would do the job keeping the err debris off. The seed planted in my mind I started to look on line for something suitable. Then I came across EW Carter working on a tree house. After a brief discussion the plan was on. 

Created offsite in locally sourced Sweet chestnut, the frame went up in a couple of days at the beginning of May. Then the roof of my choice, wrinkly tin. 

After a swift topping out drink there was a pause pending my painting the cladding. Sadolin to match the building around us was applied to weatherboards. Never again, such a tedious task and so tricky as the wet boards were too long to stand up in the garage. Yawn. Anyway it got done and Ed returned to apply the cladding. 

I then painted the interior side of the cladding in a Cuprinol old stone. 

Then Ed returned to instal bench seating , again in sweet chestnut. 

Oil lamps given to us years ago by Brother Dorris have a new home and citronella candles provide any lighting. An indoor/ outdoor mat from ikea disguise the slabs and a group of cushions and throws serve to make a comfy hideaway. 

 Now if the weather would only improve …..

Tuesday view: 25/7/17

Tags

Ammi majus, calendula, Echinacea purpurea, echinops ritro, grown from seed, nigella, poppies, Tuesday View, Verbena bonariensis

The garden benefited from the rain on Saturday, a freshness has returned to the planting after a long dry spell. 

Taken this morning before the sun had broken through. There is a pink haze thanks to the verbena and grasses.

The Echinops ritro are peeping above. 

All tall and full. I must just show off my Echinacea in the opposite border. 

I do love them. 

That was my quick dash round before work just before the sunshine emerged. Now take a visit to words and herbs Cathy and catch up on her view. 

Oh one final thing, my few packets of seed are looking rather good: 

Enjoy your evening. D.