June 23rd

Plants so eager to flower

Plants in the garden seem to be tumbling over themselves in their eagerness to flower.  My favourite flower changes on a weekly, if not daily, basis.  I planted hundreds of allium bulbs last autumn and it has paid off.  They’ve really sparkled in the sunshine and look stunning alongside  bearded iris ‘English Cottage’ and ‘Sable’ – two of my current favourites.  Another I love is Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’, whose pink flowers are perfectly set off by dark purple leaves.  Iris sibirica ‘Tropic Night’ has grown into a lovely large clump; this week it was visited by the most enormous bumblebee I’ve ever seen, luckily just as I had my camera at the ready.  Roses are flowering well, particularly ‘Desdemona’ a David Austin rose.  Last autumn we moved rose ‘Tuscany Superb’ along the border a few feet into a more open position.  The gamble appears to have paid off and it has plenty of new growth.  Camassia bulbs I planted in the orchard to naturalise are flowering in a lovely shade of white – I thought I’d bought blue ones!  They’re beautiful though and it’s a good excuse to buy more.  I’m happy two varieties of dahlia I left overwintering in the garden have survived and are growing strongly now.  Others stored inside have now been re-planted, along with six new varieties I bought earlier.  The new vegetable garden is taking shape with broad beans, courgettes, beetroot and chard all planted and ‘Salad Bowl’ lettuce ready to pick.  I’ve planted up a cutting bed too with cosmos, statice, sweet peas and dahlias with zinnias and sunflowers to follow when they’re hardened off.