Border revamp gets going
I have been busy picking strawberries over the past couple of weeks and there are still more. Most, but not all, make it into the kitchen to share! This year I’ve managed to net the crop well and kept out both blackbirds and our dogs. I have been busy making changes to part of the flower border in the back garden. The catalyst for this was buying a new peony, ‘Karl Rosenfield’, and realising I had nowhere to plant it. One end of this border has been looking wrong for a while, so I waded in and dug up a huge clump of Osteospermum jucundum, which, though lovely, was clambering over everything. With that out of the way, I was able to move some of the existing plants around, slot in the peony, and then plant some penstemons grown from cuttings as well as Francoa sonchifolia ‘Molly Anderson’, which I grew from seed. This plant’s foliage creates a low mound and the flower spikes, rising up to 90cm (3ft), are studded with pinkish-white star shaped flowers. The border looks much better now and should fill out nicely with time. The osteospermum will be re-planted elsewhere, where it can spread onto the gravel drive. The roses on the pergola are now in full bloom and looking beautiful. ‘Felicite Perpetue’ is at one end and ‘Belvedere’ at the other. Both are vigorous ramblers and are well on their way to meeting in the middle. In the orchard, we let the grass grow long on one side and mow paths through it. Wildflower seed was planted here a few years ago and each year more flowers appear. This autumn, I’m planning to sow yellow rattle to try and inhibit the growth of the grass. It is a treat to sit out here on a sunny day and watch the many species of butterfly.
Tales from a Country Garden 