Garden Post - Late July 2011

With everyone reeling in the aftermath the Oslo atrocities, it's impossible to act like it's business as usual, so I'm going to postpone 'Castle of the Month' until tomorrow, and take refuge in a garden post.

I did something reckless this afternoon.  I followed Monty Don's advice and decimated my sweet peas, removing all the flowerheads so the next round of buds can come through.  I know you're supposed to remove the flowers regularly, but I like having them in the garden, so I don't usually deadhead in such a draconian fashion, removing just the seed pods instead. 

The flowers are now in a cut glass vase on the mantlepiece, which is a bit big and clunky to take them, but it looks nice nonetheless.  The living room smells of sweet pea, and my nose is running.   Yep, I think I'm allergic to the things!!

I took this photo of the rambling sweet pea plants before the cull took place, because I wanted to share this particular bicolour with you.  It's one of my favourites of this year's batch.

And on the subject of bicolours, Rosa Mundi is now in full cry.  I believe this rose goes back to the 16th century - as roses go, it's a bit of a pain, as it only flowers once, but it's so beautiful that I wouldn't do without it.  Apologies if I've shared this anecdote with you before, but when I found this particular rose in a garden centre, it was a scrappy miserable thing absolutely heaving with aphids, but because I'd always wanted a Rosa Mundi, I bought it anyway amd decided to try and rescue it.  It was expensive, too - £14 or thereabouts, which considering the state of it was daylight robbery 

I can't remember if we resorted to insecticides that first season - I suspect we did, because the plant's life was at stake, but it made it, and it makes a stunning addition to the garden each summer now:-

It's a beautiful rose, and quite uncommon, so if you see one in your travels, and if you can make room for a historic and attractive (though rather shambolic!) rose, I can fully recommend it.

My second recommendation of the day is a more humble plant.  It's Anagallis Skylover, and it's something I've only ever seen sold by Suttons as a mail order plug plant.  They also did an orange variety, Sunlover, for a couple of years which was equally attractive.  It's a very under-utilised plant, with a glorious dark blue flower.  I've planted it in two beds, including the front flower bed, of which I've featured a few pictures this year in varying degrees of completion.  The cosmos still aren't out yet, but with the snapdragons, lobelia, osteospermum and now anagallis all in bloom, this particular bed is finally beginning to peak in terms of its flowering capacity.

A general view, first of all, featuring the same section of bed that I showed you last time.  The anagallis is the cornflower blue flower behind the lobelia and osteospermum:-

And a closer view, featuring the combination of lobelia/osteospermum/anagallis:-

Unfortunately, my camera doesn't so the anagallis justice - it's a very deep, mysterious blue, with a dash of indigo at the centre.  I got mine free this year - dear old Suttons goofed up with my order last year and sent me ten orange ones, instead of five blue/five orange (not that great a hardship, believe me!!).  So this year, they made it up to me by sending through a complementary pack.  Of ten Skylover, unfortunately, rather than the combination of five Skylover/five Sunlover.  But, hey ho, at least they're still selling the things - I'm dreading the year when they decide to axe this plant from their range...

If you haven't tried anagallis before, give it a go.  It makes a glorious, though rather subtle, addition to a bed of mixed annuals.

It's also slug-proof, which in this 95% organic garden, is a real bonus!!

Garden Post - Late July 2011

With everyone reeling in the aftermath the Oslo atrocities, it's impossible to act like it's business as usual, so I'm going to postpone 'Castle of the Month' until tomorrow, and take refuge in a garden post.

I did something reckless this afternoon.  I followed Monty Don's advice and decimated my sweet peas, removing all the flowerheads so the next round of buds can come through.  I know you're supposed to remove the flowers regularly, but I like having them in the garden, so I don't usually deadhead in such a draconian fashion, removing just the seed pods instead. 

The flowers are now in a cut glass vase on the mantlepiece, which is a bit big and clunky to take them, but it looks nice nonetheless.  The living room smells of sweet pea, and my nose is running.   Yep, I think I'm allergic to the things!!

I took this photo of the rambling sweet pea plants before the cull took place, because I wanted to share this particular bicolour with you.  It's one of my favourites of this year's batch.

And on the subject of bicolours, Rosa Mundi is now in full cry.  I believe this rose goes back to the 16th century - as roses go, it's a bit of a pain, as it only flowers once, but it's so beautiful that I wouldn't do without it.  Apologies if I've shared this anecdote with you before, but when I found this particular rose in a garden centre, it was a scrappy miserable thing absolutely heaving with aphids, but because I'd always wanted a Rosa Mundi, I bought it anyway amd decided to try and rescue it.  It was expensive, too - £14 or thereabouts, which considering the state of it was daylight robbery 

I can't remember if we resorted to insecticides that first season - I suspect we did, because the plant's life was at stake, but it made it, and it makes a stunning addition to the garden each summer now:-

It's a beautiful rose, and quite uncommon, so if you see one in your travels, and if you can make room for a historic and attractive (though rather shambolic!) rose, I can fully recommend it.

My second recommendation of the day is a more humble plant.  It's Anagallis Skylover, and it's something I've only ever seen sold by Suttons as a mail order plug plant.  They also did an orange variety, Sunlover, for a couple of years which was equally attractive.  It's a very under-utilised plant, with a glorious dark blue flower.  I've planted it in two beds, including the front flower bed, of which I've featured a few pictures this year in varying degrees of completion.  The cosmos still aren't out yet, but with the snapdragons, lobelia, osteospermum and now anagallis all in bloom, this particular bed is finally beginning to peak in terms of its flowering capacity.

A general view, first of all, featuring the same section of bed that I showed you last time.  The anagallis is the cornflower blue flower behind the lobelia and osteospermum:-

And a closer view, featuring the combination of lobelia/osteospermum/anagallis:-

Unfortunately, my camera doesn't so the anagallis justice - it's a very deep, mysterious blue, with a dash of indigo at the centre.  I got mine free this year - dear old Suttons goofed up with my order last year and sent me ten orange ones, instead of five blue/five orange (not that great a hardship, believe me!!).  So this year, they made it up to me by sending through a complementary pack.  Of ten Skylover, unfortunately, rather than the combination of five Skylover/five Sunlover.  But, hey ho, at least they're still selling the things - I'm dreading the year when they decide to axe this plant from their range...

If you haven't tried anagallis before, give it a go.  It makes a glorious, though rather subtle, addition to a bed of mixed annuals.

It's also slug-proof, which in this 95% organic garden, is a real bonus!!