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Garden Post - October 2011
Oct. 16th, 2011 03:30 pmI thought I'd feature some of the penstemmon, since I've waxed lyrical about them previously and I've now got two more in flower, with a possibility that 'Sour Grapes' will also put in a show before the end of the year.
The first is one of the pink varieties - I can't actually remember if it's 'Hewell's Pink' or 'Hidcote Pink', both of which are growing in the garden:-
The photograph doesn't seem to do it justice, as the pink hasn't quite reproduced at the right shade...
It's a broad-leaved variety - and I've been told in the past that the broad-leaved varieties of penstemmon are less hardy than those with narrow leaves. I'm not convinced that any of them are fully hardy in our current climate, with its long, hard cold snaps (great suggestion from you,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
red_trillium, and I think I might try a version of your plant cosies using hay/straw and some frost-proof (hah!) membrane. Though whether that'll work when the ground is frozen solid to a depth of six inches or more for a fortnight remains to be seen). The good news is that I've got a root growing on one of my Hewell's Pink cuttings, so hopefully (fingers crossed!) that'll be another viable plant for next year.
My next plant is Raven, which is deep purple, almost black, in colour:_
Set against the bright red foliage of the acer, it looks particularly striking, though it tends to be overshadowed by the anthirrhinums, which are now coming into their own. They were planted late, and are flowering late as a result, which gives some pleasant late colour. Unfortunately, it's not enough to warrant a picture - everything's looking predominantly green and a bit unkempt...
I 've now started digging up the osteospermum in addition to the marguerites and the Chrysanths. I don't quite know where I'm going to store all these plants (I've got geraniums and fuschia to add to the mix, just to make things difficult) because I've only got one set of staging for the porch, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!!
I also took the big step of starting to bring in the begonias, mainly because I'm nervous about the vine weevil situation. I hacked down 'Old Faithful' (its corm is now the size of a saucer), which I was particularly worried about because adult vine weevils were frequently encountered on its flowers and foliage during the summer. I soaked the corm in hot water to flush out any bugs, pulled away a substantial amount of the roots, and while I found a few round patches on the corm which look like the beginnings of vine weevil predation, I found no grubs, and no new burrows. So I think I'm winning the vine weevil race, so far.
Unfortunately, a few earthworms died in this process, which I didn't want at all. Friendly fire, I suppose...
The first is one of the pink varieties - I can't actually remember if it's 'Hewell's Pink' or 'Hidcote Pink', both of which are growing in the garden:-
The photograph doesn't seem to do it justice, as the pink hasn't quite reproduced at the right shade...
It's a broad-leaved variety - and I've been told in the past that the broad-leaved varieties of penstemmon are less hardy than those with narrow leaves. I'm not convinced that any of them are fully hardy in our current climate, with its long, hard cold snaps (great suggestion from you,
red_trillium, and I think I might try a version of your plant cosies using hay/straw and some frost-proof (hah!) membrane. Though whether that'll work when the ground is frozen solid to a depth of six inches or more for a fortnight remains to be seen). The good news is that I've got a root growing on one of my Hewell's Pink cuttings, so hopefully (fingers crossed!) that'll be another viable plant for next year.My next plant is Raven, which is deep purple, almost black, in colour:_
Set against the bright red foliage of the acer, it looks particularly striking, though it tends to be overshadowed by the anthirrhinums, which are now coming into their own. They were planted late, and are flowering late as a result, which gives some pleasant late colour. Unfortunately, it's not enough to warrant a picture - everything's looking predominantly green and a bit unkempt...
I 've now started digging up the osteospermum in addition to the marguerites and the Chrysanths. I don't quite know where I'm going to store all these plants (I've got geraniums and fuschia to add to the mix, just to make things difficult) because I've only got one set of staging for the porch, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!!
I also took the big step of starting to bring in the begonias, mainly because I'm nervous about the vine weevil situation. I hacked down 'Old Faithful' (its corm is now the size of a saucer), which I was particularly worried about because adult vine weevils were frequently encountered on its flowers and foliage during the summer. I soaked the corm in hot water to flush out any bugs, pulled away a substantial amount of the roots, and while I found a few round patches on the corm which look like the beginnings of vine weevil predation, I found no grubs, and no new burrows. So I think I'm winning the vine weevil race, so far.
Unfortunately, a few earthworms died in this process, which I didn't want at all. Friendly fire, I suppose...
