I love form, flowers, leaves, shapes and if I enjoy them individually for a year or two I am grateful. Others I have had for many many years, and make sure that they are lifted, divided, moved if failing, and somehow they continue come up beautifully for me. I realise that much can be made by their juxtaposition with others, which is my excuse for the movements I make.
I have some plants that I fall out of love with, and it is with great joy that I dig them up and consign them to the bin. Sometimes it is because they become diseased, or get ravaged by inclement weather, others, it is just because something else comes along and take centre stage, or ought I to say shaded out?
One of the favourite things I like to do, is to pick a posy from the garden. This September has been strange. On one hand it is almost as if it is still summer, the rose bushes are starting on new growth, and I can see roses on the table in November at this rate.
On Monday I picked this posy. The Michaelmas daisy is the give away that it is September. This clump comes from a small piece given to me by my then new friend Penny nearly seven years ago. It is now ready for dividing, well next spring will be the best time. I have no name so it is the 'Penny Daisy'. Other flowers and greenery are Rose Claire Austin which is finally blooming nearly white rather than yellow as it had been during the summer. I sent an email to Austin's and they advised that it was probably a climatic thing: 'too much sun'. Pittosporum Garnettii, Anaphalis Margaritacea, Iberis ex Betty Swainson, white carnation 'Memories', Lysimachia clethroides.
The following day, I picked this one, far more autumnal in colour
Rose from my not very climbing Crown Princess Margareta, Pittosporum Tom Thumb, Euphorbia x Martinii Ascot Rainbow, Hypericum of some sort, brought in by birds. The seeds are very large, and gradually go from pale cream, through red to black. The evergreen shrub with small leaves, has lost its name, but I shall be on the hunt for this.
Flowering well: hardy fushia which I have had for over 20 years, name lost. I nearly lost this plant too from neglect, so next spring, will take cuttings, and rejuvenate it.
Dwarf Stellar Pelargonium Golden Ears is flowering its socks off. The single orange blooms on deeply cut bronze and lime green leaves are great. This plant is over three years old.
I've been watching the insects, this tiny wasp is hopefully helping to control the many blackfly in the garden at present. The stems of the Achillea 'Lilac Beauty', host green ones,
several different types of ladybird are in the garden too
Beautiful Pelargonium, can imagine those leaves would be scented too.
ReplyDeleteJust geraniumy...not as per the scented varieties of which I have two.
ReplyDeleteSad fact I learnt last week, was that many old soldiers were not at all keen on growing geraniums when they returned from the war, as the smell was similar to mustard gas.