Summer is gently giving way to autumn: I've noticed a change as the Amelanchier starts to colour and shed leaves, the sun is lower and daylight is growing less, after a few days of poor light with heavy overcast days, what a welcome us gardeners feel towards a few days of brighter settled weather. Yes we were promised that but this Saturday morning it is overcast. On the bright side I saw a nice flock of small birds visit the garden including a pair of blackcaps for the first time in a long time.
Along with the gang of SOS I'm joining Jim as usual on his blog called Garden Ruminations.
1. For some reason this Chrysanthemum was a magnet for the slugs, though it has come back nicely. Chrysanthemum Starlet (21f) is described by Halls of Heddon from where I got several different Chrysanthemums this year, as a light bronze single spoon with several layer of petals. It is shortish and may get moved if it survives the winter, which I hope it does and it is described as hardy.
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| Chrysanthemum Starlet (21f) |
2. Chrysanthemum Bravo has been in bloom since the start of August and is still going strong. It is a nice crimson but it isn't quite in the right place either! I need to consider where this should be moved to and make notes ready for next year.
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| Chrysanthemum Bravo |
3. Jim quite rightly mentioned this delightful little Persicaria, which has thrived with the increased rain and cooler temperatures here in the shady border. I grew they from seed kindly sent by Jim. As if we don't all think of Jim each week, each time I see this lovely lot of beautiful leaves, I give thanks to Jim's kindness, Growwild Nursery describes it as follows: ' It is perennial, dwarf alpine species brought back from Nepal by plant explorer, Edward Needham. It came to us as P. runcinata 'Needham's Form' but we have never been happy with this species' name and, after many attempts over the years, we have finally found that its true identity is Persicaria sinuata. Forms a neat carpet of unusual foliage with small, charming tiny pink, round flower heads.'
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| Persica sinuata |
Kew describes it as an annual but here in my garden it is definitely a perennial, growing as a deciduous herbaceous plant. Should I write to them and let them know, it is probably just a typo?
4. The Persicarias have really done well in the garden this year, and only in its second season this one is looking in tip top condition. After the first flush of good leaves, I chopped it right down and now there is a flush of beautifully patterned leaves.
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| Persicaria runcinata 'Purple Fantasy' |
This week I dug up a really large stand of Persicaria Red Dragon, divided, and shared it amongst several friends. That one was the 'daughter' of the original one received years ago and in my previous garden from Cathy of 'Rambling in the Garden' who is also the Queen of In a Vase on Monday, where I like to display things I have grown in the garden. Of course I have a smaller plant and several soon to be well rooted plants, ready for sharing next year.
5. I like a little spot of yellow in garden, and so did this slug. I was on the floor in the Conservatory doing my early morning exercises and spotted this slug in the middle of the courgette flower right across the garden, it really did stand out against the yellow. Slugs can travel remarkably fast, and I had to look carefully as it was already on the homebound shift for a day's kip by the time I could get there. It was despatched!
I love a persicaria myself and you have a good selection! Darned slugs and that is a big one. Canary Bird is a beauty and worth making the room for, it reminds me of a gentleman I used to work for who loved his roses and had a large CB in his front garden. Have a good week, Sis x
ReplyDeleteI am just considering what existing plant from my garden would do well as ground cover beneath it, it is a question of all year round blending/contrast with the CB's lovely foliage. Do you have suggestions of others that my do?
DeleteSuch pretty leaves on the Persicarias. Is it in the same family as Coleus?
ReplyDeleteColeus are lovely and come in a great range of colours and patterns, but they are quite different. The Persicarias I grow are all hardy perennials, whereas coleus are not hardy.
DeleteThe foliage of the Persicarias is very striking and that yellow of the 'Canary Bird' is a lovely yellow. I remember we had some blackcaps in the garden one winter and they ruled the bird table, seeing off anything else! Very pretty birds.
ReplyDeleteHere it is the robin who rules and end hogs the bird bath.
DeleteI also have the P. Purple Fantasy, did you cut it to ground level in mid season? I cut it down at the end of the season, but never in the middle of the season and it tends to produce high stems that bend. Maybe I should do like you?...
ReplyDeleteYes Fred, I cut it down just a few weeks ago, and as you described it got lanky, well lankier than I would have liked, and the markings on the leaves were getting greener. I do that with the Red Dragon too and it works very well, sometimes I do it twice during the year, and after the frost has got it, which can be quite late here. After cutting back, I give it a feed and a good watering, and it springs back quickly.
DeleteGreat, thanks, I'll do that it.
DeleteGood looking Canary Bird rose and Chrysanthemums!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this I must check on my amelanchier Noelle. The foliage on the persicaria is most eye-catching indeed. I hope that the sunshine eventually arrived. A beautiful weekend here.
ReplyDeleteWe had good strong summer like sun on Sunday, it gives quite a boost to some of the plants.
DeleteI have tried to grow chrysanths in the garden but slugs and also I suspect, eelworm, have seen them off completely. I planted some on my allotment where they seem to be doing well, so maybe I'll try a reintroduction at some point. My persicaria sinuata self seeds prolifically and is best when growing hard and mean in the gravel path where it gets trodden on. It stays much smaller, flowers better and gets nice red tints in the foliage.
ReplyDeleteI rather like the Chrysanthemums here, as the Dahlias really are munched by the slugs here. Interesting regarding P. sinuata, I ought to try some in the full sun too, but I do like the soft ground cover in the shady border.
DeleteI was just mentioning how I'd love to get my hands on a rose with single yellow flowers! Yours looks so pretty with that creamy butter color.
ReplyDelete