offtheedgegardening

Salvia Poker

I’ll see your salvia and raise you one more. Salvia fulgens, hard to beat, but perhaps you know something different?

I was meant to be working in Lavinia and Lionel’s garden today. Yesterday I was due at The Farm and the day before Max’s was scheduled. None of these obligations were completed. At least I made it to Max’s. Here I struggled on pathetically for an hour before throwing in the towel and staggered home, drooping tail between my leaden legs.Continue reading “Poorly”

Surely not another salvia?

Yes I’m afraid so and this salvia is once more irresistibly beautiful. Here we have the shocking pink Salvia involucrata, a native of Mexico and sometimes known as the roseleaf sage. What it lacks in hardiness it makes up for in vigour, growing up to 1.75m in a season before flowering. Once it starts to bloomContinue reading “Surely not another salvia?”

Parahebe “Snow Cloud”

With the demon El Nino on the way it seems likely we might have to get used to the odd Snow Cloud this winter. Will they be a pretty as this one? I doubt it.

Salvia corrugata

How I love a salvia. Some might say, a little too much. This Salvia corrugata was purchased from Marwood Maggie earlier in the year. It was love at first sight.

Framed

There has been significant progress in the Case of the Stolen Pasty. Some new evidence has come to light which has led to an arrest. We received a tip-off from Mrs G sorry, an undisclosed member of the public. For her own safety she is presently in a witness protection programme at Carol the Cake’s house oops, an unidentified location.Continue reading “Framed”

Spent

This hydrangea head is possibly the most beautiful spent flower in the world. Of course I am open to correction about this outrageous claim, but today at L&L’s it seemed that way. My morning spent digging out a raspberry (and ground elder) bed was enhanced by the sight of its gloriously maturing blooms. If Helen Mirren was a flower,Continue reading “Spent”

Pot

We have all been guilty of it. We see a plant that we like, in fact it is love at first sight. We must have it right away, now, without delay. The only spanner in the works of this burgeoning affair of the hortie heart is that we can’t plant it out straight away. There could be many reasonsContinue reading “Pot”

Jumper

Would someone please knit me a jumper in these colours. Preferably in mohair, wide stripes and big and baggy. Thank you.

Nerine bowdenii

On many occasions recently I have been tempted to feature nerines. It is after all their time to shine in all their pink trumpety glory. There are specimens in almost all of the gardens I visit and I have photographed them in various guises, “wet”, “dry”, “open”, “closed”, even “over”. But somehow it didn’t seem quiteContinue reading “Nerine bowdenii”