Over the past couple of weeks I have noticed some horticultural anomalies, events seemingly out of kilter. There have been second, albeit fleeting, flushes of rhododendrons and wisteria, forget-me-nots are coming into bloom and crocus leaves emerging. Today at the Mantle Estate, my most favouritist magnolia was having another attempt. Confused? Perhaps a little. Mind you, I wouldn’t complain if spring happened again, it is after all the best season.
Salvia forskaohlei – Indigo Woodland Sage
A low whitewashed wall forms one end of the play area at The Farm. In front of this wall (on the football free side) there is a narrow border, about 60cm wide, running the length, about 3m. It is a sunny bed with shallow soil. Last year we grew dahlias (which on reflection did surprisingly well), french marigolds and orlaya. The latter was a mistake. Who would plant a white flower in front of a white wall. A fool, that is who. Or should that be “that is whom?”. Whom cares? If it was a perfectly camouflaged flower we were looking for, it would have been the perfect choice.
This year we have again used the seed grown dahlias and golden tagetes, with the addition of the Salvia forskaohlei. Hard as it is to believe, this is not an anagram. This beautiful sage, native to the Balkans, was named after an 18th century Finnish naturalist called Peter Forsskål. Contrary to what its common name would suggest, the Indigo Woodland Sage is a sun lover. It has romped away and apart from an occasional mollusc nibble and maverick toy tractor being driven into it, is trouble free. A far better option.
Just Looking
Today I did a lot of looking. Sometimes it happens that way. Things catch your eye and demand closer inspection. Like the raindrop on the ‘Lobelia Hadspen’ Purple flower above. If you are in the pay of CSI or Miss Marple you will have noticed my reflection within the little drop.
Then it was an echinops that caught my attention, with seeds seemingly cascading in a frozen waterfall. With specs on I could see that it was tied up in a safety net of spiders web.
Next the tight emerald bud of an perennial sunflower, perfect in its potential.
Then a buggle-eyed bee feasting on a Japanese anemone.
And the new leaf of Erodium manescavii, reaching like a hand towards the warm sun.
Finally, up close and personal to Verbascum chaixii flower, pink breeches and orange socks.
That was a quite a lot of looking,
Clog Popping
It is that time of year again. The time when, for those so inclined, pockets become full of seed of all sizes and persausions. Sometimes these collections are carefully placed in paper bags to be safely sorted and stored later, often they are wrapped in a corner of tissue only to be recovered after a 30C wash.
Not all plants donate obligingly. A few are reluctant to set much seed and any are a Godsend. With others you must be quick off the mark, the seed are catapulted about the garden before you have a chance to catch them. Some harvests are inevitable, such as the above Meconopsis napaulensis. This wonderful plant, the Satin or Nepal Poppy, is monocarpic. No, this has nothing to do with toilet cleaner. What it means is that once it flowers, it thinks, “job done” and then promptly pops its clogs. In these delightfully furry seed pods it has, very wisely, produced a zillion seed to make up for this short and glorious life.
Landing Pad
Buddlejas often get a bad press. They seed themselves everywhere, specialising in the most inaccessible places. Perversely this is one of things I like about them. It is the “when all us stupid humans are gone it won’t take long before there will be no trace left” that makes me smile. They are also magnets for pollinators, perhaps a slightly less Armageddonesque reason to love them.
This pink beauty is doing well at The Farm. Rescued earlier in the year from a garden centre Death Row, it has made a full recovery. Last week it was full of bees and butterflies, as any buddleja worth its salt should be. Unfortunately these supping beauties were too quick for me, you will have to make do with their landing pad.
Six on Saturday (again)
So here we are again. It seems that in the correct order of things it is indeed Saturday again. And we all know what that means. You don’t? It means Six on Saturday, the meme that The Propagator curates. This is the second week in a row. A small miracle. So let’s get going.
Firstly we have Impatiens stenantha which was a gift from the Cornish Kid. This busy lizzy relative is from the Himalayas where it grows in woodlands. Not quite the North Devon coast, but it seems to be doing well and over-winters without too much trouble.
Next we have Hibiscus trionum. Not the exotic hibiscus of the Arabian Nights and but an annual with its own charms. The seed was kindly given to me by Phlomis Phlo and I will make sure I save some from this plant for next year. Understated and elegant, a real beauty. Remind you of anyone? No I thought not.
I do love a scabious and this Scabiosa ‘Blue Jeans’ is getting on with life, feeding the bees, looking pretty, minding its own business. Just as well as it gets little attention from the gardener.
After the trug of potatoes were harvested earlier in the year I decided to sow a mix of cut-and-come again lettuce and rocket. All started positively, it germinated well, then thing went swiftly downhill. All but a few rocket plants were scoffed overnight by slugs. These survivors have now gone to flower. But I quite like them. After all a flower is a flower.
This is Fuchsia glazioviana, and no I wasn’t having a nap when I took this photo. One of its charms is the way it holds its elegant flowers out at an angle, as opposed the usual dingly dangly blooms. A low growing and, once established, trouble free plant. I am a big fan.
And lastly another fuchsia, although quite different to our friend above. Earlier this year I wrote how I had rescued the diminutive Fuchsia procumbens ‘Variegata’ from being swamped by the big guys. It is now safely ensconced in a pot and much, much happier. I do love a happy ending.
So there we have it, another six for your delectation. Next week is a world away, who knows what it will bring? If we are very lucky, it will be another half dozen. Thanks Mr Prop for hosting this meme.
Just because …..
…. it is beautiful and the sight of it warms my soul.
Rooted
Anyone who has ever rooted cuttings will know how happy this has made me. But more so. And also somewhat surprised.
I was a little slow off the mark to propagate Bidens aurea ‘Hannay’s Lemon Drop’. This 1m high beauty has had a tough year. Out of necessity it had to be moved mid season. A new fence was being erected to prevent the pygmy goats getting their heads stuck through the gaps again. I am still having nightmares about the last time this happened. They might be little, but they are very strong. Wire cutters were involved. Anyway I digress. At the same time as smaller gauge fencing was installed the boundary was amended.
Moving a plant in July is not ideal treatment, but to add insult to injury its new home was to be the compacted, subsoil replete, inhospitable, Larch Tree bed. After a chop back, lots of compost and sweet words sung, it has romped away. Enough to spare a few cuttings. Which have made this amount of root in two weeks. I may have been forgiven. I am very happy.
Interview
When I interview potential clients, just before the psychometric test and directly after the assault course, I subject them to my check list of pertinent questions. Some might call it an interrogation. I have a clipboard and a steely gaze. One of these questions is “do you have any pets?”. Mr and Mrs Fish have two tabby cats, one lumbering labrador and three rescue goats. Pass with distinction.
Support
We all have times when our head is so heavy it can barely be raised to the sun.
This is just when you need a friendly banana to rest upon. Or equivalent.
Not everyone has such wild petals though.
Off The Edge Gardening 