Posted on July 26, 2019

How summer-dry feels…

View of the front garden, with baking sun at 0730, Tostat, July 2019

The last five days built to a ghastly crescendo of more than 40C yesterday. Human beings are finding it hard, hard to sleep even downstairs in the house and permanent darkness with shutters shut for most of the day. Today, all windows have been flung open, and rain is battering down, no hail fortunately, in splurges which are just gentle enough to penetrate the hot, dry crust of the ground. This is the first rain we have seen for 3 weeks at least, which has really tested the garden for the second time so far this summer. I have been watering the pots and any late plantings from 0700 for an hour and a half every day, but the rest has been left to handle the heat itself.

Abutilon pictum waiting, Tostat, July 2019

Some plants have just been sitting it out. Abutilon pictum is a lovely pot shrub, not hardy hence the pot, but with the most brilliant orange drop-shaped flowers. It folds it’s leaves down so that they hang straight down, which is an early sign of stress, but regular watering handles that.

Eucomis comosa ‘Sparkling Ruby’, Tostat, July 2019

The Eucomis comosa ‘Sparkling Ruby’ is a wonderful thing and this year it has loved the wet, cool May and now the heat- as long as it is kept well watered in it’s pot. It is the best ever, 3 months of the huge, strappy, crimson-purple leaves which on their own are worth the price of the bulb, and then maybe 4 weeks of flowering as the flowerspikes slowly open. It can hang on, still looking good till the first cold night-time temperatures strike. This last winter I left the huge pot outside, but fleeced it well, and moved it into the protection of the pergola, which kept the worst of the winter wet off it.

Misumena vatia looking angry on Salvia ‘Mulberry Jam’, Tostat, July 2019

The heat has brought this angry-looking spider out early. Misumena vatia is a foraging spider which attacks bees and butterflies, hanging out very still in flowerheads that it can mimic in colour- bit odd then that it was in the white form on the Salvia. But maybe the colour change takes a while to activate. It is a deadly killer, as you can see from my 2018 photograph below. Wearing matching bright yellow with the flowerhead of Patrinia scabiosifolia, it is making short shrift of a hapless insect.

Same spider, Misumena vatia, new disguise on Patrinia scabiosifolia, Tostat, August 2018

I am ridiculously fond of this Hibiscus trionum which I grew from seed about 7 years ago, although it is a nothing-special-plant. But the flowers keep on coming regardless of heat and no rain, so it is not a slouch in the summer-dry department. The foliage is a healthy mid-green and you would never know that the sun was beating down on it.

Another plant which I grew from seed about the same time as the Hibiscus, is the unbeatable Bupleurum fruticosum. Not a great looker, but the olive-green leaves and structure are brilliant in the border, especially when summer heat can render other plants a tad on the floppy side. This year, I actually did a proper-gardener thing and pruned all of the Bupleurum pretty much to stumps above the ground in February. Of course, it was the right thing to do, making good, sturdy 1.25ish metre clumps, with good branching and form.

The redoubtable Bupleurum fruticosum, Tostat, July 2019

This tiny Linaria vulgaris is such a sweet thing. Custard yellow and cream flowers on a tiny spike, I grew these from seed a few years back and they are only slowly making little sprinkles in a hot, dry spot. I was inspired to try it after seeing a brilliant planting of it outside the Ludlow Food Centre in 2017. I am not quite there yet! But live in hope…

Linaria vulgaris and Stipa tenuissima, Ludlow Food Centre, Shropshire, June 2017

Helenium autumnale ‘Helena’, Tostat, July 2019

Helenium autumnale ‘Helena’ is easy-peasy from seed and is a tough, but lovely, plant no matter what the weather. I adore the colours, the form with the golden ruffs, and the sprinkle effect that it creates in amongst other plants. A good neighbour of a plant.

Tanacetum vulgare var. crispum, Tostat, July 2019

Such pretty foliage, Tanacetum vulgare var. crispum. Feathery, ferny and upright, no slouching and a brilliant green. It may be that it is getting a little water seeping out of the pots in front of it, as it is not usually quite so robust in dry and heat.

In the heat, the Back Door view, Tostat, July 2019

The view from the Back Door is very dependent on greens, but Daphne x transatlantica ‘Eternal Fragrance’ is unstoppable and fragrant no matter how hot it gets ( centre-right in the photo), Eucomis autumnalis ssp autumnalis, the Pineapple flower, is flowering away in a pot at the front, and Plectranthus argentatus offers up some silvery-green next door to the Eucomis. The big shrub, Abelia chinensis ‘White Surprise’ if I remember correctly, will flower in a few weeks- another summer-dry star.

But for colour, the dragonflies and damselflies take the prize. Electric azure blue.

Colour in the wildlife, Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly, Tostat, July 2019

Posted on July 16, 2018December 7, 2018

Stormy weather…

Back door view 718 — Back door view, Tostat, July 2018

Last night was the third night of big storms- a huge electrical show in the sky, and Tostat lit up like Las Vegas. This morning, a dark and sombre tone to the light, and continuing rumblings. So much so that Molly the dog literally turned tail and ran back into the garden first thing. The rain is very welcome, but like the whole weather scene this year, too much, too big, and utterly unpredictable.

In the last post, I was raving about Eucomis ‘Sparkling Burgundy’, and here in the foreground pot, you can see ‘Eucomis autumnalis’, which is the baby cousin and my first shot at Eucomis. I think that I need to repot all those bulbs for next year, as whilst the decorative drooping is pretty, it really means it’s a bit crowded in there. Such a good plant- self-seeds and produces babies, and you can also grow the seed on- though it takes a few years to make a flowering plant. I keep both Eucomis in pots, they like winter dry and some shelter, and then they handle sun and pot-soaking every 2 days- unless we are in a heatwave when it would be daily.

Kalimeris incisa Madiva 718 — Kalimeris incisa ‘Madiva’, Tostat, July 2018

Just coming out now, and continuing for 2-3 months, is Kalimeris incisa ‘Madiva’, a plant that is only in its second full year, but is proving to be a real trooper. Just 1m high, it is really tough and shrugs off wind and rain, as well as hot sun. It spreads steadily but not greedily, and is a delicate pale mauve colour- it looks fantastic next to the Monarda fistulosa, which has gone nuts this year with the rain and is taller than me. This plant keeps going right till the late autumn- flowering when rain allows, and remaining upright and impressive. From seed it is really easy, and these clumps are now 3 years old, so I will be dividing them later on.

Monarda fistulosa 718 — Monarda fistulosa, Tostat, July 2018

When the early or late light hits the Monarda, there is almost an electric quality to the mauve flowerheads.

July view 2 718 — Monarda fistulosa shimmering, Tostat, July 2018

Rosa Crepuscule 718 — Rosa ‘Crepuscule’, Tostat, July 2018

At least, I think that this is ‘Crepuscule’. Apricot to start with, golden cream and yellow later, and a deep, drinkable scent- I love it. Not mine, in the sense that I inherited it, and it is a gawky thing, but with all the rain, it is trying for a second show.

In this strange weather, I am taken with seed production. Clearing out my seed collection, and seeing if there is any life left, but also growing some new plants that I want to try. I adored this plant last summer in Herefordshire, and bumped into it again in Gloucestershire at Berrys Farm Garden, open for the NGS. ‘Trifolium ochroleucron’ is stunning. A big shapely clump of 1m or so, with these super-charged giant cream clover heads. The good news is that all the seed has germinated in less than 5 days. Now, I just have to not kill them over the winter.

Berry Trifolium 618 — Trifolium ochroleucron, Berrys Place Farm Gloucestershire, June 2018

More riskily, I am trying this- Alogyne hakeifolia. Tiny pic, thank you Australianseed.com, and also ‘Gardening with Angus’ for more information. I saw this in Spain, and fell badly. So, why not? All gardening is about love and passion really. I am in a mauve phase.

download (1) — Alogyne hakeifolia Photo credit: http://www.australianseed.com

Posted on September 15, 2016

After the Rain…

acidanthera-murieliae-916 — Acidanthera murielae, Tostat, September 2016

On Tuesday night, the heavens opened, and it has rained off and on, mostly heavily and without wind, since then, till this morning when cool air but also bright sunshine appeared. Bliss. You can almost feel the earth drinking the water. Truth is, most of the garden is pretty much crisped to death. Not total death, but certainly over for this year. The watered pots are still doing beautifully, but, with the exception of a few things, everything arrived too fast and went over too fast in the heat and dry. So, this autumn will not see a lot going on in the garden. But there are some surprises.

eucalyptus-gunnii-azura-916 — Eucalyptus gunnii Azura, Tostat, September 2016

I bought this in the ‘bin-end’ section of a local nursery about 4 years ago, and planted it thinking it could be a sentinel plant at the opening into the New Garden. It was almost too bright to photograph it this morning and so I only just got the very top of it in the picture. I adore this tree. Yes, it works as a sentinel, with it’s fine, elegant and delicate columnar shape and colouring, not to mention the round, grouped leaves that give it an almost frothy look- but it is also not going to get too much bigger, currently about 2m at the widest and about 3.5m high (well, that’s what the websites seem to agree on) and so it won’t dominate the area around it.

passiflora-fruit-916 — Passiflora fruiting almost done, Tostat, September 2016

Just caught this view as I was wandering past. It makes the most of the remaining colour in the garden and airbrushes out the drought- rather well, I think.

poilanthes-tuberosa-the-pearl-916 — Poilanthes tuberosa ‘The Pearl’, Tostat, September 2016

I bought some of these bulbs on offer in a cold and wet June. They looked pretty dull till the other week, when up shot these tall, slender, grouped cream flowers with a pale yellow centre. And the perfume is even available for the Piasecka nose. Deep, dark and rich, with a strong vanilla tone, or at least I think so. Strong and gorgeous scent that hung near the plant on the hot evenings we have had lately. Absolutely knockout and with many more flowers to come, which we will miss but our housesitters will enjoy.

begonia-luxurians-1-916 — Looking down on Begonia luxurians, Tostat, September 2016

Also a pot-dweller, and one that will need a far bigger pot next year, is a real find for this year, Begonia luxurians. I thought it might be a little delicate as it’s structure is so airy and fine, with these Edward Scissorhands leaves grouped around a centre. But it has withstood passing people bashing it, wind and rain with aplomb. It is tender and so it will come in to the house for the winter.

eucomis-autumnalis-916 — Eucomis autumnalis bearing seed, Tostat, September 2016

Several friends in Tostat are busily growing Eucomis autumnalis seed that I collected last year, so just before we head off next week, I will be collecting as much as I can. I am imagining about 3 years to a flowering plant, but it is such a great plant, you can’t have enough in pots, and is handsome at every stage of it’s life. Meanwhile, on the slowly evolving labyrinth, which has suffered the last 2 summers and is not therefore complete with plants, I was collecting seed from good plants (sown 2 years ago) of Carex buchananii ‘Red Rooster’ before the rain. I now have a big brown envelope full of seed- which might mean that I can finally grow enough, probably about 150 plants, to complete the outer circuit and fill in the odd hole. Fingers crossed.

dryopteris-erythrosa-916 — Dryopteris erythrosora, Tostat, September 2016

There has been so much gratitude for the rain. This Dryopteris has even reverted to a semi-spring position, instantly throwing up new leaves and looking pretty content.

solidago-rugosa-fireworks-916 — Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’, Tostat, September 2016

This plant, Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’, is only in it’s first year and so has a way to go. But it has been redoubtable in the heat and dry, and so next year it should be in fine fettle. I love the arching delicacy of the flowering branches and it’s fine vase-shaped, upright form. It does look heat-weary, but it has pulled through, albeit with a little spot-watering.

maurandya-antirhiniflora-916 — Maurandya antirhiniflora taking on Salvia ‘Ember’s Wish’, Tostat, September 2016

At the same time, the change in the weather has brought the sharper early morning light of autumn, which allowed this small flower to steal my gaze as I went out with a cup of tea this morning. It’s good to be alive.

Posted on August 3, 2015August 3, 2015

The aristocrat and the pauper…

I love my flowering ginger, Hedychium gardnerianum. They had a rough start in life here. Bought as a few small tubers on ebay, I planted them in what I thought would be a warm and wet enough part of the garden, and for two or three years, they bravely grew leaves and did what they could. I then realised that they took so long to get over winter even in the place I had carefully chosen for them, that they were too exhausted to flower, or if they tried, autumn chills did for them. So, into a pot they went, even though I managed to leave a bit behind, which is now back in the square one position, and yes, I will remember to dig it up this autumn.

Hedychium gardnerianum, Tostat, August 2015

This variety of Hedychium is reputed to be the hardiest, and so isn’t perhaps as luscious in flowering as some, but I like the Golden Shred colouring, and especially the contrast with the darker orange at the base of each flowerette. But the truth is: each flowerspike, currently one on each plant, lasts only a couple of days and will be utterly blitzed by any heavy rain. So, in plant terms, cost per wear doesn’t look too good. But I will move it into a more semi-shaded position than now, and try again another year.

But, cost per wear is a given a real ROI when you look at Eucomis autumnalis. I absolutely adore this plant. It meets all the requirements of a late summer flowering plant, great, lush foliage, flowerspikes that last for weeks and look good before, during, and after flowering, and it is incredibly easy to grow. It is a South African native, grows from bulbs, and is cheap as chips really. The only thing you have to do, which I didn’t, is really read up on what it likes. I had it planted in dry, stony ground for several years, which is exactly what it likes in the winter and spring, with very free-draining soil. My mistake was in not reading about the rest of what it likes. To flower, it wants moisture and quite a bit of it, as well as richer conditions. I promised myself every year I saw the leaves forming that I would dig it up and pot it up and, yes, each year I forgot.

This year I remembered, and was astonished that 3 bulbs were now nine in number, and went into 2 pots not one. And it has rewarded me, hand over fist, with a lovely display of cool, white flowerheads, for the past month and isn’t finished yet. I am so pleased that I remembered.

Eucomis atumnalis, Tostat, early July 2015

I love the faux pineapple shape of the spike, and its cheeky little top, the bit that I thought would make a great earring in an earlier blog. You get to see the little pineapple shape emerging weeks earlier before it finally flowers, so it is a great reveal when it happens.

Posted on July 28, 2015July 28, 2015

Plants with earring potential…

Sometimes an idea enters my head and sticks…the last month or so, whilst taking photographs in the garden, I was seized by the notion that so many flowering plants would make fabulous earrings- only the flowering part I hasten to add. And I was reminded that a book I really enjoyed, with its fusion of autobiography and gardening, sometimes painful, was ‘The Jewel Garden: A Story of Despair and Redemption’ by Monty and Sarah Don. And their life and careers together started with jewellery. There is a wonderful photo in the book of them both sporting some of their work, with Monty looking as if he was auditioning for Adam Ant. It’s very touching when you read the whole story.

So, my first contender for earring potential would be Leycesteria formosa, the summer-long flowering shrub whose flowers seem to last for months, only becoming more luscious and dark as the weeks go by.

It is such a good, undemanding plant and graceful too, with its gently arching branches, so it does need a bit of room, and would be wasted jammed into a small space.

The second contender would be Feijoa sellowiana, the Pineapple Guava. My plants have taken their time to flower reliably, probably more than 5 years. But now, for just a short while at the end of May, these gorgeous flowers appear. Pink slightly fleshy petals surround an electric burst of bright pink stamens with golden tips. They certainly would have qualifed as dressy earrings in my Mum’s jewellery box.

And then there’s my pale orange abutilon, unknown variety, which I bought as a weenie from ebay years ago. It used to be in a pot, and this is its first year in the ground and it has been a hard year for newbies in the ground. So, it is a little subdued but will make it, I think. I love the classy droplets in pale orange, though I also lust after a variety called ‘Orange Hot Lava’. I am sure you will know why.

And then there are Fuchsias. I am not a big grower of Fuchsia, mainly because I don’t have a lot of kind shade and dampness, but in the garden I grow Fuchsia magellanica, which is really tough and comes back no matter what. The flowers are elegant, slim and pencil-like, and even better before they open fully, I think.

And I also have a little Fuchsia ‘Edith’ in a pot, which I bought as a plug at Chelsea last year. It has just produced the first flower, which is not quite open, but the cerise pink is quite gorgeous with the lavender underskirt.

And, finally, despite my Carmen Miranda tendencies, the plant I would pick myself to wear as an earring would be..Eucomis autumnalis, and I would simply take the little green pineapple-bit off the top. Quite lovely.

jardinecofriendly

Gardening hits and misses in the Hautes Pyrenees, having a laugh, and a bit of cursing…

Tag: Eucomis autumnalis