LOOKING LUSH
A bit of a rainy week this week, so the garden is looking very lush and green. The ground is soft and crumbly. It's easy to dig planting holes and to pull out the weeds. There are lots of jobs that could be done - if only this gardener didn't object to getting wet.
1. A Favourite Combination
The Bonica Roses were looking good with Geranium Buxton Blue, but as the Geranium has started to fade, this luscious purple clematis (Polish Spirit) has come out. It's a favourite combination which I look forward to each year. That clematis came from Morrisons by the way, so not only beautiful, but a bargain too.
2. Mystery Rose
While many of the other roses are looking bedraggled after the rain this rose is still looking good. I do not know its name. It was growing in the garden when we moved here, although I might possibly never have found it. It had become overgrown by spotted laurel so that it could barely be seen. It was able to make one bloom and send it out on the end of a long stem to reach the light: kind of rose distress signal. I spotted it and the rose was moved to a little border which it shares with some lavender and sedums, where it has been flowering away like crazy ever since.
3. Geranium Summer Skies
I planted this out a few weeks ago. Very dainty and pretty is it not?
4. Colour Hit
The Long border is bursting into colour. The hot section is full of oranges and reds. There is also some Phlox there which is not red. It's supposed to be red, I sincerely wish it was red, but I'm going to have to accept that it isn't red and they are going to have to go. My mistake seems to have been buying varieties described as red when I think I should have gone for orange.
Anyway - ignoring the Phlox for the moment the rest is looking good I think.
5. Splitting the Iris
I love this job. It's the easiest bit of plant propagation I can think of. I spent a couple of happy hours digging them up and replanting them before the drizzle got too much for me.
6. Broad Beans
We picked the last of the broad beans this week and consigned the plants to the bonfire heap. The black fly had taken over. There has been an abundance of black fly here this year. The beans were yummy though.
That's all from my garden for this week, but if you want to read more then there are plenty more gardens to admire on The Propagator who kindly hosts Six on Saturday.
What a colour that clematis is, fabulous! I love broad beans, one day I'll have a garden big enough to grow them in, or perhaps try them in a pot.
ReplyDeleteI never seem to see broad beans in the shops which is why I grow them, but they do take up a lot of space.
DeleteDo you not remove the second "skin" of the broadbeans? Those in your photo still have a skin that can be removed for a milder flavor. But it's a bit long and painstaking kitchen work. Iris Division ... I'm late, thanks for making me think of it.
ReplyDeleteIf I pick them young enough the skin is not a problem. Sometimes I leave it a bit late to pick them (hoping for more beans in the pod) and then they need skinning.
DeleteOh, goodness... you "like" dividing iris! It's one of my least favorite garden chores. Thankfully none of mine (several different beds) need it this year. I will be trimming them in August, which is pain enough! The mystery rose is very pretty.
ReplyDeleteYou must have more than me I think. There is a garden in the UK which advocates a method where they chop the middle rhizome out without digging up the whole clump. I can't find the link at the moment but if I do I'll let you know.
DeleteYes, plants marked "red" can be a shock when they're truly pink. Your lush border is lovely. Well done on the iris.
ReplyDeleteThanks March. I've moved some of the 'red' Phlox to a red and pink border. Maybe they'll look more red there.
DeleteSo beautiful and such wonderful colours in your garden too :)
ReplyDeleteThank you
DeleteLove broad beans, but I stick to buying the baby ones (frozen). Your borders are lovely and hot pink would look good with the yellow and orange and red I think. The purple clematis is truly beautiful, if only mine had so many flowers!
ReplyDeleteI give the roses a foliar feed and I think the clematis might be benefiting from the spray drift!
DeleteYour Bonica roses look so good with Clematis ‘Polish Spirit’. What a great combination. I like to hear of plant rescues - that rose is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteGeranium 'Summer Skies' is a beauty too - I’m on the lookout for great looking geraniums for a border revamp. That’s another onto the plant wish-list. The Long Border is looking superb, and if you feel that the phlox is wrong then you can move it at a later date - it’s a perfectly good excuse/reason to go plant hunting for a replacement. :)
I would love to propagate the Mystery Rose sometime as it just doesn't stop flowering.
Deletei'm partial to a good clematis/rose combination, so that picture is a clear favourite for me this week. i bought a few climbers from morrisons two or three years ago, all doing well too.
ReplyDeleteWe don't get to Morrisons very often but I usually manage to find something worth buying among their plants.
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