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June 1st: Perfect partners (3)

Iris sibirica Melton Red Flare has an unusual and sparkling colour for its type and is effectively showcased by the softer and paler Nepeta Six Hills Giant at the moment.

June 4th: Perfect partners (4)

Geums feature a lot in our garden, as you would guess from the large range we sell.  Lady Stratheden is one of the best with double Apricot flowers from May to August.  The partnership between this rich colour and the pale, delicate lemon of the Achillea Moonshine works very well. Moonshine is still flowering in August when it should be cut back hard. It will than flower again in late Autumn.

June 5th Designing on Paper

I rarely design planting schemes on paper as I find it easier to picture plantings in my mind. However this planting was designed on paper and seems to work quite well. I usually start with a colour palette in mind and then contrast the leaf shapes and textures to achieve a good blend. 

Iris species grow in a wide variety of habitats. Whilst Bearded Iris like hot, dry sun some like Iris chrysographes Mandarin Purple likes damp even wet soils (and a neutral or acid soil). So it makes a perfect partner for Hosta elegans Albomarginata. 

Some people ask how we keep our Hostas free of slug damage. Well we do get some damage but we can't take the credit for perfect leaves - our large population of frogs and birds must take most of the applause.

Every now and then there is a plant in the garden that stops everyone in their tracks. This week it is Campanula punctata Plum Wine with its lilac washed bells and red and silver leaves. A real star. 

June 13th

We sat (for a change!) and watched these five fledgling Swallows being fed by their parents this morning. The parents swooped in and without landing deposited a mass of insects in the gaping mouths of the youngsters.  

Trying to capture the moment using a digital camera is difficult as there is a quite lengthy delay between clicking and the picture being taken.

June 16th Drama and continuity. 

Our Giant Spanish Oats (Stipa gigantea) are just coming into flower. Already about 5ft tall they will reach 6 -  6.5ft and the heads and stems will turn straw-coloured and last right through the winter.  This is a great plant for adding drama and providing continuity to a planting. Give it about a 3 -4ft wide space. In late winter comb or cut out old dead stems. To propagate cut off sections from the edge of a clump in early spring or autumn.

Apart from a few varieties of Hemerocallis fulva none are truly double. They all like Kiowa Sunset here create the impression of double flowers by growing petal-like substance on their stamens. In the UK climate many of these aren't reliable, only doubling up in hot weather. Kiowa Sunset isn't normally double at all so this flower is a bit of a freak.

June 19th Perfect Partners (6) 

This is another partnering with Achillea Moonshine (see June 4th above) this time a more vibrant colour harmony with the orange-red Kniphofia Wol's Red. 

These go together well as they like a hot sunny aspect and good winter drainage. The Kniphofia appreciates regular soakings in the summer which the Achillea doesn't need.

June 22nd Perfect Partners (7) 

Yellow and purple is a classic colour contrasts and the combination (right) of the lemon yellow Hemerocallis Corky with the indigo of the hardy Salvia nemorosa Ostfriesland (East Friesland) really works well. 

June 23rd Jekyll and Hyde Plants 

We have grown the subspecies Sambucifolia of Valeriana officinalis (right) for a number of years for the airy height it gives a border looking like a pale pink version of Verbena bonariensis. It also has a fairly strong Jasmine scent. In our experience it has never set seed being propagated by division of rooted stolons (underground shoots). The leaves are long and divided into a series of paired leaflets. Sometimes you wonder why plants are separated into varieties, subspecies, forms etc.

So when we saw a plant of the bog-standard species with plain leaves we were keen to try it. The flowers are paler, almost white and not as long lasting. But boy does it self seed - seedlings are coming up everywhere around the plant already just a week or two after seeding started. 

Two plants of the same species on the surface very similar, but certainly Jekyll and Hyde in their character. We'll stick to the Sambucifolia thanks!

June 29th Highlight plants 

Whilst we love big drifts of colour in our plantings sometimes you just need a single flower to provide a highlight or punctuation in the plant scheme. This new variety of Kniphofia called Scorched Corn caught my eye today as a great example.

More flowers are on their way, but today where was just a single dramatic bloom to stop me in my tracks. Sometimes a single bloom can cause you to study it in detail and appreciate the form and colour more because it stands out from its surroundings.