I thought for a wee change I'd start by sharing with you a little area in my garden that I've never shown before. This wee border came out of necessity rather than planning. Have over purchased in the shade loving shrub department more than once, will I ever learn? I doubt it! I lifted a row of 3 x 2 slabs round the back of the house and over the years it's kind of become a shade lovers plonking ground. I've also found it is the perfect spot in the garden to keep poorly Heuchera, they seem to thrive round here and as you can see last years invalids are doing remarkably well and are flowering now.
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| left to right: Heuchera Black Beauty, Caramel and Marmalade |
and on the other side of the path, 3 more fully recovered Heuchera Caramel, albeit less floriferous. This part of the garden is never used, it's mainly the thoroughfare between me and next door. I legally have to allow them access to my side path but they never use it, except to pop over for a blether.
and more!
The late flowering Clematis are now blooming. Does anyone remember the Clematis I moved in springtime? The one with the humongous root ball that caused me to have a high blood pressure reading at the docs a couple of hours later. As you can see in the large picture, it has done remarkably well, reaching up and along the trellis. I'm so glad I took that risk now. It looks great meandering it's way along the top.
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| C. Princess Diana, Macropetala, Mme Julia Correvon, Rhapsody and Ville de Lyon |
In the sunny bed outside the back door, many plants are looking rather tired, I commented last month that this border is in need of thinning out. My autumn preparations have began and I have widened a small part of it and it's ready for some new occupants. One of those new occupants is a white rose. I wanted a pure white rose and chose R. Susan Williams-Ellis. Trying out the bed for size, with her soon to be neighbours.
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| Phlox paniculata Violet Flame, Lonicera Fragrant Cloud and Rosa Susan Williams-Ellis |
In the same bed, the seed heads of Clematis The Vagabond look every bit as interesting as the blooms. There is an Escallonia iveyi struggling to flower beneath the mass of Clematis foliage. Another issue that needs addressing come autumn. Does anyone clip back their Clematis by half in autumn, does it spur on new growth? I'm thinking I would be doing the Escallonia a favour, giving it a bit of breathing space, so to speak. It can't be happy under there. I suspect it's almost bald under there!
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Allium sphaerocephalon, Veronicastum virginicum roseum Pink Glow,
Monarda Croftway Pink and Leucanthemum Broadway Lights |
Across the way on the shadier side, my teeny tiny wildlife pond is covered with pond weed and certainly about the only thing that thrives there! Mainly with foliage interest, Kirengeshoma palmata is just coming into flower and the Cotinus is now of reasonable size that it's producing a bit too much shade for the Stachys under planted there, it is said to take a bit of shade but it's now reaching out for light. This plant will benefit from a move over to the sunnier side in autumn. Another plant that is loved by the bees and copes much better with the growing conditions in my garden that it's cousin Stachys byzantina.
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| Kirengeshoma palmata and Stachys officinalis Wisley White |
There isn't much else going on in this bed, it's predominantly filled with Astrantia and having had a chop back a couple of weeks ago, are now putting on new leaf and they will flower again before they die back for winter. A couple of Heuchera and a Hosta are blooming this bloom day.
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| Heuchera Paris, Hosta So Sweet and Heuchera Marmalade |
As we go through the arch into the back garden proper the pot of trailing Begonias are still flowering away, granted at bit windswept and interesting. I've grown rather fond of these and might give some more a go next year. They certainly add a splash of colour where there is little else in flower.
The top bed, which is the subject of my EMOV, Persicaria overload, just about describes it. I used the Persicaria to fill the gaps between the shrubs. They like it there, as you can clearly see!
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| Persicaria amplexicaulis JS Caliente |
Yet more Persicaria, along with Crocosmia Lucifer and Helenium Moerheim Beauty providing for the pollinators. Interestingly I've seen very few butterflies. With the perfect summer last year and the even more perfect summer this year, I would have thought they'd be about in their droves this year. Alas, this is not the case.
I'm surprised that Helianthus Lemon Queen is shy at flowering. You can see the Cardoon and Verbena are not so coy. I wonder if I expect too much from them in their first year. The recent high winds had me a bit concerned but all is good and still vertical!
Heading back down towards the house, Persicaria Red Dragon, is making a bid to out grow everything round about it. It's flowers are like the Helianthus are rather sparse.
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| Persicaria microcephala Red Dragon |
If we head down the side path towards the front garden, in the side garden, which is predominantly a spring/early summer border, the Cyclamen are sprouting here and there. Bought and planted in flower last year, I'm glad to see their return. Nestled in amongst some ferns, they brighten up this wee spot.
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| Cyclamen hederifolium |
Out into the front garden, last year's gap fillers made a return. I had formed no attachment to these plants, knowing that I'd probably never see them again. It's nice that they have returned. Sadly, they will not fit in with my plans for the front garden come autumn time. Speaking of autumn, can you see the peony foliage taking on some autumn colour. Where has the year gone?
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| Scabious Beaugolais Bonnets |
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| Rudbeckia |
On the other hand, three plants flowering now that will fit in with my plans are a couple of Crocosmia and a dwarf daylily. The Crocosmia were corms given to me last year by a friend. The yellow is C. George Davidson and the bi-coloured one was supposed to be C. Emily Mckenzie but obviously not! I like it and it has a reprieve for now. The Daylily is one I've had for many years and long lost the label. It's a dwarf evergreen, so there's every possibility that it's H. Stella D'oro.
Well that's about my lot this bloom day. I'm joining with other garden bloggers over at
May Dream Gardens that are sharing what's flowering in their gardens in the middle of each month. See you there!
